NET WORTH: Unknown
SOURCE OF WEALTH: Windcrest Partners
FUNDING AREAS: Education & Youth, Arts & Culture, Health, Environment
OVERVIEW: Michael Gellert and family conduct their philanthropy through the Michael E. Gellert Trust, which according to available tax filings, gave away around $1 million from 2017 to 2018. The family is heavily involved with Harvard. Philanthropy sometimes tracks with board memberships, as the family sits on several arts, health, and educational boards.
BACKGROUND: Michael E. Gellert graduated with an A.B. in government from Harvard University and an MBA in finance from the Wharton School. Gellert is a general partner of Windcrest Partners which he co-founded in 1968.
ISSUES:
EDUCATION & YOUTH: Gellert’s daughter Catherine also graduated from Harvard and is on the board of the Gellert Foundation. The family has recently directed seven-figure sums to Harvard. Other grantees have included St. Paul’s School (Catherine attended and is a trustee), Hunter College Foundation, Chapin School, and The American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Another important grantee is The New School, where Gellert is on the board.
ARTS & CULTURE: The Gellerts are on the boards of American Repertory Theater, Lincoln Center Institute, and Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts. Other grantees include New York Philharmonic, The Frick Collection, the Metropolitan Museum, and the Metropolitan Opera.
OTHER: The Gellerts support organizations that work in health and public policy. The family traces its roots to Prague, which Gellert’s family fled in the late 1930s. Gellert is on the board of Human Rights Watch, and Catherine is on the board of International Women’s Health Coalition, another grantee. The family has supported environmental organizations including Black Rock Forest Consortium.
LOOKING FORWARD: Expect the family to stick with their established interests for now. The civically active Catherine should be watched as the family’s philanthropy shifts to its next generation.
CONTACT:
The Michael E. Gellert Trust does not provide a clear avenue of contact but below is an address:
Michael E. Gellert Trust
750 Third Avenue, Suite 3300
New York, NY 10017