NET WORTH: Unknown
SOURCE OF WEALTH: AEA Investors LP
FUNDING AREAS: (Global) Education & Youth, Arts & Culture
OVERVIEW: Michel and Caroline Zaleski move their philanthropy through the Zaleski Family Foundation. According to available tax filings, the foundation awarded $278,000 in grants in 2017. Zaleski also founded Dominican Republic Education and Mentoring Project (The DREAM Project), to support education in the Dominican Republic.
BACKGROUND: Michel Zaleski graduated with a B.A. from Dartmouth College, a B.E. from Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth, and an M.S. from MIT. Zaleski served as senior vice president of AEA Investors LP, one of the oldest and most highly regarded middle market private equity firms in the United States.
ISSUES:
EDUCATION & YOUTH: Outside the U.S., the Zaleskis also reside in the Dominican Republic. In the mid-1990s, Zaleski decided to focus on education after visiting public schools with overcrowded, understaffed classrooms and dilapidated facilities with no running water or electricity. Zaleski began by bringing down Dartmouth College students to supplement teaching at two public schools in the island nation. With other donors, Zaleski started funding the construction of additional classrooms, libraries and sanitary facilities at these and other schools. In 2002, he formally established DREAM (Dominican Republic Education and Mentoring Project) in both the U.S. and the Dominican Republic. Since then, DREAM has grown from one location to "helping more than 8,200 children, youth and young adults receive a better education through its 14 programs in 27 different communities." DREAM’s programs focus on early childhood education, high quality primary education, and holistic youth development.
The Zaleskis continue to support DREAM via their foundation. They've also strongly supported Dartmouth College, home to the Zaleski Auditorium in MacLean Engineering Sciences Center. Other grantees have included Expanded Schools, Boys and Girls Club of San Francisco, and Soros Central European University. It's worth noting that Zaleski serves as chairman of the board of the Open Society Foundations’ (OSF) Soros Economic Development Fund (SEDF) and also serves as co-chairman of the board of OSF’s Economic Advancement Program (EAP).
ARTS & CULTURE: Caroline Zaleski has an M.S. in architectural preservation from Columbia University and is a leading advocate for the preservation of important modern architecture in the New York City area. She is on the board of Preservation League of New York State and has worked to encourage the inclusion of applications relating to twentieth-century modernism and recent New York State history. The couple have supported the organization as well as Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities, Park Avenue Armory, New York Landmarks Conservancy, Central Park Conservancy, and the NY Preservation Archives.
OTHER: Support has gone to NYU Langone Medical Center. It's worth noting that Caroline also worked as a medical reporter.
LOOKING FORWARD: Expect the Zaleski family to stick with their established interests.
CONTACT:
The Zaleski Family Foundation has no formal grant application; applicants should submit all relevant information, along with an executive summary with respect to the use of their grant request, to:
Zaleski Family Foundation
c/o Michel Zaleski
300 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024