OVERVIEW: The Ressler/Gertz Foundation is the philanthropic organization of Antony Ressler and his wife, actress, Jami Gertz. The foundation does most of its grantmaking in Los Angeles, with around $3 million going out the door annually in recent years.
IP TAKE: The foundation does not have a website, and provides no clear guidelines for grant seekers. Ressler and Jami are the only listed trustees. New grantseekers will have their work cut out for them here.
PROFILE: The Ressler/Gertz Foundation was created in 1997 and has made over 192 grants to 104 organizations totaling over $22 million in recent years. Antony Ressler became a billionaire after his company Ares Management's initial public offering in 2014. Ressler was born into a Jewish family and went to Georgetown and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. After school, he worked at Drexel Burnham Lambert, eventually reaching Senior Vice President in the High Yield Bond Department. Prior to Ares, he co-founded the private equity firm Apollo Global Management with Leon Black. Ressler is married to actress Jami Gertz and the couple lives in Los Angeles, where most of their philanthropy takes place.
Grants for Los Angeles and SoCal
One major area of grantmaking for the couple in Los Angeles is education. Ressler is a founding board member and co-chair of the Alliance for College Ready Public Schools, a group of charter high schools and middle schools based in Los Angeles. One of Alliance's charter schools is the Alliance Gertz-Ressler High School. The couple has also supported Homeboy Industries, which provides education, employment training and other programming for former gang-involved and incarcerated men and women. City Year Los Angeles, Educators for Excellence, Junior Achievement of Southern California, and City Match have recently received funds. The couple has also supported Campbell Hall, the Center for Early Education, and outside of Los Angeles, to Ressler's alma mater, Georgetown University.
Given Jami's long career as an actress in Hollywood, the foundation understandably supports arts and culture. Ressler is a Vice Chair at LACMA, which receives steady support from the foundation.
Cedars Sinai is another past grantee, and received nearly $400,000 in a past year. The couple has also supported the Center for Discovery which treats children and adults with significant disabilities, medical complexities and autism spectrum disorders. The couple also helped found the Painted Turtle Camp, a multi-disease camp and family care center in California. Kids with serious medical conditions attend the camp to celebrate being kids.
Ressler and Jami are also strong supporters of the Wilshire Boulevard Temple, and have also supported the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
It is worth noting that Ressler is an avid sports fan. He owns the Atlanta Hawks and is also minority owner of the Milwaukee Brewers. In recent years, the couple has supported the John Sepler Sports at Mar Vista, and Sports Spectacular, which links "world-class athletes and innovative medical research to advance healthier futures for all." For now, Ressler is still very much engaged in business, but a more robust operation might be coming.
Important Grant Details
The foundation does not have a website, and it provides no clear guidelines for grant seekers. Ressler and Jami are the only listed trustees. It does not appear to accept unsolicited proposals or requests for funding.
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CONTACT:
The Ressler/Gertz Foundation
16130 Ventura Blvd., Ste. 320
Encino, CA 91436