OVERVIEW: The Stephen and Ruth Hendel Foundation primarily funds grantmaking related to the arts and Jewish causes. It also earmarks funds for causes like health and education.
IP TAKE: The foundation lacks transparency, which limits information available on its grantmaking priorities and activities.
PROFILE: Established in 1989, the Stephen and Ruth Hendel Foundation was founded by commodities trader Stephen Hendel and his wife Ruth, a prolific Broadway producer. Stephen Hendel is founding managing director of Hartree Partners, LP, a global merchant commodities firm specializing in energy and associated industries. Ruth has been a Broadway show backer since 2002, with more than 60 credits to her name. The foundation lacks transparency, which limits information available on its grantmaking priorities and activities. According to tax filings, the Stephen and Ruth Hendel Foundation primarily funds grantmaking related to the arts and Jewish causes. It also earmarks funds for causes like health and education.
Stephen grew up in a Conservative Jewish household and Ruth in an Orthodox family. They are strongly involved with The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), home to the Hendel Center for Ethics and Justice. Ruth Hendel has been a longtime member of the JTS Library’s board of directors, and since 2013, a trustee of JTS’s board. The couple recently directed a six-figure grant to New York Live Arts, of which Stephen is co-chair of the board. They also support Eugene O’Neil Theater where Ruth serves as vice chair and Stephen is also on the board.
Grants range from $100 to $152,000. In a recent fiscal year, the foundation gave away around $195,000. Past grantees include Afropop Worldwide, Second Stage Theater, Labyrinth Theater Company, Hadassah, Jewish Museum, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center .
The foundation keeps a low profile and does not accept unsolicited proposals.
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CONTACT:
Stephen & Ruth Hendel Foundation
10 Dundee Road
Larchmont, NY 10538