Charles H. Revson Foundation
Encyclopedia
The Charles H. Revson Foundation was founded in 1956 by Charles H. Revson
, the founding President of Revlon Cosmetics
as a vehicle for his charitable giving. Mr. Revson willed half his estate to the Foundation upon his death. http://www.sipa.columbia.edu/resources_services/career_services/current_students/career_resources/factsheets/Foundations%20for%20SIPA%20Students.pdf
during his lifetime. The Foundation funded schools, hospitals, and service organizations serving the Jewish community, mostly located in New York City
. Upon his death, Revson endowed the Foundation with 68 million dollars from his estate and granted the board of directors the discretion to chart the Foundation's future course.
In 1978, the Foundation began a formal grant-making process, and since that time, has disbursed a total of 145 million dollars. The Foundation's endowment has grown to 200 million dollars, and it now disburses over 9 million dollars annually. The Foundation has been responsible for such projects as the Hebrew version of Sesame Street
, known as Rechov Sumsum,and the documentary "Civilization and the Jews." The foundation also awarded the grant through which the Gotham Gazette
was created http://www.gothamgazette.com/about.shtml
In 2003, after 25 years, Eli Evans stepped down as the foundation's president, handing over the reins to Lisa E. Goldberg, wife of New York University
(NYU) President John Sexton
.
After Lisa E. Goldberg's sudden death on January 21, 2007, the position was vacant until filled by Julie Sandorf, formerly the executive director of Nextbook
, in January 2008.
Developing leadership
for New York is the goal of one group of foundation grants. These programs identify talented individuals, bring them together for learning, training, and the exchange of ideas, and build networks equipped to address the challenges of tomorrow. "Leaders are like dancers; they are born with talent but have to learn the steps," commented one participant. The programs build bridges across sectors, like neighborhood organizations and the business community, the school system and arts institutions, by including women and men from many fields and introducing them to players from diverse areas. They give leaders — and potential leaders — an opportunity to deepen their knowledge, gain skills, be exposed to different viewpoints and experiences, learn, and grow.
The transfer of responsibility for many programs from Washington to state and local government
has had major implications for New York. Dramatic shifts in welfare and other programs call for particular attention to the impact of policy changes on the most disadvantaged New Yorkers, who rely on such government aid. A portion of the Foundation's grantmaking
supports organizations that monitor actions taken in New York City and Albany, work to shape policies that benefit the city, and see that they are carried out fairly, efficiently, and in a timely manner.
The Foundation has supported a variety of project
s to examine the possibilities for financing, delivering services, and planning
the urban environment in the next century. Several grants have assisted projects that use technology in innovative ways — for example, a computer model
of the city that allows planners, architects, and community groups to visualize the effect of proposed projects before they are approved, and a website that will serve as a central source for information on public policy and civic life in New York.
Citizen organizations play a critical part in the democratic system
, monitoring government policy and reporting the results to the public. This helps the government to be more accountable to the citizens.
Communications technology is focused on by the Foundation via television and the Internet. A part of the Communications program seeks innovative
uses of technology to communicate with citizens and encourage their participation.
Public interest legal organizations are used in representation of individuals and strategies to improve law enforcement, thereby providing an important mediating link between citizens and the government. To attract talented people to public interest work, the Foundation has supported programs that place law students, especially women and minorities, in summer internships at nonprofit, legal aid, and government agencies.
, and to encouraging international cooperation in science in the Middle East
.
The Foundation funded postdoctoral fellowship
s at four New York biomedical research centers, beginning in the early 1980s. Aimed at young scientists, the fellowships enabled them to enter research careers instead of private practice or industry, which would otherwise seem more immediately lucrative. The programs also fund specific institutions and identify priorities for research.
In 1987, the Foundation made a challenge grant that led to substantial government and private contributions, leading eventually to the 1993 establishment of the Israel Science Foundation(ISF)http://www.isf.org.il/english/about.asp, to provide a steady source of funding. To further encourage innovation, the Foundation helped launch an initiative to support research in promising fields that are new or have been neglected in Israel.
using media, research, and leadership training. It endeavors to increase awareness of Jewish history
and culture and to build bridges between people of diverse backgrounds.
A central aspect of this program is that television
and film
are powerful tools, and are used to educate children about history and engage viewers in novel ways. In this grant period, an interfaith
video series featuring Bill Moyers
discoursing on the Book of Genesis reached a large number of people. Rechov Sumsum (the Israeli version of Sesame Street
) also came out during this time and via this method. It was designed to teach Israeli and Palestinian youngsters about each other. The Jewish Heritage Video Collection.
A portion of the program is devoted to projects that use telecommunications technology to create innovative educational resources. For example, Heritage: Civilization and the Jews has been issued as an interactive DVD-ROM, and the internet is the location for a unique "virtual archive" on Jewish women. A new film uses the archive of videotaped Holocaust testimonies gathered by Yale University
to communicate the experience of the Holocaust.
In Israel, the Foundation has directed its resources to critical issues, including a new initiative on the environment. It has continued to support graduate fellowships in Jewish studies. A final group of grants supported efforts to improve understanding between African-Americans and Jews through conferences, theatrical productions, and museum
exhibitions.
Charles Revson
Charles Haskell Revson was a pioneering cosmetics industry executive who created and managed Revlon through five decades.-Early age:...
, the founding President of Revlon Cosmetics
Revlon
Revlon is an American cosmetics, skin care, fragrance, and personal care company founded in 1932.-History:Revlon was founded in the midst of the Great Depression, 1932, by Charles Revson and his brother Joseph, along with a chemist, Charles Lachman, who contributed the "L" in the Revlon name...
as a vehicle for his charitable giving. Mr. Revson willed half his estate to the Foundation upon his death. http://www.sipa.columbia.edu/resources_services/career_services/current_students/career_resources/factsheets/Foundations%20for%20SIPA%20Students.pdf
Background
The Foundation was begun as Revson (and others) provided over 10 million dollars in seed moneySeed money
Seed money, sometimes known as seed funding, friends and family funding or angel funding , is a securities offering whereby one or more parties that have some connection to a new enterprise invest the funds necessary to start the business so that it has enough funds to sustain itself for a period...
during his lifetime. The Foundation funded schools, hospitals, and service organizations serving the Jewish community, mostly located in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Upon his death, Revson endowed the Foundation with 68 million dollars from his estate and granted the board of directors the discretion to chart the Foundation's future course.
In 1978, the Foundation began a formal grant-making process, and since that time, has disbursed a total of 145 million dollars. The Foundation's endowment has grown to 200 million dollars, and it now disburses over 9 million dollars annually. The Foundation has been responsible for such projects as the Hebrew version of Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
, known as Rechov Sumsum,and the documentary "Civilization and the Jews." The foundation also awarded the grant through which the Gotham Gazette
Gotham Gazette
The Gotham Gazette is an online publication of the Citizens Union Foundation of the City of New York, a government watchdog group focusing on issues confronting New York City...
was created http://www.gothamgazette.com/about.shtml
In 2003, after 25 years, Eli Evans stepped down as the foundation's president, handing over the reins to Lisa E. Goldberg, wife of New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
(NYU) President John Sexton
John Sexton
John Edward Sexton is the fifteenth President of New York University, having held this position since May 17, 2002, and the Benjamin Butler Professor of Law at the New York University School of Law. From 1988 to 2002, he served as Dean of the NYU School of Law, which during his deanship became one...
.
After Lisa E. Goldberg's sudden death on January 21, 2007, the position was vacant until filled by Julie Sandorf, formerly the executive director of Nextbook
Nextbook
Nextbook is a nonprofit, Jewish organization founded in 2003 to promote Jewish literature, culture, and ideas. The organization sponsors public lectures, commissions books on Jewish topics, and publishes an online magazine, Tablet Magazine....
, in January 2008.
Board of directors
- Charles H. Revson, Jr. Secretary and Treasurer
- Red Burns Chair, Interactive Telecommunications Program, Tisch School of the Arts New York UniversityNew York UniversityNew York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
- Martha MinowMartha MinowMartha Louise Minow is the Jeremiah Smith, Jr. Professor of Law and the Dean of Harvard Law School. She teaches civil procedure, constitutional law, family law, international criminal justice, jurisprudence, law and education, nonprofit organizations, and the public law workshop...
Dean, Harvard Law SchoolHarvard Law SchoolHarvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S... - Louis Perlmutter Executive Managing Director, Lazard Freres & Co.
- Harold Tanner President, Tanner & Co., Inc.
- Jeffrey GoldbergJeffrey GoldbergJeffrey Mark Goldberg is an American journalist. He is an author and a staff writer for The Atlantic, having previously worked for The New Yorker. Goldberg writes principally on foreign affairs, with a focus on the Middle East and Africa...
National Correspondent, The Atlantic Magazine
Directors Emeritus
- Robert S. Rifkind Partner, Cravath Swaine & Moore
- Philip LederPhilip LederPhilip Leder is an American geneticist. He was born in Washington, D.C. and studied at Harvard University, graduating in 1956. In 1960, he graduated from Harvard Medical School....
Chairman, Andrus Professor and Chairman - Department of Genetics Harvard Medical SchoolHarvard Medical SchoolHarvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.... - Lisa E. Goldberg President
- Henry Louis Gates, Jr.Henry Louis Gates, Jr.Henry Louis “Skip” Gates, Jr., is an American literary critic, educator, scholar, writer, editor, and public intellectual. He was the first African American to receive the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellowship. He has received numerous honorary degrees and awards for his teaching, research, and...
Director, W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for Afro-American Research Harvard UniversityHarvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country... - Ruth Mandel Director, Eagleton Institute of Politics Rutgers UniversityRutgers UniversityRutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
Program areas
With Revson's giving as a guide, the board of directors for the foundation has established four program areas:Urban affairs
The Foundation, based in New York City, focuses its urban program on the city's future. It seeks to enhance the capacity of individuals, organizations, and the public sector to improve New York and the lives of those who live and work there.Developing leadership
Leadership
Leadership has been described as the “process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task". Other in-depth definitions of leadership have also emerged.-Theories:...
for New York is the goal of one group of foundation grants. These programs identify talented individuals, bring them together for learning, training, and the exchange of ideas, and build networks equipped to address the challenges of tomorrow. "Leaders are like dancers; they are born with talent but have to learn the steps," commented one participant. The programs build bridges across sectors, like neighborhood organizations and the business community, the school system and arts institutions, by including women and men from many fields and introducing them to players from diverse areas. They give leaders — and potential leaders — an opportunity to deepen their knowledge, gain skills, be exposed to different viewpoints and experiences, learn, and grow.
The transfer of responsibility for many programs from Washington to state and local government
Local government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
has had major implications for New York. Dramatic shifts in welfare and other programs call for particular attention to the impact of policy changes on the most disadvantaged New Yorkers, who rely on such government aid. A portion of the Foundation's grantmaking
Grant (money)
Grants are funds disbursed by one party , often a Government Department, Corporation, Foundation or Trust, to a recipient, often a nonprofit entity, educational institution, business or an individual. In order to receive a grant, some form of "Grant Writing" often referred to as either a proposal...
supports organizations that monitor actions taken in New York City and Albany, work to shape policies that benefit the city, and see that they are carried out fairly, efficiently, and in a timely manner.
The Foundation has supported a variety of project
Project
A project in business and science is typically defined as a collaborative enterprise, frequently involving research or design, that is carefully planned to achieve a particular aim. Projects can be further defined as temporary rather than permanent social systems that are constituted by teams...
s to examine the possibilities for financing, delivering services, and planning
Planning
Planning in organizations and public policy is both the organizational process of creating and maintaining a plan; and the psychological process of thinking about the activities required to create a desired goal on some scale. As such, it is a fundamental property of intelligent behavior...
the urban environment in the next century. Several grants have assisted projects that use technology in innovative ways — for example, a computer model
Model (physical)
A physical model is a smaller or larger physical copy of an object...
of the city that allows planners, architects, and community groups to visualize the effect of proposed projects before they are approved, and a website that will serve as a central source for information on public policy and civic life in New York.
Education
The education program has a focus of making the government more representative of, and more responsive to, its citizens.Citizen organizations play a critical part in the democratic system
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
, monitoring government policy and reporting the results to the public. This helps the government to be more accountable to the citizens.
Communications technology is focused on by the Foundation via television and the Internet. A part of the Communications program seeks innovative
Innovation
Innovation is the creation of better or more effective products, processes, technologies, or ideas that are accepted by markets, governments, and society...
uses of technology to communicate with citizens and encourage their participation.
Public interest legal organizations are used in representation of individuals and strategies to improve law enforcement, thereby providing an important mediating link between citizens and the government. To attract talented people to public interest work, the Foundation has supported programs that place law students, especially women and minorities, in summer internships at nonprofit, legal aid, and government agencies.
Biomedical research
The program in biomedical research is devoted to strengthening basic research through support of programs at key institutions in New York City and in IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, and to encouraging international cooperation in science in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
.
The Foundation funded postdoctoral fellowship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
s at four New York biomedical research centers, beginning in the early 1980s. Aimed at young scientists, the fellowships enabled them to enter research careers instead of private practice or industry, which would otherwise seem more immediately lucrative. The programs also fund specific institutions and identify priorities for research.
In 1987, the Foundation made a challenge grant that led to substantial government and private contributions, leading eventually to the 1993 establishment of the Israel Science Foundation(ISF)http://www.isf.org.il/english/about.asp, to provide a steady source of funding. To further encourage innovation, the Foundation helped launch an initiative to support research in promising fields that are new or have been neglected in Israel.
Jewish Philanthropy and Education
The Jewish Philanthropy and Education program strives to increase knowledge and understanding of the Jewish heritageJudaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
using media, research, and leadership training. It endeavors to increase awareness of Jewish history
Jewish history
Jewish history is the history of the Jews, their religion and culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions and cultures. Since Jewish history is over 4000 years long and includes hundreds of different populations, any treatment can only be provided in broad strokes...
and culture and to build bridges between people of diverse backgrounds.
A central aspect of this program is that television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
are powerful tools, and are used to educate children about history and engage viewers in novel ways. In this grant period, an interfaith
Interfaith
The term interfaith dialogue refers to cooperative, constructive and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions and/or spiritual or humanistic beliefs, at both the individual and institutional levels...
video series featuring Bill Moyers
Bill Moyers
Bill Moyers is an American journalist and public commentator. He served as White House Press Secretary in the United States President Lyndon B. Johnson Administration from 1965 to 1967. He worked as a news commentator on television for ten years. Moyers has had an extensive involvement with public...
discoursing on the Book of Genesis reached a large number of people. Rechov Sumsum (the Israeli version of Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
) also came out during this time and via this method. It was designed to teach Israeli and Palestinian youngsters about each other. The Jewish Heritage Video Collection.
A portion of the program is devoted to projects that use telecommunications technology to create innovative educational resources. For example, Heritage: Civilization and the Jews has been issued as an interactive DVD-ROM, and the internet is the location for a unique "virtual archive" on Jewish women. A new film uses the archive of videotaped Holocaust testimonies gathered by Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
to communicate the experience of the Holocaust.
In Israel, the Foundation has directed its resources to critical issues, including a new initiative on the environment. It has continued to support graduate fellowships in Jewish studies. A final group of grants supported efforts to improve understanding between African-Americans and Jews through conferences, theatrical productions, and museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
exhibitions.
Program themes
Following extensive discussions with leading thinkers in other foundations, academia, government, science, and the arts, the board also identified as priorities four themes that would be reflected across the above program areas:- the future of New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, - the accountability of government,
- the changing role of women, and
- the impact of modern communications on education and other areas of life.