NET WORTH: Unknown
SOURCE OF WEALTH: Abrams Capital Management LP
FUNDING AREAS: Education & Youth, Arts & Culture, Boston community, Jewish causes
OVERVIEW: Founded in 1997, the Abrams Foundation is the philanthropic vehicle of David and Amy Abrams. The foundation’s grantmaking has supported nonprofit organizations focused on youth development and related education organizations and initiatives, the arts, and community issues. The Boston area is an important region of giving.
BACKGROUND: David C. Abrams graduated from University of Pennsylvania. He worked for Baupost Group and in 1998 founded Abrams Capital.
ISSUES:
EDUCATION & YOUTH: David and Amy Abrams have supported their schools UPenn and Brown University, respectively. They have supported Columbia University (Amy’s graduate school), including its School of International and Public Affairs and helped fund FRONTLINE/Columbia Journalism Fellows.
Other grantees have included Berklee College of Music, KIPP Academy Lynn, Match Charter Public School, Teach for America, Milton Academy, Year Up, and Uncommon Schools.
ARTS & CULTURE: Amy Abrams sits on the board of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, which has received millions from the couple. A $3 million gift earlier in the decade endowed a curator of music. Other grantees have included Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Better Angels Society, which aims to further “the extraordinary creative and educational legacy of Ken Burns.”
BOSTON COMMUNITY: Grantees have included Civic Leadership Fund at the Boston Foundation and WGBH.
JEWISH CAUSES: The Abrams family, via their foundation, also supports Jewish organizations like Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Boston and The David Project.
LOOKING FORWARD: Grantmaking has steadily risen in recent years at the Abrams Foundation. David Abrams is still very much engaged in business, but this funder should be watched carefully down the line.
CONTACT:
The Abrams Foundation does not provide a clear avenue for getting in touch with the couple but below is contact information:
Abrams Foundation
222 Berkeley St.
Boston, MA 02116
Telephone: (617) 646-6140
LINK: