The Leona M and Harry B Helmsley

NEW YORK, NY EIN: 13-7184401 Website

The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust is a major private foundation headquartered in New York City. With assets of $7.3 billion, it is one of the largest philanthropic institutions in the United States. The Trust operates as a global philanthropy committed to helping people live better lives today while building stronger, healthier futures for individuals and communities through strategic grantmaking and partnerships.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$7.3B

+0.6% YoY

Annual Giving

$445.7M

+2.8% YoY

Grant Count

594

+2.9% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$750K

-0.2% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Leona M and Harry B Helmsley reported a distributable amount of $354.8M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated April 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

Mission: To help people live better lives today while building stronger, healthier futures for individuals and communities.

The Trust operates across six primary program areas:

Crohn's Disease — Finding a cure for Crohn's disease, which impacts more than two million people worldwide
Israel — Strengthening the health, safety, and security of the people of Israel
Rural Healthcare — Improving access to quality healthcare in the rural upper Midwest and beyond
Type 1 Diabetes — Helping the global Type 1 Diabetes community live safer, better, and more fulfilling lives. The Helmsley Type 1 Diabetes Program is the largest private foundation funder globally focused on T1D, with more than $1 billion committed to date
Vulnerable Children in Sub-Saharan Africa — Funding holistic programs to support the well-being of children and families in remote sub-Saharan Africa
New York City — Investing in the health and stability of New York City's most critically underserved populations

Grantmaking

Grant Range

Individual grants have ranged from $5,000 to $15.6 million

Average Grant

amount: $627,000

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The Trust funds organizations across multiple regions:

Primary focus: New York, Massachusetts, and California
Domestic reach: Grantmaking extends across 42 states, with particular emphasis on the rural upper Midwest
International: Israel and Sub-Saharan Africa

Grant Distribution by State

Texas $30.4M (25%)

Delaware $21.6M (18%)

South Dakota $17.0M (14%)

New York $7.0M (6%)

Colorado $5.3M (4%)

Virginia $4.1M (3%)

District of Columbia $4.1M (3%)

Michigan $3.7M (3%)

+40 more states

Cities

AftonAitkinAlbiaAlbuquerqueAlexandriaAlmaAnchorageAnn ArborAppletonArapahoeArlingtonAtlantaAuroraAustinBaltimoreBasinBassettBattle MountainBendBenkelman

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Assets: $7.3 billion (2024)

Annual Giving: $450 million (2024)

Revenue: $385 million (2024)

Expenses: $600 million (2024)

Total Liabilities: $621 million (2024)

Staff: Approximately 100-117 employees

Tax Status: 501(c)(3) organization; tax-exempt since May 2000

EIN: 13-7184401

Revenue

Expenses

Qualifying Distributions

Net Investment Income

Metric	2024	2023	2022
Total Assets	$7,300,077,622	$7,256,835,636	$8,221,675,612
Revenue	$385,228,530	$629,133,449	$839,493,141
Expenses	$600,086,342	$534,910,918	$540,117,750
Qualifying Distributions	$484,197,000	$467,360,847	$418,370,853
Net Investment Income	$224,697,955	$119,401,626	$1,048,760,370
Distributable Amount	$354,779,495	$367,142,574	$398,280,992

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Grant Size Distribution

200 grants across all recorded years

Open Grants

1 open opportunity from The Leona M and Harry B Helmsley

Foundation

Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) Program

THE LEONA M AND HARRY B HELMSLEY

Amount

Varies

Deadline

Rolling / Open

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include American Heart Association Inc ($4,194,494), Bar Ilan University ($3,216,875), American Heart Association Inc ($2,105,298).

Recipient	Purpose	Amount
A GLIMMER OF HOPE FOUNDATION AUSTIN, TX	EMPOWERING FAMILIES TO BUILD RESILIENCE AND REDUCE POVERTY	$2,053,426
ACADEMISCH ZIEKENHUIS LEIDEN	SAFETY AND EFFICACY OF IMMUNE INTERVENTION WITH TOLEROGENIC DENDRITIC CELLS IN PATIENTS WITH EARLY T1D (D-SENSE II)	$230,038
ACTION4DIABETES	PHILIPPINES T1D TASK FORCE	$156,500
ACUMEN AMERICA LLC NEW YORK, NY	SUPPLEMENTAL SUPPORT TO ADDRESS SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH FOR PEOPLE WITH INSULIN REQUIRING DIABETES	$502,312
ADI NEGEV-NAHALAT ERAN RA	REHABILITATION WARD EQUIPMENT PROJECT	$150,000
ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE BRONX, NY	PRECLINICAL ACTIVITIES TO ADVANCE D-PEPTIDES AS AN ANTIGEN-SPECIFIC IMMUNOTHERAPY FOR TYPE 1 DIABETES	$494,612
ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE BRONX, NY	PRECLINICAL ACTIVITIES TO ADVANCE D-PEPTIDES AS AN ANTIGEN-SPECIFIC IMMUNOTHERAPY FOR TYPE 1 DIABETES	$556,499
ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE BRONX, NY	PROMOTE DIABETES TECHNOLOGY USE IN YOUNG ADULTS FROM UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY GROUPS WITH T1D PILOT STUDY	$168,556
ALEH - HELP FOR THE SPECIAL CHILD	EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT	$50,000
ALIMENTIV INC	DEVELOPMENT OF A NEXT GENERATION BIOMARKER TOOL TO ACCELERATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF EFFECTIVE ANTI-FIBROTIC THERAPIES	$267,835

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

Sandor Frankel — A lawyer based in New York City and graduate of NYU (Phi Beta Kappa) and Harvard Law School. He has served as a staff member of the White House Task Force on Crime, as Temporary Counsel to the National Commission for Reform of Federal Criminal Laws, and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C. He is the author of several books and received the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Beyond A Reasonable Doubt. Leona Helmsley and the Helmsley organization were clients of his for many years.

The Trust is governed by 7 officers and trustees.

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

From 2024 filing

Name	Title	Hours	Compensation
SANDOR FRANKEL	TRUSTEE	25	$150,000
DAVID PANZIRER	TRUSTEE	35	$150,000
WALTER PANZIRER	TRUSTEE	32	$150,000
SARAH E PAUL	CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER	40	$918,521
JACQUELINE F BAUSCH	GENERAL COUNSEL	40	$592,495
ROSALIND M HEWSENIAN	CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER THRU 12/31/23	40	$1,148,308
JOSHUA W FENTON	CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER FROM 1/1/24	40	$794,891
NICHOLAS J SCHIAVO	CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER	40	$472,114

Recent News & Activity

Recent developments and announcements

Kahuku Medical Center awarded $6 million from Helmsley Charitable Trust

Kahuku Medical Center awarded $6M from Helmsley Charitable Trust

Helmsley Charitable Trust awarded $14.2 million to rural hospitals for advanced X-ray technology

Kahuku Medical Center awarded $6M from Helmsley Charitable Trust

Helmsley Charitable Trust granted $11.6 million to expand advanced heart and lung care in Nevada

Kahuku Medical Center awarded $6M from Helmsley Charitable Trust

West O'ahu received $5 million grant to expand critical cancer care

Helmsley Charitable Trust Grants $11.6M to Expand Advanced Heart and Lung

Helmsley Trust launched New York City Education Program with first $6.4 million in grants

Kahuku Medical Center awarded $6M from Helmsley Charitable Trust

Subject Areas

Focus areas based on grantmaking activity

Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking

Frequently Asked Questions

What does The Leona M and Harry B Helmsley fund?

**Mission:** To help people live better lives today while building stronger, healthier futures for individuals and communities. The Trust operates across six primary program areas: • **Crohn's Disease** — Finding a cure for Crohn's disease, which impacts more than two million people worldwide • **Israel** — Strengthening the health, safety, and security of the people of Israel • **Rural Healthcare** — Improving access to quality healthcare in the rural upper Midwest and beyond • **Type 1 Diabet…

How do I apply for a grant from The Leona M and Harry B Helmsley?

The Helmsley Charitable Trust operates as a proactive grantmaker rather than an open-call funder. Program staff identify opportunities and build partnerships instead of accepting unsolicited proposals. The Trust targets high-impact ideas and projects that are often overlooked or too risky for other funders. **Grant Activity:** • Annual giving: $450 million (2024) • Total giving since 2008: More than $4 billion • Grant range: Individual grants have ranged from $5,000 to $15.6 million • Average g…

Where does The Leona M and Harry B Helmsley make grants?

The Trust funds organizations across multiple regions: • **Primary focus:** New York, Massachusetts, and California • **Domestic reach:** Grantmaking extends across 42 states, with particular emphasis on the rural upper Midwest • **International:** Israel and Sub-Saharan Africa

What size grants does The Leona M and Harry B Helmsley award?

In 2024, The Leona M and Harry B Helmsley awarded 594 grants totaling $445.7M — an average of about $750K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.

How much is The Leona M and Harry B Helmsley required to give away each year?

Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, The Leona M and Harry B Helmsley reported a distributable amount of $354.8M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

What is The Leona M and Harry B Helmsley's EIN?

The Leona M and Harry B Helmsley's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-7184401. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2024.