The Arlene & Arnold Goldstein Charitable Trust concentrates its giving in a small number of large, mission-driven gifts, with a dominant commitment to medical/academic philanthropy and selective support for international conservation. The trust made one very large grant to Columbia University's medical/physician college and several repeat grants to Big Life Foundation, indicating sustained relationships rather than broad, one-off donations. Their giving pattern suggests a strategic, high-impact approach focused on a few organizations they trust.
A $1,000,000 grant to Columbia University-college of Phys in 2023 stands out as the trust’s largest recent gift and helps define its profile: concentrated, institution-level philanthropy paired with repeated support for a few selected partners. The Arlene & Arnold Goldstein Charitable Trust gives at a modest-to-midrange level most often, but its pattern is not broad-based. Instead, the trust pairs one major academic medical commitment with a cluster of smaller gifts across conservation, advocacy, climate, animal welfare, and related public-interest work. Big Life Foundation appears as a repeat recipient in three separate years, each time at $50,000, showing a continuing relationship rather than a single project grant. Other recipients also recur, including Great Plains Foundation, Earthjustice, Human Rights Watch, Evergreen Collaborative, Jewish Family Services, Climate Defense Project, Animal Legal Defense Fund, Southern Poverty Law Center, and Anti-defemation League. That mix points to a funder that supports a small set of organizations over time while keeping most awards at the same $10,000 level. The trust’s giving spans medical education, international conservation, and public-interest advocacy, but it does so through selective grants rather than a wide portfolio.
Medical education and biomedical research are the clearest center of gravity in the trust’s giving. In 2023, it awarded $1,000,000 to Columbia University-college of Phys in New York for charitable purposes, a grant that far exceeds the rest of the recent record. Outside academia, the trust has sustained support for East African wildlife conservation. It gave $50,000 to Big Life Foundation in 2023, again in 2024, and again in 2025. It also backed Great Plains Foundation with $15,000 in 2023 and $25,000 in both 2024 and 2025. The trust also funds public-interest advocacy and legal work. Recent examples include $20,000 to Earthjustice in 2024 and $10,000 to Natural Resources Defense Council, Southern Poverty Law Center, Human Rights Watch, Evergreen Collaborative, Common Cause Education Fund, Food and Water Watch, and Union of Concerned Scientists in 2024–2025.
The typical grant size is tightly clustered: p25, median, and p75 are all $10,000. That makes the trust’s grantmaking look highly standardized for most recipients, with a few larger outliers above that level. The recent record also shows repetition across years, especially for Big Life Foundation, Great Plains Foundation, Earthjustice, Human Rights Watch, Evergreen Collaborative, Jewish Family Services, Climate Defense Project, Animal Legal Defense Fund, Southern Poverty Law Center, and Anti-defemation League. The trust is a regular funder rather than a donor-advised fund, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. No application process is shown in the data.
$1.6M
$1.3M
$611K
$262K
Most grants fall between $10K and $10K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$10K
About 19% of grants go to recipients in CA.
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeFree Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeRegístrate gratis para ver qué tan bien se adapta tu organización sin fines de lucro a este financiador, obtener un pitch generado por IA y descubrir fundaciones similares.
Highly concentrated: very few grants with one dominant large gift and several repeat, mid‑sized grants; prefers sustained support to repeat grantees rather than broad, small-dollar distribution.
Notable grantees: Columbia University - College of Physicians, Big Life Foundation
The trust gives nationally, with all recent grants in the United States. California is the top state by grant count, while New York also receives a meaningful share of awards, including the Columbia University-college of Phys grant in New York, NY and recurring support to organizations in New York, NY. Other recipient cities that appear repeatedly include Ridgefield, WA; Washington, DC; Los Angeles, CA; San Francisco, CA; Berkeley, CA; and Montgomery, AL. The HQ is in Forest Hills, NY, but the giving footprint is broader than the headquarters location.
Its recent grants center on medical education and biomedical research, East African wildlife conservation, and public-interest advocacy. The largest grant went to Columbia University-college of Phys, while repeated support went to Big Life Foundation and other organizations working in conservation, environmental policy, legal advocacy, and related civic causes.
Yes. Big Life Foundation received $50,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Great Plains Foundation also appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Several advocacy and legal organizations recur as well, including Earthjustice, Human Rights Watch, Evergreen Collaborative, and Animal Legal Defense Fund.
The trust’s grant sizes are highly concentrated around $10,000: p25 is $10,000, the median is $10,000, and p75 is $10,000. That suggests most awards are standardized at the same level, with a few larger grants standing apart.
Its giving is national, but California is the top state by grant count. Recent recipient cities include Ridgefield, WA; Los Angeles, CA; Berkeley, CA; San Francisco, CA; Washington, DC; and New York, NY.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BIG LIFE FOUNDATION | RIDGEFIELD, WA | $50,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| GREAT PLAINS FOUNDATION | LAWTON, OK | $25,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES | LOS ANGELES, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER | MONTGOMERY, AL | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| ANTI-DEFEMATION LEAGUE | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| EVERGREEN COLLABORATIVE | SEATTLE, WA | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| COMMON CAUSE EDUCATION FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| FOOD AND WATER WATCH | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| ANIMAL WELFARE INSTITIUTE | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| CLEAN AIR TASK FORCE | BOSTON, MA | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| EQUAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE | MONTGOMERY, AL | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| CLIMATE DEFENSE PROJECT | BERKELEY, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| EARTHJUSTICE | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| ANIMAL LEGAL DEFENSE FUND | COTATI, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| CHILDREN'S INSTITUTE | LOS ANGELES, CA | $5,000 | 2025 | CHARITABLE |
| BIG LIFE FOUNDATION | RIDGEFIELD, WA | $50,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| GREAT PLAINS FOUNDATION | LAWTON, OK | $25,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| EARTHJUSTICE | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $20,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| ANTI-DEFEMATION LEAGUE | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| ANIMAL WELFARE INSTITIUTE | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER | MONTGOMERY, AL | $10,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| COMMON CAUSE EDUCATION FUND | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| FOOD AND WATER WATCH | WASHINGTON, DC | $10,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| ANIMAL LEGAL DEFENSE FUND | COTATI, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| CLIMATE DEFENSE PROJECT | BERKELEY, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES | LOS ANGELES, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| CLEAN AIR TASK FORCE | BOSTON, MA | $10,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| EVERGREEN COLLABORATIVE | SEATTLE, WA | $10,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | NEW YORK, NY | $10,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| CHILDREN'S INSTITUTE | LOS ANGELES, CA | $5,000 | 2024 | CHARITABLE |
| COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY-COLLEGE OF PHYS | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| BIG LIFE FOUNDATION | RIDGEFIELD, WA | $50,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| GREAT PLAINS FOUNDATION | LAWTON, OK | $15,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| SOUTHRN POVERTY LAW CENTER | MONTGOMERY, AL | $10,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES | LOS ANGELES, CA | $5,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL | NEW YORK, NY | $5,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| EARTHJUSTICE | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $5,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| ANIMAL WELFARE INSTITIUTE | WASHINGTON, DC | $5,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
| ANIMAL LEGAL DEFENSE FUND | COTATI, CA | $5,000 | 2023 | CHARITABLE |
BIG LIFE FOUNDATION
$50,000CHARITABLE
GREAT PLAINS FOUNDATION
$25,000CHARITABLE
JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES
$10,000CHARITABLE
NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL
$10,000CHARITABLE
SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER
$10,000CHARITABLE
ANTI-DEFEMATION LEAGUE
$10,000CHARITABLE
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
CHARITABLE
EVERGREEN COLLABORATIVE
$10,000CHARITABLE
COMMON CAUSE EDUCATION FUND
$10,000CHARITABLE
FOOD AND WATER WATCH
$10,000CHARITABLE
ANIMAL WELFARE INSTITIUTE
$10,000CHARITABLE
CLEAN AIR TASK FORCE
$10,000CHARITABLE
EQUAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE
$10,000CHARITABLE
CLIMATE DEFENSE PROJECT
$10,000CHARITABLE
EARTHJUSTICE
$10,000CHARITABLE
ANIMAL LEGAL DEFENSE FUND
$10,000CHARITABLE
UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS
$10,000CHARITABLE
CHILDREN'S INSTITUTE
$5,000CHARITABLE
BIG LIFE FOUNDATION
$50,000CHARITABLE
GREAT PLAINS FOUNDATION
$25,000CHARITABLE
EARTHJUSTICE
$20,000CHARITABLE
ANTI-DEFEMATION LEAGUE
$10,000CHARITABLE
ANIMAL WELFARE INSTITIUTE
$10,000CHARITABLE
SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER
$10,000CHARITABLE
COMMON CAUSE EDUCATION FUND
$10,000CHARITABLE
UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS
$10,000CHARITABLE
NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL
$10,000CHARITABLE
FOOD AND WATER WATCH
$10,000CHARITABLE
ANIMAL LEGAL DEFENSE FUND
$10,000CHARITABLE
CLIMATE DEFENSE PROJECT
$10,000CHARITABLE
JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES
$10,000CHARITABLE
CLEAN AIR TASK FORCE
$10,000CHARITABLE
EVERGREEN COLLABORATIVE
$10,000CHARITABLE
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
$10,000CHARITABLE
CHILDREN'S INSTITUTE
$5,000CHARITABLE
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY-COLLEGE OF PHYS
$1,000,000CHARITABLE
BIG LIFE FOUNDATION
$50,000CHARITABLE
GREAT PLAINS FOUNDATION
$15,000CHARITABLE
SOUTHRN POVERTY LAW CENTER
$10,000CHARITABLE
JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES
$5,000CHARITABLE
NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL
$5,000CHARITABLE
EARTHJUSTICE
$5,000CHARITABLE
ANIMAL WELFARE INSTITIUTE
$5,000CHARITABLE
ANIMAL LEGAL DEFENSE FUND
$5,000CHARITABLE