The Lazar and Sofia Stein Memorial Foundation concentrates its philanthropy on Jewish communal life and institutions, providing substantial unrestricted support to pooled Jewish philanthropy vehicles and Orthodox Jewish education, while also making selective large gifts to major medical institutions. Grants are typically general-purpose (operating) awards, suggesting a preference for flexible funding rather than program-restricted gifts. The foundation’s giving reflects a New York–centered, Jewish-focused philanthropic profile with occasional support for healthcare.
Concentrated, high-dollar grants with the majority of funds channeled to one recurring grantee (The Jewish Communal Fund); few but large unrestricted gifts rather than many small awards.
The Lazar and Sofia Stein Memorial Foundation’s clearest pattern is large, unrestricted support for Jewish communal infrastructure in New York, led by repeated seven-figure and near-seven-figure gifts to The Jewish Communal Fund. Across the recent grants list, that vehicle appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025, showing a steady relationship rather than a one-off award. The foundation also makes substantial general-charitable gifts to a major health system, including NYU Langone Health, alongside support for Orthodox Jewish education through Yeshivah of Flatbush. The grant descriptions consistently use “for general charitable use of the donee,” which matches the foundation’s broader preference for recipient-directed funding. A smaller award to Deal Police Bureau Association shows that the portfolio is not limited to one institution type, but the overall profile remains centered on Jewish communal life, education, and selected medical institutions. The size of the recent awards suggests a grantmaker that works through comparatively large checks and uses flexible support to reinforce established organizations rather than highly restricted project funding.
Jewish communal giving is the foundation’s most visible area. It gave The Jewish Communal Fund $1,000,000 in 2024, $590,000 in 2025, and $550,000 in 2023, all for general charitable use of the donee. That same general-purpose framing appears across the record, including support for NYU Langone Health at $300,000 in 2025. In Orthodox Jewish education, the foundation awarded Yeshivah of Flatbush $150,000 in 2023, again as general charitable support. Its portfolio also includes a smaller civic grant of $1,000 to Deal Police Bureau Association in 2024. The mix shows a New York-centered pattern with most gifts aimed at established institutions rather than short-term projects.
Recent grants cluster around the upper end of the distribution: p25 is $187,500, median grant size is $425,000, and p75 is $580,000. The pattern leans toward sizable, flexible awards, with grant descriptions repeatedly using general charitable use language. The same recipient can appear in multiple years: The Jewish Communal Fund received grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025, indicating a recurring relationship. The foundation is not giving to individuals and is not making program-related investments, based on the provided profile data.
$2.6M
$2K
$869K
$890K
Most grants fall between $188K and $580K, with a median of $425K.
25th Percentile
$188K
Median
$425K
75th Percentile
$580K
About 83% of grants go to recipients in NY.
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Notable grantees: The Jewish Communal Fund, Yeshivah of Flatbush, NYU Langone Health
Giving is highly concentrated in New York. 83% of grants go to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state, and New York is also the top state by grant count. Recent recipients include New York, NY; Brooklyn, NY; and Deal, NJ. All recorded grants in the supplied sample went to U.S. organizations, with no non-U.S. recipient countries appearing in the data.
Its giving centers on Jewish communal life and institutions, Orthodox Jewish education, and selected medical institutions. The recent grants list includes repeated support for a Jewish communal giving vehicle, an Orthodox Jewish school, and a major New York health system, all described as general charitable support.
The grant-size distribution is relatively large: p25 is $187,500, the median is $425,000, and p75 is $580,000. Recent awards also include amounts at $1,000,000, $590,000, and $300,000.
Yes. The Jewish Communal Fund appears in three consecutive years in the recent grants list: $550,000 in 2023, $1,000,000 in 2024, and $590,000 in 2025. That pattern suggests an ongoing relationship rather than isolated giving.
Grantmaking is heavily New York-based. The provided profile says 83% of grants go to recipients in New York, and New York is the top state by grant count. Recent recipient locations include New York, NY and Brooklyn, NY.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE JEWISH COMMUNAL FUND | NEW YORK, NY | $590,000 | 2025 | FOR GENERAL CHARITABLE USE OF THE DONEE |
| NYU LANGONE HEALTH | NEW YORK, NY | $300,000 | 2025 | FOR GENERAL CHARITABLE USE OF THE DONEE |
| THE JEWISH COMMUNAL FUND | NEW YORK, NY | $1,000,000 | 2024 | FOR GENERAL CHARITABLE USE OF THE DONEE |
| DEAL POLICE BUREAU ASSOCIATION | DEAL, NJ | $1,000 | 2024 | FOR GENERAL CHARITABLE USE OF THE DONEE |
| THE JEWISH COMMUNAL FUND | NEW YORK, NY | $550,000 | 2023 | FOR GENERAL CHARITABLE USE OF THE DONEE |
| YESHIVAH OF FLATBUSH | BROOKLYN, NY | $150,000 | 2023 | FOR GENERAL CHARITABLE USE OF THE DONEE |
THE JEWISH COMMUNAL FUND
$590,000FOR GENERAL CHARITABLE USE OF THE DONEE
NYU LANGONE HEALTH
$300,000FOR GENERAL CHARITABLE USE OF THE DONEE
THE JEWISH COMMUNAL FUND
$1,000,000FOR GENERAL CHARITABLE USE OF THE DONEE
DEAL POLICE BUREAU ASSOCIATION
$1,000FOR GENERAL CHARITABLE USE OF THE DONEE
THE JEWISH COMMUNAL FUND
$550,000FOR GENERAL CHARITABLE USE OF THE DONEE
YESHIVAH OF FLATBUSH
$150,000FOR GENERAL CHARITABLE USE OF THE DONEE