Sustaining Grants Sustaining Grants are operating and capital grants that sustain organizations where the foundation has hands-on involvement and plays an active role in stewardship.
Please see select illustrations of our grantmaking below:
Illumination Lawn at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
As part of the Bravo Lincoln Center transformation, the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund provided $10 million in the Summer of 2007 for the construction of Lincoln Center's new campus green. In the spirit of making Lincoln Center a unique destination with a special sense of community, the northern edge of the North Plaza will feature an open lawn. Fusing landscape, architecture and ecology, this green space will serve double-duty as a lawn and green roof sitting atop Lincoln Center's new restaurant. Secured by a transparent glass railing, the green will conserve energy and provide public access to a tranquil oasis for contemplation and conversation.
Ethical Culture Fieldston School, Fieldston Middle
The Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund provided learning support at Fieldston's new middle school, assisting students who need extra help. The grant will also provide access to learning specialists, educational diagnostic testing and short-term tutoring to support students and faculty.
Children's Museum of Manhattan
The mission of the Children's Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) is to inspire children and families to learn about themselves and our culturally diverse world through a unique environment of interactive exhibitions and programs. From its humble beginnings in a neighborhood storefront in 1973, CMOM has grown to a 38,000 square-foot 501(c)3 learning facility with outreach programs at 49 sites throughout New York City, and has become a destination for visitors from around the world. Major exhibitions at CMOM and on tour include Gods, Myths and Mortals: Discover Ancient Greece; PlayWorks for Early Learning and such prior exhibitions as Body Odyssey; Art Inside Out and Monkey King.
CMOM's Healthy Lifestyles Initiative motivates and inspires children and families in New York City to maintain healthy and active lifestyles to prevent obesity. With the support of the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, and through a new health exhibit and family programs at the Museum and in the community, CMOM will help families to establish health literacy, good nutrition and daily exercise. With programs that use literacy, art, culture, science, movement and cooking activities, CMOM Healthy Lifestyles offers a creative and fun approach to developing a healthy mindset and lifelong habits.
Please watch this video about CMOM, screened on April 20th, at the Children's Museum of Manhattan gala to honor Executive Director Andrew S. Ackerman for his 20 years of leadership and service.
The Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum houses one of the world's foremost collections of twentieth-century American art. The Permanent Collection of some 12,000 works encompasses paintings, sculptures, multimedia installations, drawings, prints, and photographsÑand is still growing.
Although the Whitney's acquisition budget was always rather modest, the Museum made the most of its resources by purchasing the work of living artists, particularly those who were young and not well known. Despite its early emphasis on realist art, the Whitney Museum has long been dedicated to assembling a collection that offers a comprehensive picture of twentieth-century American art.
The Center for Arts Education
The Center for Arts Education (CAE) is leading the charge to restore quality arts education for New York City's more than one million public school students. CAE believes every child deserves a well-rounded education that includes the arts and CAE provides information and resources that demonstrate the benefits of and need for arts education as part of a quality, balanced education. CAE also identifies and supports exemplary partnerships and programs that demonstrate how the arts contribute to learning and student achievement.
Teacher's College
Teacher's College is America's oldest and largest graduate and professional school of education. The College was founded to offer a new form of teacher education based on humanitarian concern and a scientific approach to human development. Teachers College has evolved to become an institution dedicated to teaching, research and development of best practices and policy in all aspects of education while continuing its commitment to New York City public schools and public school student achievement. It is a recognized authority on all matters concerning urban education. The foundation was an early supporter for the Campaign for Educational Equity Annual Symposium and the Laurie M. Tisch Endowed Doctoral Scholarship Program. The foundation supports the Laurie M. Tisch Endowed Doctoral Scholarship Program and in 2009 became a lead funder of the Office of School and Community Partnerships (OSCP). OSCP will strengthen teaching and learning outcomes in 12 elementary, middle and high schools located between 110th and 155th Streets in Harlem. Among the unique dimensions of the project is the shared accountability that Teachers College will share with partnership schools for improving student achievement.
Yeshiva University Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law Loan Repayment Assistance Program
In September 2008, the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, made a 5 million dollar gift to establish the Laurie M. Tisch Loan Repayment Assistance Program at Cardozo. This program will benefit Cardozo's graduates who have chosen to pursue careers in public service by providing "forgivable loans" to assist them in overcoming their educational debt. This gift allows Cardozo to expand the loan repayment program to ensure that graduates can continue to work for the public good.
In 2008, under the original LRAP program, 36 alumni who graduated in the prior 3 years were provided awards ranging from $1,500.00 to $10,000.00. In 2009, the inaugural year of the Laurie M. Tisch LRAP, the program will accept applications from alumni who graduated in the last 5 years (Classes of 2004 - 2008), thus, extending eligibility for LRAP funding for an additional 2 years.
