Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation

The Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation is a nonprofit confronting different forms of violence. It sponsors academic research on the causes and manifestations of war, terrorism, crime, domestic abuse, resource extraction, political extremism, and religious conflict. 1

Read More

At-A-Glance

Type: Non-profit, 501(c)(3), Private Foundation
Issue Areas: Environmental Policy, Energy Policy, Criminal Justice Policy
Website: www.hfg.org
Founded:

1929

President:

Daniel F. Wilhelm

Location: New York, NY View on map
Tax ID: 13-6043471
Most Recent Filing: 2024
Budget (2024): Assets: $73,545,042 Revenue: $3,498,184 Expenses: $5,188,350

Contents

    It offers research grants and fellowships in the field of natural and social sciences. The bulk of its research surrounds history, political science, international affairs, economics, anthropology, and sociology. The grant award ranges from $15,000 to $45,000. 2 It holds annual conferences and seminars. The Harry Frank Guggenheim symposium on crime in America at John Jay College of Criminal Justice is its largest annual conference. 3

    It was founded in 1929 by diplomat, businessman, and philanthropist Harry Frank Guggenheim. It is led by Daniel F. Wilhelm, who was appointed eighth president of the Foundation in 2017. 4

    Finances

    The Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation had total revenues of $8.82 million and total expenses of $3.69 million with $82.5 million in total assets in 2021. 5

    Its primary source of revenue is the sale of non-inventory assets, totaling $5.59 million in 2021. 5

    Grantmaking is the Foundation’s largest expense, at $979,986 in 2021. 5

    Background

    The Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation founded in 1929 by Harry Frank Guggenheim. It is based in New York City and was originally focused on the evolutionary roots of human aggression. 6

    Over the last 50 years, it has changed its focus towards the study of civil and interpersonal violence. It funds academic research into the causes and amelioration of violence in the realm of war, terrorism, crime, family, ethnicity, religion, and politics. 7

    Harry F. Guggenheim

    Harry F. Guggenheim was a diplomat, businessman, philanthropist, horse racer, aviator, and publisher. He was born into a wealthy mining family in 1890. 8

    Guggenheim served in both World War I and World War II as a naval aviator. He was passionate about aviation and established the first Guggenheim School of Aeronautics at New York University in 1925. He became president of the $3 million Daniel Guggenheim Fund for the Promotion of Aeronautics in 1926. For his contributions, he is enshrined in the National Aviation Hall of Fame. 9

    He was U.S. Ambassador to Cuba from 1929 until his resignation in 1933. He served on the National Advisory Committee of Aeronautics until 1938. 10

    Guggenheim founded the newspaper Newsday in 1940. It was the seventh largest evening paper with a circulation of over 450,000. Newsday received the Pulitzer Prize in 1954. 8

    His uncle, Solomon R. Guggenheim, established the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. The museum is a UNESCO World Heritage Site part of the 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. 11

    Grantmaking

    The Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation has spent $979,986 for grants and fellowships in 2021. 5 Funding is concentrated in the fields of natural and social science. There is no citizenship or degree requirement for most awards. The award sum ranges from $15,000 to $45,000. 2

    Partnership

    The Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation works with academic institutions such as John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York. It hosts the annual Harry Frank Guggenheim Symposium on Crime in America, a two-day gathering of researchers and policymakers in the U.S. justice system. 3 It also partners with the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy at George Mason University, which briefs members of Congress regarding research on violence and crime. 12

    The group receives support from private Grantmakers such as Arnold Ventures, the MacArthur Foundation, and the David Rockefeller Fund. It also partners with think tanks such as the RAND Corporation. 13

    Leadership

    Daniel F. Wilhelm became president of the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation in 2017. 14 Wilhelm is an attorney specializing in justice-reform strategies. In 2000-2001, he clerked for Frederic Block, District Court Judge for the Eastern District of New York. 15

    He held advisory roles at nonprofits such as the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. 16 Wilhelm was vice president at Fleishman-Hillard from 1989 through 1992. He was also vice president and chief program officer at the left-of-center advocacy group Vera Institute of Justice in New York from 2007-2015. 14

    Financial Statistics

    Total Assets

    Total Revenue

    Total Expenses

    YearTotal AssetsTotal RevenueTotal ExpensesFiling
    2024 $73,545,042 $3,498,184 $5,188,350 View
    2023 $70,151,428 $3,638,140 $4,685,606 View
    2022 $65,673,847 $1,363,091 $4,285,754 View
    2021 $82,593,651 $8,819,344 $3,687,777 View
    2020 $72,360,041 $2,414,036 $3,396,444 View

    Prior year filings: 2019, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011

    Expenses Detail

    Employee Compensation

    Highest Earning Employees

    EmployeeTitleTotal Compensation
    Daniel F WilhelmPRESIDENT$634,668
    Deirdre HamillDIRECTOR OF FINANCE$349,480
    Joel WallmanDIRECTOR OF RESEARCH$340,561

    Grant Activity

    All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $50,000
    • Number of Grants: 2
    • Number of Funders: 1

    All-time grants given statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $10,160,361
    • Number of Grants: 1,091
    • Number of Recipients: 530

    Selection of highest value grants given from the last seven years:

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $125,0002024 Salzburg Global Seminar IncSALZBURG GLOBAL SEMINAR 2023
    $112,0912020 John Jay College of Criminal Justice Student Activities Association Inc15TH ANNUAL JOHN JAY SYMPOSIUM ON CRIME IN AMERICA
    $107,5022021 Cuny John Jay College of Criminal Justice17TH ANNUAL JOHN JAY SYMPOSIUM ON CRIME IN AMERICA 2022
    $67,5002020 Cambridge in AmericaRESEARCH FELLOWSHIP
    $65,6352022 Pembroke CollegeHF GUGGENHEIM FELLOW
    $60,0002021 Mr James AustinPROJECTING FUTURE CRIME RATES AN UPDATE OF THE NATIONAL AND STATE PROJECTIONS WITH AN ADDITIONAL APPLICATION TO LOCAL JURISDICTIONS
    $50,0002024 Association for Computing MachineryJUSTICE AT THE CROSSROADS
    $50,0002023 Salzburg Global Seminar IncSALZBURG GLOBAL SEMINAR 2023
    $45,0002024 Boston UniversityASSESSING MENTAL DISTRESS, RELATIVE LONENESS, IDEOLOGY, AND LEAKAGE IN THE PARENTS4PEACE DATASET
    $45,0002023 Hebrew University Association Jerusalem PalestineBETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA: DISINTEGRATION AND INTRACOMMUNAL VIOLENCE AMONG THE PALESTINIAN CITIZENS IN ISRAEL (APPLICATION FOR CONTINUATION)
    $45,0002023 Northwestern UniversityMURDER BY STRUCTURE: HOW STREET GANGS BUILT THE GREAT AMERICAN CITY
    $44,9502024 Trustees of Clark UniversityERASING REFUGEES: HOW CAMPS BECAME KILLING FIELDS IN THE FIRST CONGO WAR
    $44,8762023 Trustees of Clark UniversityERASING REFUGEES: HOW CAMPS BECAME KILLING FIELDS IN THE FIRST CONGO WAR
    $44,8182024 Washington State UniversityAT THE ROOT OF LETHAL VIOLENCE: THE FRENCH DEATH INVESTIGATION SYSTEM AND THE ACCURACY OF MORTALITY STATISTICS IN VIOLENCE PREVENTION
    $44,7962023 Supply Chain Management AssocPRE- AND POST-RESETTLEMENT DRIVERS OF INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE AMONG AFGHAN REFUGEES IN THE UNITED STATES
    $44,5152024 Supply Chain Management AssocPRE- AND POST-RESETTLEMENT DRIVERS OF INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE AMONG AFGHAN REFUGEES IN THE UNITED STATES
    $39,7912024 Tel Aviv UniversityECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES, CRIMINAL ACTIVITY, AND DETERRENCE: EVIDENCE FROM THE PALESTINIAN-ARAB MINORITY IN ISRAEL
    $39,0002024 The University of Texas at AustinPOLICE COLLUSION AND DRUG VIOLENCE: WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP?
    $37,7612024 Rutgers the State University of NJ"NEVER AGAIN! AND THE PROBLEM OF PREVENTION
    $37,0712024 University of KentPRO-GOVERNMENT MILITIAS AS SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ACTORS AND THEIR IMPACT ON GOVERNANCE AND SECURITY ORDERS
    $36,8962024 Universite du Quebec a MontrealSLAVE-RAIDERS AND BOKO HARAM ON THE BORDER
    $35,2482023 University of KentPRO-GOVERNMENT MILITIAS AS SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ACTORS AND THEIR IMPACT ON GOVERNANCE AND SECURITY ORDERS
    $35,1422023 University YWCA Berkeley CaliforniaINVITING INTERVENTION: STATEBUILDING BY DELEGATING SECURITY
    $35,0002020 Mr James AustinPROJECTING FUTURE VIOLENT AND PROPERTY CRIME RATES FOR US STATES
    $30,0002024 NEW YORK UNIVERSITYWHAT SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH REVEALS ABOUT THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN FOSTERING POLITICAL VIOLENCE

    Contact InfluenceWatch to report errors, suggest edits, or provide tips for additional profiles.

    Contact Us

    Financials, employee compensation, and grant information provided by Candid.

    Mentioned in this Article

    References

    1. “Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation.” HFG, July 13, 2023. https://www.hfg.org/.
    2. “Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation Programs.” ARMACAD. https://armacad.info/harry-frank-guggenheim-foundation-programs.
    3. “The John Jay/Harry Frank Guggenheim Symposium on Crime in America Convened for the 13th Year.” John Jay College of Criminal Justice, March 5, 2018. https://www.jjay.cuny.edu/news/john-jayharry-frank-guggenheim-symposium-crime-america-convened-13th-year.
    4. Foundation, The Harry Frank Guggenheim. “Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation Names Daniel F. Wilhelm President.” PR Newswire: press release distribution, targeting, monitoring and marketing, June 26, 2018. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/harry-frank-guggenheim-foundation-names-daniel-f-wilhelm-president-300468277.html.
    5. “Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation (HFG).” Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation (HFG) | New York, NY | Cause IQ. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/harry-frank-guggenheim-foundation,136043471/.
    6.  “Our Work.” HFG, August 22, 2022. https://live-harryfrankguggenheim.pantheonsite.io/our-work/.
    7. “Programs.” HFG, August 14, 2021. https://live-harryfrankguggenheim.pantheonsite.io/programs/.
    8. “Harry Guggenheim Dead; Newsday Founder Was 80.” The New York Times, January 23, 1971. https://www.nytimes.com/1971/01/23/archives/harry-guggenheim-dead-newsday-founder-was-80-harry-f-guggenheim.html.
    9. “Learning Center Our Enshrinees.” Harry Frank Guggenheim | National Aviation Hall of Fame. https://nationalaviation.org/enshrinee/harry-frank-guggenheim/.
    10. “Ambassador Harry F. Guggenheim.” National Archives and Records Administration. https://hoover.blogs.archives.gov/2021/12/29/ambassador-harry-f-guggenheim/.
    11.  “Guggenheim Museum Inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List.” The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation. https://www.guggenheim.org/news/guggenheim-museum-inscribed-on-unesco-world-heritage-list.
    12. “Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation Programs.” HFG, September 22, 2023. https://www.hfg.org/programs/.
    13. “Our Work.” HFG, September 22, 2023. https://www.hfg.org/our-work/.
    14. Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation names Daniel F. Wilhelm president. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/harry-frank-guggenheim-foundation-names-daniel-f-wilhelm-president-300468277.html.
    15. “Alumni Q&A: Where Are They Now? Daniel F. Wilhelm, New York Alum.” Sidley Austin LLP.https://www.sidley.com/en/us/sidley-pages/conversations/alumni-qa-daniel-wilhelm/.
    16. People in the news (09/17/2023): Appointments, promotions, obituaries. https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/people-in-the-news-09-17-2023-appointments-promotions-obituaries.