The Michael Tuch Foundation is a family-run philanthropic organization that donates primarily to performing arts centers, museums, and organizations that support low-income residents in New York City. The Foundation is a private nonprofit organization and receives most its funding from trading stocks and bonds. ¹

The Foundation funds several organizations that provide free services to New York residents, including career coaching, music classes, and after-school programs. ² The Foundation has consistently given to organizations supporting people who are in prison, recently released from prison, and “at-risk” for arrest. ³

History

The Michael Tuch Foundation was founded in 1946 by Michael Tuch, an immigrant from Russia who became a coal merchant and philanthropist within a couple of decades of his arrival in Brooklyn. ⁴

After Michael Tuch’s death in 1950, The Foundation operated out of the law office of his nephew, Eugene Tuck, for over 50 years. In 2000, Eugene Tuck’s daughter, Martha Tuck Rozett, took over as president and executive director of the Foundation. ⁵

Funding

The Michael Tuch Foundation receives most its funds from trading stocks. In 2022, the Michael Tuch Foundation sold shares of over 80 stocks, resulting in a net capital loss of $135,660. ⁶ In 2021, the Foundation sold shares of over 50 stocks, resulting in a net gain of $959,877. ⁷

Philanthropy

In 2022, The Michael Tuch Foundation donated a total of $533,000 to 63 organizations. The majority of these donations funded museums and theaters, including the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, the Lincoln Center Theater, the New York Botanical Gardens, and the Manhattan Theatre Club. ⁸

The Michael Tuch Foundation also donated to organizations that provide services to people who are incarcerated and recently released from prison. In 2022, the Foundation donated $10,000 to the Women’s Prison Association (WPA), ⁹ an organization that provides transitional housing to women released from prison, connects women to health care and employment resources, and provides alternatives to incarceration for some crimes. ¹⁰

In 2022, the Foundation donated $20,000 to Avenues for Justice, an organization that provides an alternative to incarceration for “youth offenders” aged 13-24 who have been arrested. The organization is headquartered in the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, and its members accompany individuals to court before a judge, advocating that the offender be committed to the organization’s services instead of prison. ^{11 12}

In 2020, the Michael Tuch Foundation donated $10,000 to the Hope Program, an organization that offers free job training courses and certifications to its students. The program’s courses teach skills for careers in security, construction, customer service, and health care. The organization targets those who have experienced “systemic barriers” in the hiring process, such as individuals with a criminal record. ^{13 14 15}

The Michael Tuch Foundation donated to the Dorot Foundation, an organization that funds archaeological research, libraries, museums, and scholarship related to Judaism. ¹⁶ The Dorot Foundation has supported left-of-center organizations involved in Israeli politics and policy, including those who advocate for a “two-state” solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. ^{17 18}

People

The Foundation’s leadership is comprised of family members and relatives of Michael Tuch.

Martha Tuck Rozett has been the president and executive director since 2000. ¹⁹ Rozett is a professor of English at the University of Albany and has worked as a trustee at the Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany. ^{20 21}

1. Michael Tuch Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2022, Section IV.
2. “Our Approach.” Harlem Children’s Zone. Accessed January 7, 2024. https://hcz.org/our-purpose/our-approach/
3.  “Our Program: Keeping Kids out of Prison.” Avenues for Justice. Accessed January 9, 2024. https://www.avenuesforjustice.org/program
4. Peterson, Tyler. “Liev Schreiber, Michael Kahn & Michael Tuch Foundation to be Honored at Red Bull Theater’s Running of the Red Bulls Benefit.” Broadway World. April 6, 2016. Accessed January 8, 2024. https://www.broadwayworld.com/off-broadway/article/Liev-Schreiber-Michael-Kahn-Michael-Tuch-Foundation-to-be-Honored-at-Red-Bull-Theaters-Running-Of-The-Red-Bulls-Benefit-20160406
5.  Peterson, Tyler. “Liev Schreiber, Michael Kahn & Michael Tuch Foundation to be Honored at Red Bull Theater’s Running of the Red Bulls Benefit.” Broadway World. April 6, 2016. Accessed January 8, 2024. https://www.broadwayworld.com/off-broadway/article/Liev-Schreiber-Michael-Kahn-Michael-Tuch-Foundation-to-be-Honored-at-Red-Bull-Theaters-Running-Of-The-Red-Bulls-Benefit-20160406
6. Michael Tuch Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2022, Section IV.
7. Michael Tuch Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2021, Section IV.
8. Michael Tuch Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2022, Part XIV.
9. Michael Tuch Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2022, Part XIV.
10. “A Continuum of Care.” Women’s Prison Association. Accessed January 10, 2024. https://www.wpaonline.org/programs/.
11. Michael Tuch Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2022, Part XIV.
12. “Court Advocacy for ATI and Re-entry Participants.” Avenues For Justice. Accessed January 3, 2024. https://www.avenuesforjustice.org/program-1
13. Michael Tuch Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2020, Part XIV.
14. “Hopeworks.” The Hope Program. Accessed January 8, 2024. https://www.thehopeprogram.org/hopeworks-3/
15. “What We Do.” The Hope Program. Accessed January 8, 2024. https://www.thehopeprogram.org/what-we-do/
16. “Joy Ungerleider-Mayerson.” Jewish Women’s Archive. Accessed January 11, 2024. https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/ungerleider-mayerson-joy.
17. Michael Tuch Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2022, Part XIV.
18. “J Street Policy Principles on the Global BDS Movement and Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions Efforts.” J Street. Accessed January 11, 2024. https://jstreet.org/policy/boycott-divestment-and-sanctions-bds/
19. Peterson, Tyler. “Liev Schreiber, Michael Kahn & Michael Tuch Foundation to be Honored at Red Bull Theater’s Running of the Red Bulls Benefit.” Broadway World. April 6, 2016. Accessed January 8, 2024. https://www.broadwayworld.com/off-broadway/article/Liev-Schreiber-Michael-Kahn-Michael-Tuch-Foundation-to-be-Honored-at-Red-Bull-Theaters-Running-Of-The-Red-Bulls-Benefit-20160406
20.  “Martha Tuck Rozett.” Suny Press. Accessed January 12, 2024. https://sunypress.edu/Contributors/R/Rozett-Martha-Tuck
21. Capital Repertory Theatre, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2016, Part VII.