The Morningstar Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation based in Bethesda, Maryland that supports left-of-center organizations, including left-wing Jewish advocacy group Bend the Arc, the Social Venture Fund for Jewish-Arab Equality and Shared Society, and Keshet, a group that advocates for LGBT Jews. ¹

Grants are given both within the United States and Israel to those organizations focused on Jewish causes, liberal expansionist immigration policy, gun control, and government intervention in health care. The foundation helps organizations focused on the Israeli environmental movement, Israeli civil society, and encouraging Israeli philanthropy. ²

Founders

The Morningstar Foundation was established by Michael and Susie Gelman. Susie Gelman is an activist and philanthropist, particularly focused on the Jewish community and the state of Israel.

Susie Gelman is the president of The Morningstar Foundation. She a graduate of Harvard University and the Georgetown University Law Center. She is the board chair for the liberal Israel Policy Forum. She is a member of the owners’ group of Mid-Atlantic Media, which publishes the Baltimore Jewish Times. ³ She served three terms as president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington and previously co-chaired the Israel Religious Expression Platform of the Jewish Federations of North America. She was the inaugural chair of the Birthright Israel Foundation. ⁴ Susie Gelman is a member of the Board of Governors of the Hebrew University, is an honorary fellow of Brandeis University, and is past president of the Georgetown Day School Board of Trustees, where she sat on the board for twelve years. She also serves as president of the board of the Goldman Environmental Foundation. ⁵

Michael Gelman is the managing director of The Morningstar Foundation. He is chair of the executive committee of the Jewish Federations of North America and was previously the treasurer. He served three terms as president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. Former President Bill Clinton appointed him to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council for a term that lasted from 1995 to 2004. Gelman was the inaugural chairman of the board of The Israel Project and currently serves on its executive committee. He also sits on the boards of several organizations, including Jewish Agency for Israel, Hillel, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, University of Maryland College Park Foundation, American Jewish International Relations Institute, Moment Magazine, and Congressional Bank. ⁶

Susie Gelman’s father, Richard Goldman, was a San Francisco civic leader and philanthropist who founded the Goldman Environmental Prize and the now-closed Richard and Rhoda Goldman Foundation. Susie’s mother, Rhoda Goldman, was an heiress to the Levi Strauss fortune. The Goldmans supported a variety of left-leaning organizations, including ones devoted to Jewish causes and pro-abortion-rights advocacy. ⁷ After the death of the Goldmans, their foundation closed and some $280 million was transferred to foundations belonging to the Goldmans’ three children, including Susie Gelman’s The Morningstar Foundation. ⁸

Funding

The Morningstar Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt private foundation created in 1982. The Morningstar Foundation reported $16,533,591 in revenue and $14,476,618 in expenditures in its 2017 fiscal year. ⁹ The foundation reported three employees receiving over $50,000 in compensation. ¹⁰  It reported $1,463,211 paid to Crestview Management for its investment advisory services. ¹¹

The organization made a number of grants to left-of-center organizations, including the ACLU of the National Capital Area, American Jewish World Service, Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, Planned Parenthood of New York City, States United to Prevent Gun Violence, and the Anti-Defamation League. ¹²

1. The Morningstar Foundation, Return of Private Foundation Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF), 2017, Part XV, Line 3. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/521270464/02_2019_prefixes_47-52%2F521270464_201712_990PF_2019020916081556
2. Rosenberg, Liza. “Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA)// 3 Cheers for the 3 Chairs.” Haaretz. 2013. Accessed February 4, 2020. https://www.haaretz.com/haaretz-labels/power/1.5723765
3. Graham, Connor. “Maryland Jewish Community Reacts to Netanyahu Victory.” Baltimore Jewish Times. April 10, 2019. Accessed February 4, 2020. https://jewishtimes.com/92191/maryland-jewish-community-reacts-to-netanyahu-victory/news/
4. “Our People – Board of Directors.” Birthright Israel Foundation. Accessed February 4, 2020. https://birthrightisrael.foundation/board
5. “About – Leadership – Susie Gelman.” Israel Policy Forum. Accessed February 4, 2020. https://israelpolicyforum.org/about/leadership/susie-gelman/
6. “Leadership Team – Michael Gelman.” GRF CPAs & Advisors. Accessed February 4, 2020. https://www.grfcpa.com/people/michael-gelman/
7. Slotnik, Daniel. “Richard N. Goldman, Civic Leader and Patron, Dies at 90.” The New York Times. December 4, 2010. Accessed February 4, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/05/us/05goldman.html
8. J. Correspondent. “As Parents Assets Flow In, Goldman Heirs Deciding Which Jewish Causes to Fund.” J. The Jewish News of Northern California. June 29, 2012. Accessed February 4, 2020. https://www.jweekly.com/2012/06/29/as-parents-assets-flow-in-goldman-heirs-deciding-which-jewish-causes-to-fun/
9. The Morningstar Foundation, Return of Private Foundation Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF), 2017, Part I, Lines 12 and 26. Accessed February 4, 2020. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/521270464/02_2019_prefixes_47-52%2F521270464_201712_990PF_2019020916081556
10. The Morningstar Foundation, Return of Private Foundation Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF), 2017, Part VIII Section 2. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/521270464/02_2019_prefixes_47-52%2F521270464_201712_990PF_2019020916081556
11. The Morningstar Foundation, Return of Private Foundation Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF), 2017, Part VIII Section 3. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/521270464/02_2019_prefixes_47-52%2F521270464_201712_990PF_2019020916081556
12. The Morningstar Foundation, Return of Private Foundation Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF), 2017, Part XV, Line 3. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/521270464/02_2019_prefixes_47-52%2F521270464_201712_990PF_2019020916081556