The Samuel Rubin Foundation is a grantmaking foundation that supports organizations that focus on international peace efforts, such as the Arms Control Association; on expanding influence of left-of-center media, such as Democracy Now Productions; on LGBT advocacy, such as Global Action for Trans Equality; on left-of-center social advocacy, such as Resist Inc; and immigration concerns, such as the Mabel Center for Immigrant Justice. ¹ The founder, Samuel Rubin, was a cosmetics millionaire born in then-Russian-controlled Poland who was alleged to be a communist sympathizer. ²

Founder

Personal Life and Career

Samuel Rubin was born in Bialystok, a Polish town then controlled by imperial Russia, in 1901 into an impoverished family. In 1905, the family moved to New York and opened a dry goods store. Samuel Rubin worked at the store as a child; when he grew up, he worked for a Spanish import company, and in 1929 he founded his own importing company. In 1939, Rubin founded a perfume company called Faberge and grew it to be worth $26 million when he sold it in 1963 ² Rubin died of cancer in 1978. ²

Foundations

Rubin founded the Samuel Rubin Foundation in 1949 with some of the earnings from his perfume company. The foundation focused on advancing left-wing ideologies in education, healthcare, and international relations. ³ In 1963, the Samuel Rubin Foundation and the Stern Family Fund provided the starting capital for the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS). The IPS is a think tank “that consistently promoted anti-American, pro-Communist causes throughout the Cold War.”  ⁴

Politics

Samuel Rubin was alleged to be a communist sympathizer, and some people have speculated that he was part of the Communist Party USA (CPUSA), which he denied. He admitted that he may have given money to organizations with communist ideologies such as the National Council of American Soviet Friendship, a creation of the CPUSA, and the Committee for Democratic Far Eastern Policy (CDFEP). Rubin also admitted to being involved with the American Labor Party, as well as being part of the executive committee for the Businessman’s Division of the communist Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee (JAFRC) and being the chair for “the Fourth World Congress of Polish Jews, a New York event sponsored by the pro-Communist American Federation for Polish Jews (AFPJ).” ²

Grantees

Organizations that have received funding from the Samuel Rubin Foundation include A.J. Muste Memorial Institute, American for Peace Now (APN), Arms Control Association (ACA), Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), Center for Justice and Accountability, Democracy Now, Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP), Grassroots International (GI), Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), New Israel Fund (NIF), Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, Resist Inc., Solidaire Network, and Tides Center. ⁵

1. “FY2023 Grantees.” Samuel Rubin Foundation. Accessed June 23, 2025. https://samuelrubinfoundation.org/fy2023.
2. “Samuel Rubin.” Discover The Networks. Accessed June 23, 2025. https://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individuals/samuel-rubin/.
3. Samuel Rubin Foundation. “History.” Samuel Rubin Foundation. Accessed June 23, 2025. https://samuelrubinfoundation.org/history.
4. “Samuel Rubin Foundation (SRF).” Discover The Networks. Accessed June 23, 2025. https://www.discoverthenetworks.org/organizations/samuel-rubin-foundation-srf/.
5. “Samuel Rubin Foundation.” ProPublica. Accessed June 23, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/136164671/202423199349101227/full.