Samuel Rubin Foundation

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

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At-A-Glance

Type: Non-profit, 501(c)(3), Private Foundation
Issue Areas: Immigration Policy, LGBT Policy
Website: samuelrubinfoundation.org
Founder:

Samuel Rubin

Location: Cambridge, MA View on map
Tax ID: 13-6164671
Most Recent Filing: 2025
Budget (2025): Assets: $12,959,741 Revenue: $410,526 Expenses: $854,164

Contents

    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

    Financial Statistics

    Total Assets

    Total Revenue

    Total Expenses

    YearTotal AssetsTotal RevenueTotal ExpensesFiling
    2025 $12,959,741 $410,526 $854,164 View
    2024 $13,042,553 $324,741 $752,261 View
    2023 $12,135,166 $-351,792 $758,957 View
    2022 $11,303,338 $408,615 $803,149 View
    2021 $14,622,711 $274,566 $767,821 View

    Prior year filings: 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012

    Expenses Detail

    Employee Compensation

    Highest Earning Employees

    EmployeeTitleTotal Compensation
    Judith WeissPRESIDENT$38,367

    Grant Activity

    All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $15,000
    • Number of Grants: 1
    • Number of Funders: 1

    All-time grants given statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $7,513,450
    • Number of Grants: 641
    • Number of Recipients: 231

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

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $60,0002025 Center for Constitutional RightsGENERAL SUPPORT
    $60,0002025 Downtown Community Television Center, Inc.YOUTH EDUCATION
    $60,0002025 Global Network of Women Peacebuilders IncGENERAL SUPPORT AND EDUCATION
    $60,0002023 Center for Constitutional RightsLEGAL RIGHTS ADVOCACY
    $50,0002024 Center for Constitutional RightsLEGAL RIGHTS ADVOCACY
    $50,0002024 Downtown Community Television Center, Inc.MEDIA FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE
    $50,0002024 Global Network of Women Peacebuilders IncINTERNATIONAL PEACE EFFORTS
    $50,0002023 Downtown Community Television Center, Inc.MEDIA FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE
    $50,0002023 Global Network of Women Peacebuilders IncINTERNATIONAL PEACE EFFORTS
    $50,0002023 Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy IncNUCLEAR DISARMAMENT & GLOBAL SECURITY
    $50,0002022 Center for Constitutional RightsLEGAL RIGHTS ADVOCACY
    $50,0002022 Global Network of Women Peacebuilders IncINTERNATIONAL PEACE EFFORTS
    $50,0002022 Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy IncNUCLEAR DISARMAMENT & GLOBAL SECURITY
    $50,0002021 Downtown Community Television Center, Inc.DCTV YOUTH MEDIA: FREE FILMMAKING TRAINING FOR NYC TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS
    $50,0002021 Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy IncGENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
    $50,0002020 Downtown Community Television Center, Inc.Media for social justice
    $50,0002020 Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy IncNuclear disarmament & global security
    $48,5002021 Global Network of Women Peacebuilders IncGENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT/COVID RELIEF EFFORTS/PAYMENT 1 OF 3 CORA WEISS FELLOWSHIP
    $45,0002025 Americans for Peace Now , Inc.GENERAL SUPPORT
    $42,0002024 Grassroots International IncINTERNATIONAL SOCIAL JUSTICE
    $40,0002025 New Israel FundGENERAL SUPPORT
    $40,0002021 Center for Constitutional RightsGENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
    $40,0002020 Center for Constitutional RightsLegal rights advocacy
    $40,0002020 Global Network of Women Peacebuilders IncInternational peace efforts
    $37,5002021 Americans for Peace Now , Inc.GENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT

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

    Mentioned in this Article

    References

    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.