Not to be confused with the similarly named H. van Ameringen Foundation.

The van Ameringen Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation that funds prevention, advocacy, and treatment in the area of mental health, among other special interests of the board members.

The van Ameringen Foundation was established in 1950 by Arnold Louis van Ameringen, and its current president is his grandson, Kenneth A. Kind. The board of directors is largely comprised of descendants and family members of van Ameringen.

Grants from the van Ameringen Foundation are made almost exclusively to organizations in New York City and Philadelphia. In 2018, large grants were made to the Fountain House, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Foundation, Mobilization for Justice, and the Correctional Association of New York, among many others. ¹

The van Ameringen Foundation granted $590,000 to 13 different LGBT-interest organizations were between 1970 and 2010, likely influenced by board member Henry van Ameringen, a prominent donor to LGBT-interest advocacy through his H. van Ameringen Foundation. ²

History

The van Ameringen Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation that was established in 1950 by Arnold Louis van Ameringen, the founder of the International Flavors and Fragrances Company (IFF). The Foundation was initially funded by van Amerigen, and was later funded by his wife, Hedwig van Ameringen. ³

Grantmaking

Originally, the Foundation ​supported organizations in the greater metro areas of New York City and Philadelphia, with limited grants to national organizations. In 2018, the Foundation decided to limit its grantmaking to only the five boroughs of New York and the city of Philadelphia, though some national organizations may still receive funding. ⁴

The Foundation makes grants to organizations with a broad focus on mental health. The Foundation’s interests are in preventative strategies, increased accessibility to mental health services, as well as systemic change on both local and national levels. ⁵

In the past, the Foundation also made grants to organizations at the discretion of the members of the board, and tend to favor the interests of individual board members. Annual grants have been, and continue to be made to the Fountain House, for which Alexandra Herzan sits on the board. ⁶ The foundation gave 13 different LGBT organizations a total of $590,000 between 1970 and 2010, likely influenced by board member Henry van Ameringen, a prominent gay philanthropist. ⁷

The van Ameringen Foundation awarded nearly $7 million in grants in 2018, with the largest grant of $250,000 going to the Fountain House. Grants of $150,000 were given to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Foundation and Clubhouse International. Mobilization for Justice received $125,000. $100,000 grants were awarded to the Correctional Association of New York, the Mayor’s Fund to Advance NYC, Children’s Rights, and several others. Other grants made by the Foundation range from $5,000 to $75,000. ⁸

Mission Aligned Investing

The van Ameringen Foundation claims to practice “mission aligned investing,” to order to increase its “social and environmental impact beyond the financial returns on our endowment.” ⁹

People

Arnold Lewis van Ameringen was the founder, and during his lifetime, the primary funder of the van Ameringen Foundation. Van Ameringen was the founder and president of International Flavors and Fragrances Company (IFF). ¹⁰

Hugh Hogan has been executive director of the van Ameringen Foundation since 2016. Hogan is the former executive director of the North Star Fund and formerly directed the Open Space Equity Campaign for the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance. ¹¹

Board of Directors

Board president and treasurer Kenneth A. Kind, grandson of Arnold Lewis van Ameringen, also sits as a trustee of the Patricia Kind Family Foundation, his mother’s foundation. ¹²

Vice president and secretary of the board Maurizio Morello also sits as executive vice president and assistant treasurer of the board of the Ambrose Monell Foundation. ¹³

Judith Beck is the president of the Beck Institute and a clinical professor of psychology in psychiatry. Beck has consulted on several National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) studies and is a founding fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. ¹⁴

Alexandra Herzan, niece of Henry van Ameringen, has served as president of the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, her mother’s foundation, since 1997. Herzan also sits on the boards of Fountain House, Riverkeeper, and Transportation Alternatives. ¹⁵

Christina Kind, granddaughter of Arnold Lewis van Ameringen and daughter of Patricia van Ameringen Kind,¹⁶ serves as a trustee of the Patricia Kind Family Foundation. ¹⁷

Andrew Kindfuller, grandson of Arnold Lewis van Ameringen and son of Patricia van Ameringen Kind, sat on the boards of the Patricia Kind Family Foundation, Food and Friends, and the Georgetown University Board of Governors. ¹⁸

Valerie Kind-Rubin, granddaughter of Arnold Lewis van Ameringen and daughter of Patricia van Ameringen Kind, is the managing trustee of the Patricia Kind Family Foundation. ¹⁹

Laura Kind McKenna, granddaughter of Arnold Lewis van Ameringen and daughter of Patricia van Ameringen Kind, is the former managing trustee of the Patricia Kind Family Foundation where she currently serves as a trustee and treasurer. ²⁰

Clarence J. Sundram is the Special Advisor to the Governor on Vulnerable Persons in New York. Sundram is a former President of the Board of Mental Disability Rights International, a former founding Chairman of the New York State Commission on Quality of Care for the Mentally Disabled, a former Vice-Chairman of the New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council, and formerly sat on the boards of the National Disability Rights Network and Mental Disability Rights International. Sundram is a former consultant to the U.S. Department of Justice, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization. ²¹

1. Van Ameringen Foundation Inc, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2018, Attachment B.
2. “Forty Years of LGBTQ Philalthropy 1970-2010.” Funders for LGBTQ Issues. Accessed April 25, 2020. https://lgbtfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/40years_lgbtqphilanthrophy.pdf.
3. “History.” van Amerigen Foundation, 2018. Accessed April 25, 2020. https://www.vanamfound.org/history.
4. “History.” van Amerigen Foundation, 2018. Accessed April 25, 2020. https://www.vanamfound.org/history.
5. “History.” van Amerigen Foundation, 2018. Accessed April 25, 2020. https://www.vanamfound.org/history.
6. Van Ameringen Foundation Inc, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2018, Attachment B.
7. “Forty Years of LGBTQ Philalthropy 1970-2010.” Funders for LGBTQ Issues. Accessed April 25, 2020. https://lgbtfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/40years_lgbtqphilanthrophy.pdf.
8. Van Ameringen Foundation Inc, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2018, Attachment B.
9. “Mission Aligned Investing.” van Amerigen Foundation, 2018. Accessed April 25, 2020. https://www.vanamfound.org/mission-aligned-investing.
10. “History.” van Amerigen Foundation, 2018. Accessed April 25, 2020. https://www.vanamfound.org/history.
11. “Staff Bio.” van Amerigen Foundation, 2018. Accessed April 25, 2020. https://www.vanamfound.org/hh-staff-bio.
12. “Kenneth Kind.” Patricia Kind Family Foundation, 2020. Accessed April 25, 2020. https://pkindfamilyfoundation.org/trustee/kenneth-kind.
13. “Officers.” The Ambrose Monell Foundation, 2020. Accessed April 25, 2020. https://www.monellfoundation.org/index.php/officers/.
14. “Judith S. Beck, PhD.” Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy, 2019. Accessed April 25, 2020. https://beckinstitute.org/team/dr-judith-s-beck/.
15. “Alexandra Herzan.” Riverkeeper, 2020. Accessed April 25, 2020. https://www.riverkeeper.org/riverkeeper-mission/our-board/alex-herzan/.
16. Cook, Bonnie L. “Patricia Kind, 91, philanthropist who aided vulnerable.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 14, 2016. Accessed April 25, 2020. https://www.inquirer.com/philly/obituaries/20160114_Patricia_Kind__91__philanthropist_who_aided_vulnerable.html.
17. “Christina Kind.” Patricia Kind Family Foundation, 2020. Accessed April 25, 2020. https://pkindfamilyfoundation.org/trustee/christina-kind.
18. “Communities.” Kindfuller.com. Accessed April 25, 2020. http://www.kindfuller.com/communities.html.
19. “Valerie Kind Rubin.” Patricia Kind Family Foundation, 2020. Accessed April 25, 2020.  https://pkindfamilyfoundation.org/trustee/valerie-kind-rubin.
20. “Laura Kind McKenna.” Patricia Kind Family Foundation, 2020. Accessed April 25, 2020.  https://pkindfamilyfoundation.org/trustee/laura-kind-mckenna.
21. “Clarence J. Sundram, J.D.” National Association for Rights Protection and Advocacy. Accessed April 25, 2020. http://www.narpa.org/bios/sundram.