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Atlantic Philanthropic Service Company (APSC)

Type:

Grantmaking Foundation
Affiliated with:

Atlantic Philanthropies
Status:

Defunct

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 The Atlantic Philanthropic Service Company (APSC) was the American arm of Atlantic Philanthropies, the grantmaking foundation of the late Charles “Chuck” Feeney. 1 In 2020, Atlantic Philanthropies shut down after spending the last of its endowment; APSC is likely defunct as well. 2

Background

The Atlantic Philanthropic Service Company was founded by Charles “Chuck” Feeney, who became a billionaire from Duty Free Shoppers Group, one of the first businesses to specialize in duty-free sales to travelers. In 1982, Feeney established the Atlantic Foundation, later known as Atlantic Philanthropies, to serve as his charitable foundation. In 1984, Feeney transferred all of his Duty Free Shoppers Group shares, amounting to 38.75 percent of the company and valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars, to Atlantic. For the first 15 years of Atlantic’s operations, few individuals knew that Feeney was the source of Atlantic’s funding, and they were sworn to secrecy. He also refused to take tax deductions from his donations. Feeney preferred anonymity out of modesty and to vet potential recipients. He paid grant recipients with cashier checks that concealed the source. Atlantic Philanthropies board members, including the president emeritus of Cornell University and the vice chairwoman of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, also concealed their roles. 3 4

Activities

The Atlantic Philanthropic Service Company’s legal structure is not publicly known, though it likely operated as a subsidiary of Atlantic Philanthropies, which, being based in Bermuda, operated under a unique legal classification that permitted unlimited donations to 501(c)(4) organizations. 5

In one article, ASPC was referred to as “a New York City firm set up by Mr. Feeney that provides staffing for the Atlantic foundations.” 6 A press release from 1997 stated that the ASPC “has provided management services” to The Atlantic Foundation and The Atlantic Trust (both later known as Atlantic Philanthropies). 7 A 1997 New York Times article described ASPC as “[giving] money away on behalf of Mr. Feeney’s two foundations.” 8

Grantmaking

The Atlantic Philanthropic Service Company has supported the Adam Institute for Democracy and Peace, an Israeli think tank; the Joint Jewish and Arab School Program; and the Beit David Cultural and Community Center, the first community center for Arabs in Israel. 9

In the mid-2010s, APSC contributed to the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute. 10

In 2013, APSC contributed between $100,000 and $250,000 to the Urban Institute. 11

In the early 2000s, APSC made grants to the University of Michigan. 12

In the late 1990s, APSC made multi-million-dollar grants to the Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute, 13 and ASPC was a long-time donor to Cornell University, Chuck Feeney’s alma mater. 14

Leadership

Joel Fleishman was the president of APSC from 1993 to 2003. 15 Fleishman is a professor at Duke University and runs the Duke Foundation Research Program. 16 He was the first director of the Institute of Policy Sciences and Public Affairs, now the Sanford School of Public Policy, and raised $500 million for the organization. 17

Arlene Shuler previously worked as vice president of APSC. Prior to APSC, Shuler worked as executive director of the Howard Gilman Foundation, deputy director of the Wallace Funds, and president of the General Atlantic Partners Foundation. Shuler was formerly the president and chief executive officer of the New York City Center, a prestigious theater organization, and was vice president of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Shuler is on the board of the George Balanchine Foundation and is a Pocantico Committee Member of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. 18

Patricia “Trix” Tolles Smalley served as chief operating officer of the Atlantic Philanthropic Service Company from 1990 to 1994. Smalley worked for David Rockefeller in philanthropic roles in the 1980s, as deputy commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs in New York City, and as deputy and interim director of the El Museo del Barrio in New York. 19

Richard Ekman served as the vice president for programs of APSC. He is the president emeritus and former president of the Council of Independent Colleges. Previously, Ekman worked as the secretary and senior program officer of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and as a director at the National Endowment of the Humanities. 20 21

References

  1. “The Lessons of Philanthropy: Giving For Results.” The Atlantic Philanthropies. May 12, 2011. Accessed March 19, 2024. https://www.atlanticphilanthropies.org/news/lessons-philanthropy-giving-results.
  2. “Atlantic Philanthropies officially closes its doors.” Candid. September 20, 2020. Accessed March 19, 2024. https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/atlantic-philanthropies-officially-closes-its-doors#:~:text=Feeney%20and%20the%20leadership%20of,large%2C%20concentrated%2C%20high%2Dimpact.
  3. Miller, Judith. “He Gave Away $600 Million, and No One Knew.” The New York Times. January 23, 1997. Accessed March 19, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/1997/01/23/nyregion/he-gave-away-600-million-and-no-one-knew.html.
  4. “Laying the Foundation.” Atlantic Philanthropies. Accessed March 19, 2024. https://www.atlanticphilanthropies.org/chuck-feeneys-story/chapter-1.
  5. Ciaramella, CJ. “Sins of Omission.” The Washington Free Beacon. September 11, 2012. Accessed March 19, 2024. https://freebeacon.com/politics/sins-of-omission/.
  6. Keller, Bess. “Grants From Anonymous Donor Have Benefited Children, Schools.” Education Week. February 5, 1997. Accessed March 19, 2024. https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/grants-from-anonymous-donor-have-benefited-children-schools/1997/02.
  7. Dullea, Henrik N. “Cornell president’s statement regarding charitable support.” Cornell Chronicle. Cornell University. January 23, 1997. Accessed March 19, 2024. https://news.cornell.edu/stories/1997/01/cornell-presidents-statement-regarding-charitable-support.
  8. Fabrikant, Geraldine; White, Shelby. “Lone Rangers Of Charity Are Losing Their Masks.” The New York Times. February 2, 1997. Accessed March 19, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/1997/02/02/business/lone-rangers-of-charity-are-losing-their-masks.html.
  9. “Atlantic Philanthropic Service Company.” The Jerusalem Foundation. Accessed March 19, 2024. https://jerusalemfoundation.org/donor/atlantic-philanthropic-service-company/.
  10. “La Madonna Nera Institute.” John D. Calandra Italian American Institute. Accessed March 19, 2024. https://calandrainstitute.org/public-programs/exhibitions/la-madonna-nera/.
  11. “2013 Financials.” Urban Institute. Accessed March 19, 2024. https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/2016/08/04/2013_funders.pdf.
  12. “Project Report to the Atlantic Philanthropies.” Deep Blue. April 2004. Accessed March 19, 2024. https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/89167/2004APS_Report_4-09.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y.
  13. “Update to April 1999 Interim Report to Atlantic Philanthropic Service Co., Inc. from Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute (LII).” Cornell University eCommons. Accessed March 19, 2024. https://ecommons.cornell.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/06b66da9-d788-4d11-a259-45657f532922/content.
  14. Dullea, Henrik N. “Cornell president’s statement regarding charitable support.” Cornell Chronicle. Cornell University. January 23, 1997. Accessed March 19, 2024. https://news.cornell.edu/stories/1997/01/cornell-presidents-statement-regarding-charitable-support.
  15. “The Lessons of Philanthropy: Giving For Results.” The Atlantic Philanthropies. May 12, 2011. Accessed March 19, 2024. https://www.atlanticphilanthropies.org/news/lessons-philanthropy-giving-results.
  16. “Joel L. Fleishman.” Duke Law. Accessed March 19, 2024. https://law.duke.edu/fac/fleishman.
  17. ‘Only downsizing’: Sanford founding director Joel Fleishman steps down from teaching, reflects on time at Duke.” The Chronicle. May 31, 2023. Accessed March 19, 2024. https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2023/05/duke-university-joel-fleishman-sanford-school-public-policy.
  18. “Arlene Shuler.” Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Accessed March 19, 2024. https://www.rbf.org/people/arlene-shuler.
  19. “The Patricia Tolles Smalley Scholarship.” Hamilton College. Accessed March 19, 2024. https://www.hamilton.edu/scholarships-and-prizes/index?action=detail&id=BC959CDB-068C-79CD-F3D86041415185F7.
  20. Ekman, Richard H. “Can Libraries of Digital Materials Last Forever?.” Taylor and Francis Online. March 25, 2010. Accessed March 19, 2024. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00091380009601720.
  21. “Richard Ekman.” LinkedIn. Accessed March 19, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-ekman-59bbb21b8/.
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