President's Letter
Welcome to the Altman Foundation's new website. Would Benjamin Altman be surprised to find his picture accessible to millions of people around the world? What would he think about his City and the many needs of its citizens today? Would he be astonished to know how many people his legacy has served over the almost 100 years since he created the Foundation?
The world has changed dramatically since Benjamin Altman died in 1913. Over these years the Foundation has kept its eye clearly focused on the City and the needs of its people. It has made major contributions in the four areas that were Mr. Altman's interest - education, health, the arts, and strengthening communities. In recent years, the staff and trustees have been nimble and willing to make creative changes as the times have demanded while staying true to the vision of our founder.
Through the website we hope to communicate our priorities and the work of our grantees to both the nonprofit community we serve as well as our fellow funders who share our mission of philanthropy. We hope this website will convey the life and energy inherent in the amazing work of our grantees. We dream that sharing our programs and process will encourage dialogue among the various stakeholders.
We continue to operate in an unpredictable environment that makes the allocation of resources challenging. Leveraging our dollars, looking at program-related investments, collaborating with other philanthropic organizations, providing capacity building grants, and taking risks are some of the additional ways to support grantees who are under great financial stress as market conditions, charitable giving and government support diminish. It is important that we continue to find creative ways to support the nonprofit community in New York City.
The Foundation's staff and trustees continue to work with the process begun in 2007 in coordination with the Rensselaerville Institute. The approach has already helped staff and trustees view our grantmaking in a more holistic manner. Although it is early to draw significant conclusions from the new data we are collecting, we think patterns will emerge that will inform our decision making and planning. We will continue to hold to a standard of excellence that Mr. Altman set for his store, his art collection and his employees.
The Foundation's trustees and staff have approached the challenges of the past few years with thoughtfulness and compassion. This work could not have been done without our anchor, Executive Director Karen Rosa, who for twenty-five years has led an amazing team. To all our staff past and present thank you for your dedication to our mission. To our trustees who provide wise guidance and ask probing questions we owe special gratitude. Finally, this website celebrates the extraordinary work our grantees do to make this City a better place and in so many ways transform the lives of its citizens.
Jane B. O'Connell
President