Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation

Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation
Name	Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation
Founded	1987
Founders	Charles Schusterman; Lynn Schusterman
Headquarters	Tulsa, Oklahoma
Key people	Stacy H. Schusterman; Steven J. J. J. Goldstein; Rachel Fish; Daniel Lubetzky
Mission	Philanthropy in Jewish life, education, civic engagement, social justice
Endowment	(private)
Website	(omitted)

Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation is a private foundation established by Charles Schusterman and Lynn Schusterman that funds initiatives in Jewish life, Education-related programs, community development, and social justice. The foundation operates from Tulsa, Oklahoma, supporting projects across the United States, Israel, and international locales through grants, capacity building, and advocacy. Its activities intersect with organizations, philanthropists, and institutions across religious, cultural, and civic networks.

History

The foundation was created by Charles and Lynn Schusterman following careers in the oil industry and philanthropy; early collaborators and grantees included United Jewish Appeal, Jewish Federation of North America, American Jewish Committee, B'nai B'rith International, and Jewish Agency for Israel. In the 1990s and 2000s the foundation expanded partnerships with Brandeis University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University, University of Oklahoma, and Tulsa Community Foundation to support campus life, scholarly research, and community revitalization. During the 2010s the foundation engaged with policy and leadership networks such as Council on Foreign Relations, Aspen Institute, Atlantic Council, and allied philanthropy groups including the Rockefeller Foundation, Ford Foundation, Gates Foundation, and Carnegie Corporation of New York. Key historical moments included enhanced focus after the founders' passing, with trustees and staff aligning strategy with peers like Charles Bronfman, Sheldon Adelson, Michael Steinhardt, George Soros, and Mark Zuckerberg-era philanthropies. The foundation’s trajectory reflects interactions with actors such as Jewish Federations of North America, Hillel International, BBYO, Birthright Israel Foundation, and a range of nonprofit intermediaries.

Mission and Focus Areas

The foundation’s stated priorities blend support for Jewish immersion programs and pluralistic community building, investment in K-12 education and early childhood education, promotion of civic engagement and inclusion, and backing for racial equity and social justice initiatives. It coordinates across domains intersecting with entities like Hillel International, MoMA, Smithsonian Institution, National Public Radio, Teach For America, City Year, and New Israel Fund while aligning resources with thematic partners such as Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding, Anti-Defamation League, Israel Democracy Institute, and Peace Now. The foundation’s portfolio has engaged with cultural organizations like JCC Association of North America, Jewish Theological Seminary of America, Yeshiva University, Reconstructing Judaism, American Sephardi Federation, and secular partners including The New School and Brookings Institution.

Programs and Initiatives

Major initiatives include leadership development for Jewish professionals through collaborations with Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)-adjacent organizations, campus engagement programs with Hillel International and Chabad on Campus International Foundation, and youth leadership investments via BBYO and Alexander Muss High School in Israel. The foundation has supported arts and culture projects with Jewish Museum (New York), Ayu],] and performance initiatives involving Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, and local entities such as Tulsa Arts District partners. Philanthropic innovation efforts have connected the foundation to networks like Philanthropy Roundtable, National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, Council on Foundations, and social entrepreneurship initiatives including Ashoka, Skoll Foundation, and Acumen Fund. Internationally, grants have reached programs affiliated with Peres Center for Peace, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and civil society groups in North America, Israel, and Eastern Europe.

Grants and Funding Strategy

The foundation employs multiyear grants, matching funds, and capacity-building awards distributed through competitive processes and direct solicitations; grantees have included Brandeis University, Hebrew Union College, Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership, New Israel Fund, T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, and local community foundations. Funding strategies emphasize scaling proven models in collaboration with funders such as MacArthur Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Lilly Endowment, Walton Family Foundation, and Bloomberg Philanthropies. The foundation has also supported research and evaluation with partners like RAND Corporation, Urban Institute, Pew Research Center, and American Institutes for Research to inform impact measurement and policy dialogues with actors such as U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and Centrist Democrats-aligned civic groups.

Leadership and Governance

Governance has included family trustees and executive staff with ties to networks such as Council on Foreign Relations, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Jewish Federations of North America, and leadership programs run by Harvard Kennedy School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, and Wharton School. Senior leaders have engaged with philanthropic peers including Michael Bloomberg, Laurene Powell Jobs, Darren Walker, and advisors from McKinsey & Company and Boston Consulting Group. The foundation’s board oversight and compliance have interfaced with regulatory and sectoral institutions like Internal Revenue Service filings practices, independent auditors, and nonprofit accreditation discussions in venues such as GuideStar and Charity Navigator.

Partnerships and Advocacy

The foundation has partnered with advocacy and service organizations including American Jewish Committee, Anti-Defamation League, Jewish Council for Public Affairs, J Street, and AIPAC-adjacent efforts on pluralistic programming, while also working with secular policy and civil rights groups such as ACLU, Southern Poverty Law Center, NAACP, National Urban League, and Race Forward. Collaborative initiatives have involved municipal actors like the City of Tulsa, state agencies, and international institutions including Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel), European Union cultural programs, and transnational Jewish networks such as World Jewish Congress and World Zionist Organization.

Impact and Criticism

Supporters credit the foundation with strengthening Hillel International campus networks, expanding Birthright Israel access, enhancing Jewish literacy via Hebrew Union College and community centers, and bolstering local Tulsa revitalization, connecting with projects in the Tulsa Arts District and collaborations with University of Oklahoma. Critics and watchdogs have raised questions about donor influence in communal affairs, allocation trade-offs compared with other funders like Open Society Foundations or Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and positions on Israel that generated debate among groups such as J Street and StandWithUs. Academic and media scrutiny from outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Jerusalem Post, and scholars at Harvard University and Tel Aviv University have examined the foundation’s role in shaping institutional priorities and public discourse.

Category:Foundations in the United States