Mission and Values

In the tradition of our founder Benjamin Altman’s own philanthropic interests, the mission of the Altman Foundation is to enrich the quality of life in New York City through support for programs and institutions that advance opportunity and equity for individuals, families, and communities.

Photo Credits: Top: Callen‐Lorde Community Health Center/Chassi Annexy. Bottom: Bronx River Alliance, Inc.

In carrying out our mission and making choices about how to invest our grantmaking dollars, we are guided in our selection process by our results-based orientation and by several overarching values that cut across program-area lines.

The Altman Foundation:

Seeks to increase meaningful access for New Yorkers to quality programs, institutions, and resources, both public and private;
Encourages system-wide improvement and change while at the same time maintaining our tradition of direct service and the opportunity to test models in action;
Prefers to support preventive and early intervention strategies;
Supports efforts that help New Yorkers build and preserve self-sufficiency;
Encourages innovation and funds programs and organizations that provide high-quality services based on best practices in their field and that exercise systematic efforts to track credible and meaningful results; and
Has an interest in supporting programs that serve vulnerable populations, in particular children and youth from underserved communities, immigrants, and the elderly.