Chairman’s Grants
While a relatively small part of our philanthropic efforts, we support a limited number of initiatives that align with and extend beyond our core program areas. These grants focus on causes that are personally important to our Chairman and the Gerstner family, such as hunger relief, disaster response and other special projects.
In response to the rising demand for hunger relief, this area has become a priority in our grantmaking. We concentrate on addressing “last mile” challenges to ensure food reaches those who need it most. Our efforts are focused in our core geographies, supporting regional food banks, food rescue organizations, and local pantries to get more food to people now and in the future.
Beyond emergency relief, we prioritize transformational gifts and comprehensive services designed to create sustainable solutions. By investing in programs that ensure ongoing access to food for underserved populations, we aim to build stronger, more resilient communities for the long term.
“Through our Helping Hands program, we have often discovered that individuals receiving emergency cash assistance are also grappling with food insecurity. It is unacceptable that 13.5% of households in the United States face this challenge.” - Louis V. Gerstner, Jr., Chairman
Featured Grantee
Treasure Coast Food Bank
Founded in 1988, the Treasure Coast Food Bank (TCFB) is the largest hunger relief organization serving Florida’s Treasure Coast, including Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, and Okeechobee counties. Gerstner Philanthropies began its partnership with TCFB in 2013, supporting critical food access initiatives such as mobile food distributions and SNAP benefit enrollment programs to address hunger in these communities. In 2024, Gerstner Philanthropies awarded TCFB a $1 million grant to support the construction of a new warehouse, significantly enhancing their ability to meet the growing needs of the region. This new facility will increase TCFB’s food storage and distribution capacity by 76% and enable them to engage 5,000 additional volunteers by 2028.To learn more, visit stophunger.org.
Our Grantees
Major Chairman’s Grants
Grants listed below may be from the Gerstner Family Foundation or another Gerstner family philanthropic vehicle. Amounts may reflect cumulative annual grants or multi-year grants. To see annual amounts, please see listings of grants paid each year.
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To support conversion and renovation of the Sacred Heart school gym into an expanded food pantry and community outreach center.
$1,068,000
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To support food distribution and case management in Harlem and the Bronx.
$500,000
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To expand food and benefits services in the Bronx.
$300,000
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To support food distribution in Fairfield County, CT.
$300,000
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To provide pantry and social services on Staten Island.
$250,000
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To fund pantry and mobile food programs in Brooklyn and Queens.
$300,000
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To support the Parish Community Hall Renovation and Food Pantry Expansion
$170,000
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To support the purchase of a new van for the Mother Teresa of Calcutta Parish, to ensure that the food pantry and hot meals programs can continue.
$60,000
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To support the purchase and distribution of ready-to-eat meals from Hope Kitchen to parish food pantries in Dutchess-Putnam, Sullivan, and Ulster counties.
$100,000
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To support the food pantry at St. Ann's Parish in Ossining.
$100,000
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To support the Pantry and Backpack programs, providing bags of food and weekend meals to individuals and students in need.
$400,000
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To support CCCS's rotating pop-up pantry program, serving high-need areas in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Westchester County.
$825,000
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To support the purchase of food for the Community Food Pantry program at CROS Ministries.
$200,000
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To support and launch a food security network for families who will reside at the West Newton Family Navigation Center.
$200,000
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To support the purchase and distribution of food to high need areas across Palm Beach County through 20 mobile pantry distributions.
$300,000
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Support to launch the Lifting Up the Bronx initiative, a data-driven, holistic intervention designed to improve access to food assistance and bolster food security in the Bronx.
$1,000,000
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To support two transformation projects to expand food distribution at high-performing pantries in underserved areas.
$1,000,000
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To support the Emergency Food Program, and purchase bulk orders of food to distribute across Met Council's pantry network.
$1,020,000
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To support the recovery and distribution of fresh food to communities in need across Spoonfuls' Food Rescue and Recovery Network.
$300,000
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To support the planning and launch of two new food rescue and recovery routes in high-need areas with limited food access not currently served by Spoonfuls.
$750,000
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To support the Feeding the Treasure Coast Program, which aims to increase access to food for those who need it.
$800,000
