Klingenstein Family Legacy

A LEGACY OF CARING

For more than 70 years, the Klingenstein family has made meaningful philanthropic contributions in the fields of neuroscience, education, mental health, and medicine.

The family’s formal philanthropy began with the Esther A. and Joseph Klingenstein Fund (EAJK Fund) established in 1945 by Esther and Joseph Klingenstein as a way to express their personal philanthropic interests. Joe Klingenstein was co-founder of the investment firm Wertheim & Company.

The couple’s concern for individual human welfare was reflected in contributions primarily to institutions they were personally involved with, mainly in the New York City area. Many of these were Jewish causes, such as the Jewish Home for the Aged (where Esther was very active), and hospitals, especially Mount Sinai.

When their son John took the reins of the family’s philanthropy in the early 1970s, he applied his considerable business experience and engineering training toward bringing a more business-like and disciplined approach to philanthropy. Along with his brother Fred, John established the Fund’s interest in neuroscience research, which created the seeds of what has become the Klingenstein-Simons Fellowship. 

John also led the effort to establish the Klingenstein Center at Columbia Teachers College in 1977, which offers leadership programs and degrees for independent schoolteachers and administrators. After John passed away in August 2018, his bequest to Teachers College permanently endowed the Klingenstein Center.

Since 2013, Andy Klingenstein, a member of the third generation, has served as Chairman and CEO of the EAJK Fund. Other trustees include Andy’s siblings Nancy and Sally, his wife Julie and – since 2018 – their daughter Emma Brownstein and cousin Al Klingenstein. Patricia Klingenstein served on the board of the Fund from 2013 until she passed away in 2023.