Supporting neuroscience, early childhood, early literacy, and the environment

About

For four decades, the Esther A. & Joseph Klingenstein Fund has supported early career scientists engaged in basic or clinical neuroscience research. In recent years, the Fund has added  a program in early childhood to improve the mental health and well-being of young children, a program in early literacy to ensure that all children can read, and a program to help communities mitigate climate change.

Our Mission

We are committed to investing in breakthrough neuroscience research, helping communities mitigate climate change, improving early childhood mental health and well-being, and ensuring that all children can read.

History of the Esther A. and Joseph Klingenstein Fund

The EAJK Fund was established in 1945 by Esther and Joseph Klingenstein. Joe Klingenstein was a co-founder of the investment firm Wertheim and Company.

During their lifetimes, Esther and Joe’s concern for individual human welfare was reflected in contributions they made primarily to institutions in which they were personally involved, mainly in the New York City area. Most of these were Jewish causes, such as the Jewish Home for the Aged, where Esther was very active, and hospitals, especially Mount Sinai, where Joe often volunteered after his workday had ended. Joe led Mount Sinai as its Board Chairman for many years and along with his brother-in-law Milton Steinbach, was instrumental in helping establish its medical school.

When John Klingenstein, Esther and Joe’s son, 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. To promote neuroscience research, John and his brother Fred established the Klingenstein Fellowship Awards in Neuroscience in 1981. Now called the Klingenstein-Simons Fellowship Awards in Neuroscience, it has helped advance the work of many of the country’s finest neuroscientists.

John also led the effort to establish the Klingenstein Center at Teachers College, Columbia University 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. Current trustees include Andy’s siblings Nancy and Sally, his wife Julie and – since 2018 – their daughter Emma Brownstein and cousin Al Klingenstein. In 2023, the EAJK board welcomed family members Alexandra Klingenstein, Greg Brownstein, and Zack Toal.  Patricia Klingenstein served on the board of the Fund from 2013 until she passed away in 2023.

Leadership

Board of Trustees

Al Klingenstein
Al Klingenstein
Trustee
Alan Klingenstein serves as Board Chairman at FilmRise, a film and television distribution company he co-founded in 2010. Prior to FilmRise, he served as President of Filbert Steps Productions where his films won multiple awards including the Audience Award at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival, Best Dramatic Feature at the 2005 Austin Film Festival, and a special 100th anniversary National Board of Review award in 2009. Al began his career as a securities lawyer and an investment banker. He earned his undergraduate degree at Princeton University and a joint JD / MBA at Cornell University.
Alexandra D. Klingenstein
Alexandra D. Klingenstein
Trustee
Alex Klingenstein is an attorney practicing in health care in the Boston area and previously served as a board member, finance committee member and governance chair of a domestic violence services agency based in Boston. She began her career as a fellow at a domestic violence legal services agency in D.C. before transitioning into corporate law. Alex earned her undergraduate degree at Columbia University and her JD at Washington University in St. Louis.
Andy Klingenstein
Andy Klingenstein
Chairman & CEO
As Chairman and CEO of Klingenstein Philanthropies, Andy guides our work by advising on strategy and direction and helping to carry out all of our collective philanthropies. He is a longtime investor in early stage companies, where he has provided legal and business assistance to companies in the healthcare and technology fields. Previously, he was principal and co-founder of a Virginia-based venture capital firm specializing in the creation and management of companies in those fields. Andy practiced law for several years, both in a commercial law firm and as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. He holds a B.A. from Yale and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. He and his wife have four daughters and live in Washington, D.C.
Emma Brownstein
Emma Brownstein
Trustee
Emma Brownstein is the founder and Executive Director of the Greater Brookland Intergenerational Village, a grassroots nonprofit that helps older adults develop the tools and relationships they need to age successfully in their neighborhood. She began her career working in education-related nonprofits in the DC area. Emma earned her Bachelor’s in Political Science at Oberlin College, and her Master’s in Business Administration from Georgetown University, where she studied nonprofit management.
Greg Brownstein
Greg Brownstein
Trustee
Greg is a PhD student in Political Science at George Washington University. Before beginning his doctoral studies, Greg spent a decade working for various NGOs and think-tanks in Washington, DC focused on foreign policy, international economics, and development. He was most recently a Fellow and researcher at the Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics Center. Previously, Greg was the Deputy Director of the Bretton Woods Committee and a Program Officer at the National Democratic Institute. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Classics from Oberlin College and a Master of Arts in international affairs from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
Julie Klingenstein
Julie Klingenstein
Trustee
Julie was the founding board chair of The Literacy Lab, a non-profit that provides targeted one-on-one literacy instruction for below grade level readers from age three to grade three. She continues her literacy focus by serving as a longtime reading tutor for the District of Columbia Public Schools. She has also served as board chair of a Maryland independent school and a Washington, D.C. charter school. She and her husband, Andy, are members of the Washington Area Women’s Foundations’ Early Care and Education Funders Collaborative.
Nancy Klingenstein Simpkins
Nancy Klingenstein Simpkins
Vice President
Nancy Klingenstein Simpkins is a founding Trustee and current Board Chair of The Wild Center, a natural history museum in the Adirondacks. She is Chairman of the Board of Miss Porter’s School and a Trustee of Teachers College, Columbia University. She also serves on the Advisory Board of the Klingenstein Center at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is president of the HABE Foundation and a Trustee of the Esther A and Joseph Klingenstein Fund, the Klingenstein Third Generation Fund and the Sadie and Harry E Davis Fund. She earned her BA from Smith College.
Sally Klingenstein Martell
Sally Klingenstein Martell
Trustee
From 1994 – 2019 Sally was the Executive Director of The Klingenstein Third Generation Foundation. She earned her BA at Tulane University, MFA in Writing and Literature at Stony Brook University, and was a 2021 BookEnds Fellow. Sally has served on the boards of the 92nd Street Y and The Town School, and is a current trustee of Emma Willard School, The New-York Historical Society, and is the President of the Klingenstein-Martell Foundation. She is now a full-time novelist.
Zack Toal
Zack Toal
Trustee
Zack Toal is a strategy and risk management professional in the financial services industry. He was the founding Board Chair for a global sports and music organization, and has served as an advisor to several technology and finance organizations. Zack holds a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.A. from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. He and his wife have a son and live in Washington, D.C.

Staff

Eliot Brenner, Ph.D.
Eliot Brenner, Ph.D.
Executive Director & Trustee
Prior to joining the Klingenstein Philanthropies, Dr. Brenner held leadership positions at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, and the Child Guidance Center of Southern Connecticut. Dr. Brenner has maintained a small private clinical practice for more than 20 years. He earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Yale University and his Bachelor’s in Psychology from the University of Chicago.
Jay Andrews, Ph.D.
Jay Andrews, Ph.D.
Program Officer
Before joining the Esther A. and Joseph Klingenstein Fund, Dr. Andrews served as Senior Director of Operations for PennFuture, an environmental law and policy nonprofit focused on leading the transition to a clean energy economy in Pennsylvania. Dr. Andrews started his career as an English professor at Temple University and subsequently worked for the American Federation of Teachers directing legislative advocacy programs for its Pennsylvania state affiliate. He earned a M.A. and Ph.D. in English from the University of Pittsburgh and a B.A. in political science from SUNY Buffalo.
Jinmo Koo
Jinmo Koo
Program Assistant
Prior to joining Klingenstein Philanthropies, Jinmo worked at the Fortune Society, a nonprofit providing social services for people coming out of incarceration, as well as The Literacy Lab, a nonprofit providing early literacy tutoring for young students in Washington DC . He received a Bachelor’s in Government from Cornell University.
Kathleen Pomerantz
Kathleen Pomerantz
Chief of Operations & Director of Fellowship Programs
Kathleen has worked for two decades with multiple generations of the Klingenstein family. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Albany and was previously employed by the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Metro New York.

Explore our focus areas

NEUROSCIENCE
EARLY CHILDHOOD
INDEPENDENT EDUCATION