Endowed funds may be established in the name of the donor or someone the donor wishes to honor or memorialize. The donors’ gift, used to establish an endowed fund, forges a partnership with The Foundation and the law-related cause they care about.
Endowed funds are invested by The New York Bar Foundation to generate income for the purpose specified by each donor. Donors may create an endowed fund now, through an outright gift, or in the future, through a bequest or life income gift, such as a charitable remainder trust.
Each endowed fund will be recognized through a press release, in The Foundation’s Annual Report and newsletter, on the Foundation’s Web site, and in the New York State Bar Association’s State Bar News. Information about the endowed fund will include the name of the donor establishing the fund and the name and purpose of the fund. Similar information will be provided to each grantee receiving an award directed from the fund.
Please contact Deborah Auspelmyer, Foundation Administrator at [email protected] or (518)487-5651 to request additional information or to arrange a meeting to discuss details on how you can establish an endowed fund with The New York Bar Foundation.
You may contribute to any of the following endowed funds:
The Honorable Charles L. Brieant, Jr. Fellowship Fund
Provides funding for a fellowship for the "Honorable Charles L. Brieant, Jr. Judicial Intern" selected to serve in the chambers of the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and/or any law intern who has been selected to serve in the judicial chambers of a judge in a state or federal court in the State of New York or in a recognized public service agency in the State of New York.
The fellowship has been established to commemorate the selfless dedication of Judge Brieant to public service and the federal courts. Judge Brieant was appointed a United States District Court Judge for the Southern District of New York in 1971. He served on the court for 37 years including as the Court’s Chief Judge for seven of those years.
A native of Ossining, Judge Brieant was a graduate of Columbia Law School and served in the Army Air Forces in World War II. He wrote 700 reported decisions as a district court judge and 20 while sitting by designation on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. During his tenure as Southern District Chief Judge, he oversaw the construction of the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Courthouse, 500 Pearl Street, New York and a new courthouse in White Plains which was named in his honor by Congress in August, 2008.
The creation of the fellowship in 2008 was spearheaded by the law clerks and judicial interns who served in Judge Brieant’s chambers during his years of judicial service. Proudly known as members of Judge Brieant’s Judicial Family, the law clerks and judicial interns all share the commitment of preserving the memory of Judge Brieant and passing on his wit and wisdom to those who will serve as the Judge Brieant Fellows in the years to come.
The Anne B. Keenan Memorial Fund
Provides funding for legal services for women and children who are victims of domestic violence.This fund was established in memory of Anne B. Keenan by USI/Bertholon-Rowland, New York. Ms. Keenan, while driving along the Garden State Parkway to meet family members for dinner, was tragically killed in an automobile accident in 2004.
At the time of her death, Ms. Keenan was Senior Vice President of Client and Program Management at Bertholon-Rowland. Her responsibilities included client relations; product development and marketing; and professional liability, life and health insurance underwriting for all of Bertholon-Rowland’s nationwide association-sponsored programs. She was highly respected by the employees and clients of Bertholon-Rowland for her business leadership, problem solving skills, and dedication to the association-sponsored insurance industry.
Ms. Keenan was a cum laude graduate of Montclair State College (now Montclair State University) having earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. She was actively involved with Raphael’s Life House, a charitable organization in New Jersey which provides skills training and living arrangements for homeless pregnant women. She lived in Cranford, NJ and was survived by her husband of 31 years, Bill Keenan, and children, Katharine and Christopher.
The MacCrate Fund to Preserve the Core Values of the Legal Profession
Provides funding for educational programs for attorneys that uphold and preserve the core values of the legal profession including equality, fairness and justice and which are guided by the highest ethical standards.
The MacCrate Fund was established by the Board of Directors of The New York Bar Foundation in honor of former Foundation president, Robert MacCrate, when it conferred its inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award on him in February 2008. Mr. MacCrate was first elected to The Foundation’s Board of Directors in 1972 and served as president from August 1972 to July 1973 and again from 1976 to 1991. During his tenure he advanced the objectives of The Foundation to improve the justice system, facilitate the delivery of legal services, increase public understanding of the law, and enhance professional competence and ethics. He was responsible for overseeing the building renovation and period restoration of 5 and 6 Elk Street in Albany, New York (now part of the New York State Bar Center) and for spearheading the fundraising of $6.8 million for the Bar Center’s expansion project.
The Fellows of The New York Bar Foundation nomination and election program was introduced by Mr. MacCrate in 1974 and during his tenure as president he increased the number of seats on the Board of Directors from 11 to 15 due to the Foundation’s growth and increasing workload.
Mr. MacCrate served as counsel to New York Governor Nelson D. Rockefeller and as special counsel to the Department of the Army for its investigation of the My Lai incident. He served as president of the American Bar Association (1987-88) and the New York State Bar Association (1972-73). He has been a member of the New York State Bar Association’s House of Delegates since 1970, served as chair of the Committee on the New York State Constitution (1966-67), chair of the Committee on Law Governing Firm Structure and Operation (1999-2003) and has been a member of the Special Committee on the Bar Exam since 2005.
Mr. MacCrate chaired the ABA Task Force on Law Schools and the Profession. The Task Force's Report, known as the MacCrate Report, was issued in July 1992 and is widely viewed as a template for modern legal education in the United States. He was a partner for many years with Sullivan & Cromwell LLP (New York) and is currently Senior Counsel there. Mr. MacCrate continues to serve as a trustee or board member of many organizations. He received a B.A. from Haverford College, an LL.B. from Harvard University, and numerous honorary degrees. He served in the U.S. Navy with the Pacific Fleet.
The Weed H. & Ena De Gazon Salmon and Byron S. & Winifred Sealy Standard Educational Opportunities Fund
Provides funding to the New York State Bar Association for law-related educational programs that benefit New York State’s youth, such as Youth Law Day Programs conducted by its Committee on Minorities in the Profession.
Funding may also be used to support the Kenneth G. Standard Diversity Internship Program created by the Corporate Counsel Section of the New York State Bar Association and will provide a stipend to minority law students who accept internships with not-for-profit organizations that are unable to compensate them. (Photo shown is of Valerie S. and Kenneth G. Standard on their Wedding Day with their parents, left to right, Winifred Sealy Standard, Ena De Gazon Salmon, Byron S. Standard and Weed H. Salmon.)
This fund was established by Valerie S. and Kenneth G. Standard in honor of their late parents, Weed H. and Ena De Gazon Salmon, and Byron S. and Winifred Sealy Standard. Their parents instilled in their children an appetite for education and the life opportunities that higher education, in particular, created. Their parents emigrated to America with limited education, but they valued, supported and encouraged Valerie, Kenneth, and their siblings in their efforts to achieve higher education. For this reason, the Fund will provide grant awards for education of disadvantaged students, who at this time are predominantly minority.
Kenneth and Valerie Standard have stated the following, “Educational and professional achievements of the minority population lag far behind the general population, with unfortunate consequences for them, and equally important, for society in general. The legal profession, in particular, lags. We have a paucity of minority lawyers. The Fund will support efforts to reduce this achievement gap.
The Henry H. Shepard Fund
Provides funding for the charitable purposes of The Foundation.
This fund was established with a gift from a trust under the will of Henry H. Shepard. The annual distributions from the fund are unrestricted and will be used by the Board of Directors for the charitable purposes of The Foundation.
Mr. Shepard practiced law as a sole practitioner for most of his career having had offices at 40 Wall Street in New York City for many years. He was a graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Yale Law School. Mr. Shepard was very proud of being an attorney and of the legal profession.
The Lorraine Power Tharp Endowment Fund
Provides funding for charitable and educational projects to meet the law-related needs of the public and the legal profession.
This fund was established by the Board of Directors of The New York Bar Foundation on November 1, 2008 to honor the memory of Lorraine Power Tharp. It was created in recognition of her dedication to the law, service to the legal profession, selfless public service and, in particular, her commitment to the mission of The New York Bar Foundation. She served on the Board of Directors from June 2003 to January 2007 when she was elected Treasurer, serving in that position until her death in October 2008. She served as president of the New York State Bar Association in 2002-2003 and for many years was actively involved in its activities.
Ms. Tharp was a practicing lawyer for 35 years and at the time of her death was a partner with the firm of Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP, Albany, where she chaired its commercial and residential real estate practice group. She frequently lectured and wrote on real estate practice throughout New York. A Massena native, Ms. Tharp received her law degree from Cornell Law School and was a graduate of Smith College. She was an active member of her community, devoting substantial time and energy to many charitable organizations including those relating to the arts, health and equine. She served as a commissioner of the New York State Racing Commission and was the first woman to serve on the Commission.
