Michael Steinhardt

Michael Steinhardt- (aka מייקל שטיינהרט) is a hedge fund & money manager turned philanthropist. Born in 1940, Steinhardt completed an undergraduate degree from the Wharton School of Business by the time he was 19. Steinhardt’s financial career began as a research associate, staff writer, and securities analyst for various New York City businesses.

In 1994 The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life was founded by Michael Steinhardt focusing on building a flourishing, dynamic, and creative Jewish community contributing to American life and culture through Jewish-inspired knowledge and actions.

Michael Steinhardt wrote and published “No Bull: My life In & Out of the Markets".

The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life recognizes the power of early childhood education in inculcating Jewish identity and beginning a life-long commitment to Jewish learning and life. Moreover, outstanding Jewish preschools have the capacity to not only enrich a child's identity, but to inspire an entire family to choose Jewish living. Simply put, an excellent Jewish preschool experience is a gateway for the whole family to increased Jewish education and involvement in the synagogue and community.

The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life, in partnership with The S. Daniel Abraham Foundation, The Helen Bader Foundation, The Harold Grinspoon Foundation, Ben and Esther Rosenbloom Foundation, The Schultz Family Foundation, UJA-Federation of New York and Combined Jewish Philanthropies/JCCs of Greater Boston, launched the Jewish Early Childhood Education Initiative (JECEI), a nationwide initiative designed to create models of excellence in Jewish early childhood education, increase the number of families with children attending quality Jewish early childhood centers, and raise the number of families continuing to engage in Jewish learning and living after pre-school. To accomplish this, JECEI provided grants, mentoring, accreditation, co-branding, and marketing with the aim of transforming Jewish pre-schools into centers of Jewish educational excellence.

As part of our continuing efforts to create points of engagement for unaffiliated Jews, The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life partners with the Samuel Bronfman Foundation and others in supporting MyJewishLearning.com.

In its continuing efforts to improve the quality of Jewish education, Michael and Judy Steinhardt support the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development - now known as NYU Steinhardt - at New York University. As part of Michael Steinhardt's naming gift, the NYU Steinhardt and the NYU Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies have created a joint Ph.D. program in Education and Jewish Studies. Designed to develop leaders for a wide range of settings, this program combines course work at the School of Education and the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies with a two-year seminar on issues in Jewish education. Tracks are available in administration, curriculum, and academics/research. A competitive fellowship is available to selected students, providing up to three years of full-time tuition support and a living stipend.

As part of The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life's ongoing efforts to understand the full dimensions of American Jewish life, Michael Steinhardt established the Steinhardt Social Research Institute (SSRI) at Brandeis University. The Steinhardt Social Research Institute is dedicated to providing unbiased, high quality data about contemporary Jewry. The institute conducts socio-demographic research, studies the attitudes and behavior of U.S. Jews, and develops a variety of policy-focused analyses of issues such as intermarriage and the effectiveness of Jewish education. The institute's work is characterized by the application of cutting-edge research methods to provide policy-relevant data. Steinhardt Social Research Institute researchers have been audacious in their application of new social scientific approaches and their willingness to tackle key societal challenges. Institute researchers have created new estimates of the size and characteristics of the United States' Jewish population and conducted similar analyses of other religious minorities. SSRI research informs discourse about religious-ethnic identity and, in so doing, aids efforts to ensure a vibrant future for the American Jewish community.