Richard and Suzanne Kayne
/SOURCE OF WEALTH: Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors
FUNDING AREAS: Arts, Environment, Mental Health, Career Readiness, Early Child Development and Education
OVERVIEW: Richard and Suzanne Kayne and family conduct their philanthropy through the Kayne Foundation, which focuses on the arts, environment, mental health, career readiness, early child development and education. According to available tax filings, the foundation awarded just over $1 million in grants in 2017. The family's philanthropy focuses in on Los Angeles, where they live. Kayne has strongly supported his alma mater, UCLA.
BACKGROUND: Richard Kayne earned a bachelor's in statistics from Stanford University in 1966 and an MBA from UCLA in 1968. Kayne began his career as an analyst in New York with Loeb, Rhodes & Co. He was a principal of Cantor Fitzgerald and in 1984 went on to cofound Kayne Anderson, a Los Angeles-based manager of alternative investment strategies. Kayne is not on the Forbes billionaire list, but some sources refer to him as a billionaire.
ISSUES:
EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT & EDUCATION: Suzanne Kayne is a the former chairperson of the Kayne Eras Center (KEC), a nonpublic special education school for students in grades K-12 which merged with Exceptional Children's Foundation (ECF) in 2007. ECF describes itself as the "only nonprofit organization in California that provides a continuum of lifespan services for young children, students and adults with developmental disabilities and other special needs." The couple steadily supports ECF via their foundation as well as places like Baby2Baby and Westside Children's Center.
Kayne is strongly involved with his alma mater, UCLA, and once chaired the investment committee of the UCLA Foundation. A few years ago, Kayne and his, wife, Suzanne gave a $5 million gift to create Suzanne Kayne Investment Management Specialization Program Fund at UCLA Anderson School of Management. Kayne cofounded Kayne Anderson with the late John E. Anderson, who UCLA's business school is now named after.
The couple also supports education reform efforts, primarily in Los Angeles. Grantees have included Camino Nuevo Charter Academy, KIPP LA Schools, Alliance for College Ready Schools, and Teach for America. Da Vinci Schools, meanwhile, are home to the Kayne Scholars program.
ARTS & CULTURE: Suzanne Kayne sits on the board of LACMA, which has received strong support. Other grantees have included Hammer Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, Skirball Cultural Center, American Friends of the Israel Museum, Music Center Foundation, and Santa Monica Museum of Art. Several of the couple's kids are involved in the arts world, and one daughter Maggie has a gallery in Los Angeles.
HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES: The Kaynes have supported health outfits like City of Hope, Women's Cancer Research Fund, and Women's Guild Cedars-Sinai. Human services grantees include Homeboy Industries and Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services.
JEWISH CAUSES: The Kaynes also earmark sums for Jewish causes. Grantees have included Jewish Family Services, and Jewish Community Foundation. It is worth noting that another Kayne Foundation trustee, Howard Zelikow, is a strong supporter of L.A. area Jewish institutions himself.
LOOKING FORWARD: It is unclear how much money waits in the wings here, but expect this family's strong engagement in L.A. to continue. Down the line, we will also have to keep appraised of the next generation of Kayne family philanthropy.
CONTACT:
The Kayne Foundation does not provide a clear avenue for getting in touch with the family but below is an address:
Kayne Foundation
1800 Avenue of the Stars, 3rd Fl.
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Telephone: 310-284-5560
