The Naomi Prawer Kadar Foundation

What The Naomi Prawer Kadar Foundation does

The Naomi Prawer Kadar Foundation (also operating as the Naomi Foundation) is a private 501(c)(3) family foundation incorporated in the United States and headquartered in New York, with operational reach extending to Israel and select European geographies. Established in 2010 by the Kadar family following the death of Dr. Naomi Prawer Kadar, a lifelong educator and Yiddish scholar, the foundation concentrates its grantmaking across three programmatic pillars: Empowering Educators (K-12 teacher training and university-level mentorship), Scientific and Medical Research (with a particular focus on cancer research), and Academic Yiddish. The foundation operates with a lean team of 1-10 employees under Executive Director Lindsey Bodner, with a multigenerational board of directors drawn from the founding family.

The foundation's go-to-market is invitation-only grantmaking to established nonprofit organizations, universities, and medical centers in the United States and Israel, rather than open-application funding. It distributes financial grants and provides hands-on strategic guidance to grantees, with core long-standing partnerships including Tel Aviv University (Kadar Family Award for Outstanding Research, Naomi International Summer Yiddish Program, MD-PhD Fellowship, Kadima Scholarships, scientist travel grants), Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Naomi Prawer Kadar Professorship in Yiddish Studies), Columbia University and the YIVO Institute (Naomi Fellowship, annual Memorial Lecture), and Sheba Medical Center (Kadar-Sheba Prize for Excellence in Research). Reported programmatic outcomes include training over 5,500 teachers in fifteen years, primarily in Israel's periphery and disadvantaged areas, and ten or more consecutive years of the Kadar Family Award at Tel Aviv University.

The foundation has no proprietary technology product, no AI capabilities, and no disclosed revenue. Its funding is sourced from the Kadar family endowment and related charitable contributions. Communication with stakeholders occurs through a trilingual website (English, Hebrew, Yiddish), annual events and lectures, email updates, and news publications. The foundation is connected to the broader Kadar family enterprise through President Dr. Avraham Kadar, founder of BrainPOP and co-founder/chairman of ImmunoBrain and Ignis AI, but these are separate ventures and not part of the foundation's operations.

Name

The Naomi Prawer Kadar Foundation

Legal name

Naomi Prawer Kadar Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://naomi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Naomi Prawer Kadar Foundation is a US-based private family foundation that supports K-12 and university educators, Yiddish scholarship, and cancer-related scientific and medical research through invitation-only grants and long-standing partnerships with institutions in the United States and Israel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Grantmaking Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking) (BPAGAKAD), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Education grants
• Medical research funding
• Yiddish studies support
• Nonprofit foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Grantmaking: The foundation operates as a private philanthropic organization funded by the Kadar family. Revenue comes from charitable donations and investment returns on the foundation's endowment. The foundation distributes grants to support education, science, and Yiddish studies.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Naomi Prawer Kadar Foundation is a private philanthropic organization that distributes grants and awards across three programmatic pillars: Empowering Educators, Scientific & Medical Research (with emphasis on cancer research), and Academic Yiddish. The foundation provides financial support, expert advice, and strategic guidance to nonprofit organizations, universities, and medical centers in the US and Israel through invitation-only grantmaking.

Product overview

The Naomi Prawer Kadar Foundation is a grant-making philanthropic organization organized around three programmatic pillars: Empowering Educators, Academic Yiddish, and Scientific & Medical Research. The foundation does not offer a unified technology product but rather distributes grants through established programs including the Kadar Family Award for Outstanding Research at Tel Aviv University, the Kadar-Sheba Prize for Excellence in Research, the Kadar MD-PhD Fellowship, and various Yiddish language programs including the Naomi International Summer Yiddish Program at TAU. The foundation also supports teacher training initiatives like Teach First Israel-Hotam and education programs for disadvantaged populations in Israel.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kadar Family Award for Outstanding Research: Annual award program at Tel Aviv University recognizing pioneering scientists and scholars who have reached excellence in both research and teaching.
• Kadar-Sheba Prize for Excellence in Research
• Naomi International Summer Yiddish Program at TAU
• Naomi Prawer Kadar Memorial Lecture at YIVO

Products and services

• Empowering Educators Program A grant program supporting K-12 and university educators through innovative educational programs, teacher training, and professional development, with emphasis on Israel's periphery and disadvantaged areas.
• Scientific & Medical Research Program A grant program supporting cutting-edge scientific research and medical breakthroughs, with particular focus on cancer research in memory of Naomi Prawer Kadar.
• Academic Yiddish Program A grant program supporting advanced study of Yiddish language and culture, including Yiddish scholars, academic programs, and innovative approaches to learning the language.
• Kadar Family Award for Outstanding Research An annual award at Tel Aviv University recognizing pioneering scientists and scholars who have reached the highest levels of excellence in both research and teaching, granted to four researchers annually. The foundation marked its tenth consecutive year of supporting this award in 2025.
• Kadar-Sheba Prize for Excellence in Research A $100,000 national prize recognizing Israel's most outstanding physician-scientists for groundbreaking contributions to medicine and biomedical research, awarded annually. Includes a $75,000 research grant and $25,000 personal honorarium.
• Kadar MD-PhD Fellowship A fellowship fund supporting outstanding students at Tel Aviv University's Gray Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences pursuing both MD and PhD degrees.
• Kadima Scholarships Scholarships at Tel Aviv University supporting exceptional students from Israel's periphery to pursue higher education and become future leaders.
• Naomi International Summer Yiddish Program at TAU A rigorous, intensive academic Yiddish program offering 80 hours of language and literature instruction at five levels from beginner to advanced at Tel Aviv University.
• Naomi Fellowship at Columbia University A Yiddish study abroad fellowship providing students opportunity to attend the Tel Aviv University Summer Program and participate in subsidized educational trip to Eastern Europe.
• Naomi Professorship in Yiddish Studies at Hebrew University A top-level Yiddish teaching and research position at Hebrew University dedicated to improving Yiddish scholarship in Israel.
• Naomi Memorial Lecture at YIVO An annual lecture at YIVO Institute exploring topics of Yiddish language, linguistics, history, children's literature, and education.
• Teach First Israel - Hotam A teacher training program that recruits Israel's best leaders to teach in socially and economically challenged areas, based on the Teach For America model. The foundation has helped train over 5,500 teachers in 15 years through this program.
• ConnectED A program at OpenDor Media that empowers independent school educators to lead respectful dialogue about Israeli-Palestinian story, antisemitism, Holocaust, Jewish history, and media literacy.
• Travel Grants for Scientists at TAU Fellowships funding research visits by Tel Aviv University researchers to laboratories worldwide to facilitate collaboration and acquire new research techniques.
• Ruth Perets Lab Research Grant at Rambam Academic Hospital Research grant studying the role of the protein PAX8 in ovarian cancer development and potential treatments.
• Antisemitism and Jewish Identity Fellowship and Summer Institute A fellowship working with professors and administrators in schools of education to deepen understanding of antisemitism, Jewish history, and identity.

Quantifiable outcome

• Trained over 5,500 teachers in 15 years, mainly in Israel's periphery
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sheba Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021The Kadar-Sheba Prize for Excellence in Research is a top-tier national award recognizing Israel's most outstanding physician-scientists. Established by the Naomi Prawer Kadar Foundation in partnership with Sheba Medical Center, the prize honors innovation, compassion, and leadership in advancing medical science. The annual $100,000 award includes a $75,000 research grant and $25,000 personal honorarium.
• Teach First Israel (Hotam)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Teach First Israel was founded in 2010 by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), the Israeli Ministry of Education, the Naomi Foundation, and Hakol Hinuch. The foundation continues to support Hotam Naomi, the teacher training institute named after Naomi Prawer Kadar. TFI is a member of Teach For All global network.
• Tel Aviv UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple long-standing partnerships including the Kadar Family Award for Outstanding Research (10+ years), Naomi International Summer Yiddish Program at TAU, travel grants for scientists, Kadima Scholarships, and MD-PhD Fellowships at the Gray Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences.
• Columbia UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Naomi Prawer Kadar Fellowship at Columbia provides students with opportunities to study at Tel Aviv University's International Yiddish Summer Program followed by educational trips to Poland. Also hosts the annual Naomi Prawer Kadar Memorial Lecture.
• YIVO Institute for Jewish ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual Naomi Prawer Kadar Memorial Lecture at YIVO exploring topics of Yiddish language, linguistics, history of Yiddish, children's literature, and education. Naomi taught at YIVO/Columbia summer programs.
• Hebrew University of JerusalemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Naomi Prawer Kadar Professorship in Yiddish Studies at Hebrew University is a top-level teaching and research position dedicated to improving Yiddish scholarship in Israel.
• American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founder of Teach First Israel alongside the Naomi Foundation, Israeli Ministry of Education, and Hakol Hinuch.
• OpenDor Media (ConnectED)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnectED program at OpenDor Media empowers independent school educators to lead respectful dialogue about Israeli-Palestinian story, antisemitism, Holocaust, Jewish history, and media literacy.
• League for YiddishminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation supports Afn Shvel magazine published by the League for Yiddish, which is committed to the promotion and preservation of Yiddish.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Crown Family Philanthropies: A multigenerational family philanthropy supporting education, Jewish life, and scientific/medical research across a broader portfolio. Comparable to Naomi Foundation in family structure and pillar diversity but operates at significantly larger scale.
• The Klarman Family Foundation: A Boston-based family foundation with strategic grantmaking in education, scientific research (including medical), and Jewish causes. Comparable mission pillars and named-program model at top universities.
• The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust: One of the largest US family foundations with major programs in medical research, education, and Israel. Comparable in supporting named professorships and medical research awards, though operating at vastly greater scale.

Direct peers

• The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies: A family philanthropy focused on Jewish education, Israel engagement, and education equity, with significant grantmaking in the US and Israel. Directly comparable strategic focus and operational scale to the Naomi Foundation.
• The Russell Berrie Foundation: A family foundation supporting Jewish life, education, and community in the US and Israel, including named professorships and Israeli educational institutions. Directly comparable operating model and geographic focus to Naomi Foundation.
• The Jim Joseph Foundation: A large private foundation focused on Jewish education and Jewish life, with significant grantmaking to educators and institutions in Israel and the US. Highly comparable to Naomi Foundation's educator-focused programs and K-12/university pipeline.
• The Azrieli Foundation: A Canadian private foundation supporting education, research (including medical/scientific), and arts in Israel and Canada, with flagship programs at Israeli universities (e.g., Azrieli Faculty, scholarship programs). Closely parallels Naomi Foundation's three-pillar structure.
• The Kaye Family Foundation: A private family foundation funding education, medical research, and Jewish cultural projects, including named chairs and research prizes at Israeli institutions. Closely comparable in scope and operating footprint to the Naomi Foundation.
• The AVI CHAI Foundation: A private family foundation with similar dual focus on Jewish/Israel education and Yiddish/Jewish cultural continuity. AVI CHAI makes strategic grants in North America and Israel, overlapping closely with Naomi Foundation's Empowering Educators and Academic Yiddish pillars.
• The Wexner Foundation: A family foundation focused on Jewish leadership, education, and Israel programming through fellowships and grants. Highly comparable in mission (Jewish educational leadership) and US-Israel operating model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-naomi-prawer-kadar-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Naomi Prawer Kadar Foundation