In November 1959, Charles Guttman, with his wife, Stella Rappaport Guttman, founded the Guttman Foundation to continue the family’s charitable tradition. The Foundation’s purpose was broadly described as the “improvement and benefit of mankind, and the alleviation of human suffering.”
In 2014, the Stella and Charles Guttman Foundation directed a substantial portion of its grantmaking to programs that serve low-income infants, toddlers and preschoolers as they transition to kindergarten. Special emphasis is placed on programs that improve quality, expand services and create a strong continuum of care for children ages 0-3 in high-need neighborhoods. Strategic investments in early childhood programs include the expansion of evidence-based home visiting programs, infant health and mental health programs and professional development for center-based teachers, as well as home-based caregivers.
The Foundation is also committed to fund programs in neighborhoods with high levels of poverty and a large concentration of public housing. In addition to early childhood programs, the Foundation will support programs that work to build a network of education, health and social services for children from birth through college graduation.
The Foundation also supports place-based efforts in neighborhoods with high levels of poverty and a large concentration of public housing. Place-based strategies are primarily led by an anchor organization that facilitates the transformation of fragmented services into a coordinated network of education, health and social services for children and their families.