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The Trust turns 100

Join us in celebrating a century of doing good. Share your vision for the future, attend free events, and more.

Your Vision for NY's Future

For New York. Forever.

Come to Our Centennial Events

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Ways to Participate

What's your vision for New York’s future?

As The Trust looks towards its next 100 years of philanthropy, give us your ideas—in 100 words or less—on how to help make our community a better place to live, work, and play. 

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Participate in our Centennial Celebration!

Include our Centennial Seal on your website and link it back here to celebrate.

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100 Things You Didn’t Know About New York

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Designing Miss Piggy

As a young costume designer in New York City, Bonnie Erickson was hired by Jim Henson in 1970, to make costumes for the film The Frog Prince. Bonnie went on to design the Muppet’s prettiest porcine character; Miss Piggy, as well as the infamous duo Statler and Waldorf. She and her husband, Wayde Harrison, run a successful design and production company that has produced many beloved mascots, including the Phillie Phanatic. The couple have a donor-advised fund at The Trust.

Photo: Miss Piggy.

The State University of New York College of Optometry building.

20/20 Vision:

The Birth of SUNY College of Optometry

John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s personal attorney was a successful lawyer named Morton L. Kimmelman. The son of Austrian immigrants, Morton was born in Queens in 1918. In addition to the famous Beatle, Morton also represented the Optometric Center of New York, where he befriended the Center’s executive director, Dr. Alden N. Haffner. Morton and Dr. Haffner were instrumental in the passage of state legislation that established the SUNY College of Optometry in 1971. His wife, Evelyn, memorialized him with the Morton L. Kimmelman Fund at The Trust, which supports young people through organizations such as the Adoptive Foster Family Coalition of New York.  

Photo: SUNY Optometry. Courtesy of ajay_suresh/Flickr.

A frontview of Bloomingdale’s.

Fashion & Philanthropy: Bloomingdale’s

For New Yorkers, a brown shopping bag from Bloomingdale’s is an accessory in its own right. The store opened in 1861, when Benjamin and Lyman Bloomingdale co-founded Bloomingdale’s Hoopskirts on the Lower East Side. Lyman’s grandson, Robert Lyman Popper, graduated from Yale in 1930, and worked for his family’s company as a junior buyer before he became vice president of Dellwood Dairy in Yonkers, NY. Robert retired at the age of 54 and devoted his life to helping others. He served on numerous health care boards and became president of the Westchester Council of Social Agencies. His wife, Ellen Goldberg, co-founded the Animal Welfare League of Westchester. Today, the Robert and Ellen Popper Fund at The Trust provides scholarships to social work students interested in health care. 

Photo: Bloomingdale’s. Courtesy of Rupert Ganzer/Flickr.

Harlem Lacross players hold their jerseys.

A Sports Legacy:

Heisman Trophy Fund for Youth Development

Each year, the Heisman Memorial Trophy is awarded to America’s most talented player in college football. Recipients of the award include Roger Staubach, Barry Sanders, and Tim Tebow. In 1936, The Downtown Athletic Club named the award after John Heisman, its first athletic director. When the Downtown Athletic Club closed in 2002, The Heisman Trust took stewardship of the trophy’s distribution. In 2017, The Heisman Trust partnered with The Trust to establish the Heisman Trophy Fund for Youth Development, which supports nonprofits who engage young people in athletic activities such as fencing and figure skating. 

Photo: Courtesy of Harlem Lacrosse, which received grants from the Heisman Trophy Youth Development Fund at The Trust. 

At The Trust, we connect the most generous people—our donors, your clients—with people who are addressing the most complex and important challenges that face New Yorkers

Stephen Robinson, Trust board member, former U.S. District Judge, former partner, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP