The Philanthropy 50 2009 Gift Profile: Stanley F. and Fiona B. Druckenmiller

Stanley F. and Fiona B. Druckenmiller: $705-million

Beneficiary: Druckenmiller Foundation

Donors’ background: Mr. Druckenmiller founded Duquesne Capital Management, in Pittsburgh. Ms. Druckenmiller is a former investment-portfolio manager at the Dreyfus Corporation, in New York.

Mr. Druckenmiller, 56, and his wife, Fiona, 47, gave $705-million to their Druckenmiller Foundation, in New York. Established in 1993, the family foundation primarily supports medical research, education, and efforts to fight poverty.

Last year the foundation awarded a $100-million grant to New York University’s Langone Medical Center, to create a neuroscience institute. A trustee of the medical center since 2006, Ms. Druckenmiller said in a written statement that she and her husband believe advancements in neuroscience and stem-cell research will one day benefit and lengthen many people’s lives.

“Every family is affected in one way or another by brain disorders or brain aging. An aging brain can lead to problems with memory, learning, sleep, feelings of well-being, not to mention all the ways the brain mediates other aspects of health, ” said Ms. Druckenmiller. “The brain is one of the last great frontiers in medicine and advances in related research could help both the individual and society function at a higher level.”

Including this most recent grant, Mr. and Ms. Druckenmiller have given Langone Medical Center a total of about $146-million through both grants from their foundation and personal donations. In past years the foundation has supported medical research with grants to the New York Stem Cell Foundation and cancer-research programs.

The Druckenmillers’ support for education and antipoverty programs include a $25-million gift the couple gave in 2006 to the Harlem Children’s Zone, a New York organization that serves poor children and their families. Mr. Druckenmiller serves as chairman of the group’s Board of Trustees. They have also made substantial donations over the years to Bowdoin College (Mr. Druckenmiller’s alma mater), Human Rights Watch, the Robin Hood Foundation, and the Spence School, a private girls’ school.

Along with his work with Harlem Children’s Zone, Mr. Druckenmiller serves on the boards of the Children’s Scholarship Fund, in New York, and the investment committee for Bowdoin College, in Brunswick, Me. He also serves on the Board of Overseers of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, in New York.

Ms. Druckenmiller serves on the boards of the Spence School and the American Museum of Natural History, both in New York, and the Parrish Art Museum, in Southampton, N.Y. She is also a member of the Leadership Council of the New York Stem Cell Foundation.

—Maria Di Mento

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