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---
category: "Private Organization"
tags:
- Organization
- Foundation
- LeonBlack
- JeffreyEpstein
- Philanthropy
- HarvardUniversity
alias:
- Debra and Leon Black Family Foundation
- Debra And Leon Black Family Foundation
- Leon Black Family Foundation
- Leon and Debra Black Family Foundation
summary: "Private foundation of Leon and Debra Black, established in 1997 with Jeffrey Epstein among its initial directors, which listed him on its tax returns until 2012 and funded Harvard's Program for Evolutionary Dynamics."
start: 1997
location: "445 Park Avenue, New York, New York"
relations:
- type: founded
with: "[[Leon Black]]"
reverse: true
role: "founder; appointed the initial directors"
start: 1997
fn: 2
- type: funded
with: "[[Program for Evolutionary Dynamics]]"
role: "1,000,000 dollars, a gift introduced by Epstein"
start: 2015-10-30
fn: 4
created: 2026-09-25
updated: 2026-09-25
---
The Black Family Foundation, registered with the [[Internal Revenue Service]] as the Debra And Leon Black Family Foundation, is the private foundation of the financier [[Leon Black]], cofounder of [[Apollo Global Management]], and his wife, [[Debra Black]]. It is administered in care of the family office, [[Elysium Management]], at 445 Park Avenue in [[New York City|New York]]. Its employer identification number is 13-3947890; the IRS recognized its exemption as of August 1, 1998 and classifies it as a private non-operating foundation.[^1] [[Jeffrey Epstein]] was one of its directors from its establishment in 1997 and was listed as one on its tax returns until 2012.[^2][^3]
### Epstein's Directorship
According to the report that the law firm [[Dechert]] prepared in January 2021 for the conflicts committee of Apollo's board, Black was introduced to Epstein "in the mid-1990's by a mutual friend," and Epstein "introduced Black to well-regarded researchers at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and encouraged Black to donate to charitable causes that supported scientific development." The report continued:[^2]
> In 1997, Black appointed Epstein as one of the initial directors of the Black Family Foundation, which was established for the purpose of facilitating contributions by Black and his family to philanthropic endeavors. Black was further impressed when he learned that David Rockefeller had appointed Epstein as a director to the Board of Rockefeller University.
The reference is to [[David Rockefeller]] and [[Rockefeller University]]. Epstein was one of the foundation's seven original trustees. Black's representative told the investigators reviewing Epstein's ties to [[Harvard University]] that Epstein resigned in July 2007 "at the family's request."[^4] The Dechert report put the resignation in "mid-2007" and stated: "However, due to an oversight, the IRS Form 990s filed for the Black Family Foundation during the period 2008-2012 failed to reflect his resignation. Following discovery of the error in or around 2013, the Black Family Foundation issued a confirmation of his earlier resignation." Epstein pleaded guilty in [[Florida]] in 2008 to procuring a person under 18 for prostitution. Dechert found that Black did not engage Epstein for any services until 2012.[^2] In a July 2019 email to Apollo staff reported by *[[Forbes]]*, Black attributed the listing to a "recording error" and said he had stepped down in 2007.[^3]
A 108-page "Assignment and Assumption Agreement" dated June 7, 2007, in the [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]]'s Epstein releases, transferred limited-partner, member and stockholder interests to a separate Black entity, [[Black Family Partners]], L.P., with signature blocks for "Debra Black, Trustee" and "[[Barry Cohen]], Trustee."[^5]
### Grants
The foundation's reported revenue, which consists of contributions, was 500,001 dollars in 2011, 1,000,009 dollars in 2012, 1,750,002 dollars in 2013, 12,142,003 dollars in 2014, 4,598,706 dollars in 2015 and 3,816,952 dollars in 2019; its reported year-end assets did not exceed 640,058 dollars in any of those years.[^1]
On October 30, 2015 the foundation gave 1,000,000 dollars to [[Martin Nowak]]'s [[Program for Evolutionary Dynamics]] at Harvard, the last of three gifts totaling 7 million dollars that followed gifts of 2 million dollars in November 2011 and 4 million dollars in December 2014 from Leon and Debra Black personally. Harvard's review listed them among gifts from donors whom Epstein had introduced, at a time when the university had stopped accepting Epstein's own money; Epstein's accountant and staff acted as intermediaries, and the gift letters earmarked the money for Nowak's research and permitted its use for the program's rent at One Brattle Square. Black's representative told Harvard's investigators that "none of the funds were provided by Mr. Epstein" and that "no attempt was made to conceal the source of these gifts."[^4]
Dechert found that Black made donations at Epstein's request to the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]], Harvard, the [[Arizona State University]] Origins Project and the [[Peace Initiative Foundation]], and a 10 million dollar donation in October 2015 to Epstein's [[Gratitude America]]; Epstein, at Black's request, made "significant donations" on at least two occasions to the [[Melanoma Research Alliance]], "a charitable foundation established by Black and his wife." A 2015 IRS filing showed the 10 million dollar gift to Gratitude America coming from a company called [[BV70]] at the address of Black's family investment firm.[^2][^3]
### Footnotes
[^1]: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, "Debra And Leon Black Family Foundation," EIN 13-3947890 (IRS Business Master File and Form 990-PF extracts, ruling date August 1, 1998, foundation code 4), accessed September 25, 2026. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/api/v2/organizations/133947890.json
[^2]: Dechert LLP, Memorandum to the Apollo Conflicts Committee, "Investigation of Epstein/Black Relationship and Any Relationship Between Epstein and Apollo Global Management, Inc.," January 22, 2021, filed as Exhibit 99.1 to Apollo Global Management, Inc. Form 8-K, January 25, 2021, pp. 5-6, 18-19. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1411494/000119312521016405/d118102dex991.htm
[^3]: Aldhous, Peter. "Jeffrey Epstein's Links To Scientists Are Even More Extensive Than We Thought," *BuzzFeed News,* August 27, 2019. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/peteraldhous/jeffrey-epstein-science-donations-apologies-statements
[^4]: Lopez, Diane E., Ara B. Gershengorn, and Martin F. Murphy. *Report Concerning Jeffrey E. Epstein's Connections to Harvard University.* Harvard University Office of the General Counsel and Foley Hoag LLP, May 2020, pp. 10-15 and nn. 9, 15. https://ogc.harvard.edu/file_url/208
[^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01128080, DataSet 9, "Assignment and Assumption Agreement" to Black Family Partners, L.P., June 7, 2007. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA01128080.pdf