The J.M. Kaplan Fund is a family foundation. The four children and seven grandchildren of Jacob M. Kaplan constitute the Fund's Board of Trustees. As of mid-2003, assets are approximately $137 million; grants for the year should total about $6.9 million.

Common Grants: Three-fifths of the grants budget is awarded by the trustees acting in common. These common funds go to three grant programs operating in three geographic areas. The three programs are:

• Environment;
• Historic preservation;
• Human migrations.

The three areas are:

• New York City;
• North America;
• Worldwide.

Each of the three programs is undertaken in each of the three areas, though with different emphases and varied allocations. The trustees are particularly interested in proposals that involve more than one program or more than one area.