Helena Rubinstein Foundation
Dates
- Existence: 1953-2011
Biography
Helena Rubinstein started the Helena Rubinstein Foundation in 1953. Convinced that education was vital to career development, she set up scholarship grants to encourage young women to undertake higher education and to pursue nontraditional careers. The Foundation was a major beneficiary of Helena Rubinstein's legacy when she died in 1965 at the age of 94. Its directors further developed and broadened the philanthropic concepts she initiated and, sensitive to the changing needs of society, supported new and forward-looking programs.
The Helena Rubinstein Foundation ceased operations at the end of 2011. Over its nearly 60 year history, the Foundation distributed over $130 million, primarily to education and community-based organizations in New York City. Foundation assets included an archive of more than 600 photographs, books written by and about Helena Rubenstein, article clippings, and various media, documenting the career of Helena Rubinstein. This collection is now in the care of the library at the Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York.