David Panzirer
Trustee, The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust
David Panzirer is a Trustee of The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. David is the grandson of Leona Helmsley and was appointed as both a Trustee and an Executor of the Helmsley estate upon her passing in 2007.
A former real estate executive, David’s personal passion – improving the lives of those with type 1 diabetes – has led Helmsley to become a leading funder in the battle against the disease. As a parent of two children with type 1 diabetes, he has driven the creation of a robust and highly targeted grantmaking program that takes on long-term, high-risk projects to ease the burden of managing the disease while continuing to search for the elusive cure. Built on funding unmet needs, Helmsley’s Type 1 Diabetes Program and the Helmsley Charitable Trust as a whole encourage bold thinking and new approaches to support innovative projects with clear potential that others cannot fund.
David serves as a leader in fostering collaboration with other funders in the T1D space and other noncommunicable diseases, as well as with critical stakeholders across industry, academia, private philanthropy, government, and patient communities.
Related Sessions
Pre-conference Session – Greater Good: Lessons from Those Who Have Started Grantmaking Organizations and Reception
Phil Buchanan
Ellie Buteau
Stephanie Cuskley
Ethan Davidson
Darin McKeever
David Panzirer
New foundations and grantmaking entities (including donor-advised funds, LLCs, and others) face unique challenges in the first years of their giving. Countless donors and staff have sought advice from those who have come before them in areas such as board relations, staffing up, and daily operations. We invite all foundation leaders, trustees, and major donors of entities that have begun their grantmaking in the last 20 years to join an exclusive pre-conference session in which we will explore the findings from a new CEP report on new grantmakers’ best practices, hear candidly from leaders of early-stage organizations, and connect with […]