Alex von Furstenberg: Sustaining the spirit of free inquiry

Promoting, passing on, and protecting knowledge and understanding in a spirit of a free inquiry burn at the core of Alex von Furstenberg. The same philosophy is at the heart of Brown University, an independent, coeducational Ivy League institution, in keeping its commitment to its diverse community of students and faculty members.

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Individual and institution are further, and inexorably, linked by the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation, a private family foundation that supports various direct-service organizations. Mr. von Furstenberg, a Bachelor of Arts graduate in Brown, is the director and secretary of the Foundation.


Brown was the first Ivy League school to accept students from all religious affiliations. Women were admitted for the first time to its campus in 1891. In the almost three centuries of its existence, the pillar of higher education has placed importance on its curriculum.

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Alex von Furstenberg is an alumnus of Brown University, one of the many beneficiaries of the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation. Institution and organization are both advocates of academic freedom.

The Brown Curriculum

A liberal approach to academics has been alive in Brown University since its inception. The institution has traditionally encouraged its students to study broadly and deeply, to engage in self-examination, and to build a moral core.


This liberal arts approach has been challenged over time, with changes ranging from enabling students to "study what [they] chose, all that [they] chose, and nothing but what [they] chose" to giving them “the right to choose, the right to fail, and above all the freedom to direct their own education.”

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Learn more about the Brown Curriculum at www.brown.edu. Visit www.alexvonfurstenberg.com for more information about Alex von Furstenberg and his family’s private foundation.

Alex Von Furstenberg: A look into the Research to Prevent Blindness

Alex Von Furstenberg is a philanthropist who supports various health organizations including Research to Prevent Blindness. He is the Director and Secretary of Diller-Von Furstenberg Family Foundation.


The report compiled by the American Academy of Ophthalmology states that 3.6 million people (mostly aged 40 and above) are visually impaired, while one million are legally blind. Despite the alarming rate of visual impairment and blindness, people must understand that blindness is a condition that can sometimes be prevented with proper eye care and efficient treatment.

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The Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB), a leading private voluntary health organization, helps reduce the cases of blindness by conducting eye research directed at the prevention and treatment of vision problems.


To efficiently conduct its research, funding is essential for the organization. Alex Von Furstenberg and the Diller-Von Furstenberg Family Foundation are among the entities that support RPB. Through funding, the organization is granted with scientific manpower, cutting-edge technological equipment, and adequate research facilities. These are all necessary in the pursuit of understanding and coming up with innovative treatment for vision problems.

Alex Von Furstenberg Photo Credit: RPBusa.org

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For over 50 years, RPB has been providing eye research funds to leading scientific institutions across the country.


Moreover, a big portion of the contributions gathered by the organization is used for eye research, and only two percent is set aside for the organization’s fund raising.


For more of Alex Von Furstenberg’s grantees, visit www.alexvonfurstenberg.org.

Alex von Furstenberg and the Naked Heart Foundation: Aiding children through play

A father himself, businessman and philanthropist Alex von Furstenberg has contributed much to organizations that aim to uplift the lives of underprivileged youth the world over. Among these organizations is the Naked Heart Foundation, which is dedicated to providing safe playgrounds for children in Russian cities.

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The Naked Heart Foundation is built upon the child’s fundamental need to play; hence it is often taken for granted. Nonetheless, play deprivation is a serious matter that can hamper a child’s development. Children in poor urban areas are more likely to be play-deprived because of the socioeconomic and environment factors that keep them from fulfilling their need to play.

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Alex von Furstenberg, a native of New York, is Director and Secretary of the Diller–von Furstenberg Family Foundation.

Understanding this fact, the Naked Heart Foundation aims to provide the children of impoverished families in Russian cities a safe place to play. The playgrounds constructed by the organization cater to children of all conditions and abilities, and are designed to fascinate the children’s imaginations and to stand in stark contrast to the urban environment. Over 65 playgrounds have been built overall, varying in sizes and costs.

The organization was founded in 2005 by Natalia Vodianova as a streamlined one-person organization. Today, the foundation still consists mainly of four employees; two in Russia and two managing affairs internationally. More information on the organization and its history can be accessed here.

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Learn more of Alex von Furstenberg’s charity works from his official website.

Alex von Furstenberg and helping transform the High Line

Alex von Furstenberg Photo credit: Davidberko​witz

Transformation plays a vital role in improving lives. Alex von Furstenberg and the Diller – von Furstenberg Family Foundation (DVFFF) played a huge role in transforming High Line from an illustration of disuse and dilapidation to a colorful garden—an example of meaningful change right at the western part of Manhattan.



The High Line was formerly an elevated railroad that ran along Manhattan’s West Side. Built in the 1930s, it was meant to raise trains up to 30 feet above ground-level traffic to avoid accidents. In the 1950s, the interstate trucking industry developed, greatly reducing rail traffic in the High Line. Its use gradually waned until the tracks were used for the last time in 1980.

Alex von Furstenberg Photo Credit: lensepix

Two decades later, Alex von Furstenberg and the DVFFF donated $20 million to the City of New York—the largest single donation made for a public park. The sum was to be used for the completion and maintenance of High Line Park, now a colorful aerial garden overlooking Manhattan’s West Side, a far throw from the old railway that almost got demolished had concerned individuals not interfered. The railway’s gravel had given way to flowers of different hues, and most of the tracks disappeared beneath mats of verdant grass and low plants.



The High Line is proof that with proper support, change and progress are possible. With help from concerned individuals and entities, what was once an eyesore became a place of beauty—inviting more and more people as additional sections of the park are developed and opened to the public.

Alex von Furstenberg Photo credit: Davidberko​witz

Learn more about Alex von Furstenberg and his philanthropy at www.alexvonfurstenberg.org.

Alex von Furstenberg: Enriching the lives of people suffering from autism

Alex von Furstenberg certainly knows how to enjoy life. In his free time, he partakes in exciting outdoor activities like the extreme sport kite-surfing. He loves the said activity because he believes that the ocean can effectively act as a site of respite and empowerment—something that he learned when he interacted with the organization Surfer’s Healing and the autistic children that it helps.

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Surfer’s Healing is a non-profit institution based in California that was founded with the main objective of enriching the lives of those suffering from autism by exposing them to the thrilling experience of surfing. The organization, which is fueled by donations and run by volunteers, hosts different surfing camps and trainings nationwide.

Alex Von Furstenberg Photo Credit: Autisable.com

Alex von Furstenberg was inspired by how the institution started. Surfer’s Healing was initiated in 2000 by a couple whose son was diagnosed with autism. For some reason, when their son was exposed to the sport—despite suffering occasionally from sensory overload—he felt entirely calm. Because of this, the couple decided to host day camps at the beach where autistic children can experience the calmness that their son had felt.

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Strongly believing in the cause that’s being endorsed by the institution’s founders, Alex von Furstenberg pledged an amount of $10,000 for the further development of surfing camps. With the amount that he offered, Surfer’s Healing had been adequately supplied with wetsuits, surfboards, rash guards, life vests, and other required equipment to continue its charitable functions.




More information about Alex von Furstenberg is available at www.alexvonfurstenberg.org.

Alex von Furstenberg supports Central Park

A magnificent park is the jewel in a great city, and among the most magnificent of these lies at the heart of one of the world’s greatest cities. Befittingly, Alex von Furstenberg, a philanthropist-businessman of New York extraction, has contributed his share in caring for Central Park, one of the city’s greatest treasures, through his family’s charity organization.

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For New Yorkers, Central Park is one of the city’s most iconic monuments. Located at the heart of the city itself, this shining emerald serves as one of the crowning achievements in landscape architecture. It provides the denizens of Manhattan with both a place to unwind from city life and a place to get in touch with nature. This island of green also represents a considerable investment in the environment, serving as a means to stem the city’s pollution.

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A neighborhood’s park benefits both the community and the environment, and the Big Apple is no exception. Therefore, for Alex von Furstenberg, maintaining Central Park is a noble service both to the city where he spent his youth. His organization, the Diller–von Furstenberg Family Foundation, has given grants to the Central Park Conservancy , the philanthropic institution responsible for the upkeep of the park.

From Alex von Furstenberg

The foundation believes that improving a community, whether it is a neighborhood or a nation, through lasting changes creates significant improvements in individual lives. More information of this philosophy and Alex von Furstenberg’s other charitable works is available on his official website.

Alex von Furstenberg: Preserving culture through art

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Alex von Furstenberg knows that supporting the arts, such as classical theatrical productions and musical plays, is vital in supporting the culture of a community. The Diller-von Furstenburg Family Foundation, a private family foundation that provides philanthropic support to various 501(c)3 non-profit organizations, was partially founded on such a commitment.



Roundabout Theatre Company, a non-profit theater group that has been around for well over four decades, is one of the many beneficiaries of The Diller-von Furstenburg Family Foundation, also known as ‘The Diller.’ Roundabout is committed to pairing great works of theatre with the finest artists in the industry in order to revitalize classic plays and musicals.

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Alex von Furstenberg’s The Diller has helped the company immensely. The company’s artistic director, Todd Haimes, is thankful. “It is because of the incredible support of our audiences, our generous donors, and our visionary Board of Directors that Roundabout has continued to thrive.”



Aside from the Roundabout Theatre Company, The Diller-von Furstenburg Family Foundation supports other foundations that focus on promoting the arts, such as the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the CAA Education Foundation, Danielandsomesuperfriends, PEN American Center, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and The Museum of Television and Radio.

From Alex von Furstenberg

Know more about Alex von Furstenberg and his foundation by visiting his website at AlexvonFurstenberg.com.