Biography
Antonia Grumbach has practiced law at the Firm for more than 40 years. She became a partner in 1979 and served as managing partner from 1990-1996. Ms. Grumbach currently focuses her practice in the area of tax-exempt organizations. Ms. Grumbach advises charitable organizations (and charitable trusts) on governance issues, endowment questions, tax issues and public/private partnerships. She handles corporate, tax and other related work such as licensing, employment and management agreements for private foundations and publicly supported organizations. Ms. Grumbach has facilitated Board retreats and discussions on the fiduciary responsibilities and duties of Boards of non-profit entities.
During her career, Ms. Grumbach has been a very active member of professional organizations and committees. In addition to the associations listed in the sidebar, Ms. Grumbach served two terms as a member of the board of advisors of the NYU program on philanthropy and the law. Ms. Grumbach currently serves as Trustee of Wildlife Conservation Society (having been chair of its board from 2015-2018) and of PILnet, the Global Network for Public Interest. In addition, she served on the board of Teachers College at Columbia University (where she was co-chair of the board for five years), Milton Academy, Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation (where she was President of the Board for several years), Partnership for Children's Rights, The New Press, Ponagansett Foundation, the William T. Grant Foundation, Henfield Foundation, the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund, and the Mona Bismarck Foundation. Ms. Grumbach also served as a director of U.S. Trust Corporation and U.S. Trust Company of New York for more than 10 years.
An active lecturer and writer, Ms. Grumbach has presented on a wide range of issues including the governance and tax concerns of charitable organizations. She has also contributed to and co-authored numerous publications on fiduciary responsibilities of directors, expenditure responsibility, mergers and consolidations and estate and gift tax issues. Highlights include Intermediate Sanctions and High Compensation, What You Can Do to Protect Your Organization, Private Foundations: Issues Surrounding Their Operations and Funding a Foundation – What Assets to Use; What Can We Spend?, an analysis of the legal and accounting rules for endowments.
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
- U.S. District Court, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York
- U.S. Tax Court
- New York
- French
MEMBERSHIPS: Association of the Bar of the City of New York (Member, Committee on Non-Profit Organizations, 1982-1985 and 1987-1990; Committee to Enhance Professional Opportunities for Minorities, 1993-1996; Chair, Library Committee, 2000-2002); New York State Bar Association; American Bar Association; Board of Advisors of the NYU Program on Philanthropy and the Law, Member (1988-1991) and (2000-2002), Vice Chair (2001-2002); Recognized in Super Lawyers in the area of Non-Profit Law; American Law Institute, Advisor to Project on Non-Profit Law (2002-present); Lecturer, Association of the Bar of the City of New York, New York University and other programs on a wide range of issues, including governance and tax concerns of charitable organizations.
Current Board Positions: Trustee: Wildlife Conservation Society (2008-present; Vice Chair of the Board 2013-2015, Chair of the Board 2015-2018); PILnet, The Global Network for Public Interest (2008-present; Vice Chair 2013-2015).
Former Board Positions: Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation (2001-2015; President 2011-2015); Partnership for Children’s Rights (2002-2018); Teachers College, Columbia University (1985-2012; Co-Chair of the Board 1998-2003); Milton Academy (1990-2012; Secretary of the Board 2002-2008); Ponagansett Foundation (1985-2013); William T. Grant Foundation (1993-2000); Henfield Foundation (1980-2005); Mona Bismarck Foundation (1992-2005); NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund (1999-2001); The New Press (2003-2013); Sandisfield Arts and Restoration Committee (2006-2012).
Director: United States Trust Corporation and United States Trust Company of New York (1991-2004; Chair, Corporate Responsibility Committee 1997-2000; Member, Risk Management Committee 2001-2004).
Published articles on fiduciary responsibilities of directors, expenditure responsibility, foreign grant-making of private foundations and lobbying and legislative activities, mergers and consolidations, estate and gift tax issues.
Representative lectures and articles:
- "Charitable Asset Maintenance," presented at the New York University National Center on Philanthropy and the Law Conference (November, 2003)
- "What Can We Spend," analysis of endowment legal and accounting rules, presented to the Non-Profit Forum (2002)
- "Whither Regulation?" an analysis of the increasing regulation of charities and the effect of the disclosure rules and the internet, presented at the NYU National Center on Philanthropy and the Law Conference (October 2007)