The Foundation Overview

The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation, established in 1987, primarily supports the study of Long Island history and its role in the American experience.

Robert David Lion Gardiner was, until his death in August 2004, the 16th Lord of the Manor of Gardiner’s Island, NY.

The Gardiner family and their descendants have owned Gardiner’s Island since 1639, obtained as part of a royal grant from King Charles I of England.

The Foundation is inspired by Robert David Lion Gardiner’s personal passion for New York history.

Foundation Purpose

The purpose of the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation is:

• To educate and inform the general public in the State of New York, particularly in the area of the Town of Islip and more generally in Suffolk County, concerning the culture, art and tradition of the locality;
• To cultivate, foster and promote interest in, and understanding and appreciation of the societal heritage of Town of Islip, particularly during the nineteenth century;
• To encourage and sponsor the creation and perpetuation by existing and future historical societies of collections and repositories for the deposit, collection and examination of documents and artifacts of various kinds relevant to such heritage and traditions; and
• To sponsor and encourage the preservation, restoration and exhibition by existing and future historical societies of at least one facility appropriate to such purpose.
  
  

Foundation Policies

The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation, Inc. ("The Foundation") Not-for-Profit Corporation Policies are:

• Applicants must be non-profit, qualifying as exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
• The Foundation was not formed for pecuniary profit or financial gain.​
• The Foundation is organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, or the corresponding provision of any future U.S. IRS law.
• The Foundation does not carry on any activities not permitted to be carried on by a corporation exempt from Federal income tax under such section or by a corporation, contributions to which are deductible under Section 170 (c)(2) of such Code or the corresponding provisions of any future U.S. IRS law.
• The Foundation is a corporation as defined in subparagraph (a)(5) of Section 102 of the Not-for-Profit Corporation Law.
• The Secretary of State of the State of New York is designated as the agent of the Foundation on whom all process of any action or proceeding against the Corporation may be served.
• No substantial part of the activities of this corporation consists of carrying on propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the Foundation does not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements), any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.
• In the event of dissolution, all of the remaining assets and property of the Foundation shall, after necessary expenses thereof, be distributed to qualified 501(c)(3) organizations, or to another organization to be used in such a manner, as in the judgment of a Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York in the District in which the principal office of the Foundation is located, will best accomplish the general purpose for which this Foundation was formed.​