Lisa Marie Falcone has started to rise in prominence on the city’s cultural and philanthropic scene, reports The New York Times.

Ms. Falcone, the wife of the billionaire investor Philip A. Falcone, surprised many attendees at a gala this month for Friends of the High Line when she took to the stage unannounced to match a $10-million grant from the media mogul Barry Diller and his wife, the designer Diane von Furstenburg. The Falcones had previously made smaller donations and raised funds for the project to turn a downtown elevated railway into a landscaped esplanade.

Ms. Falcone has also chaired several events for the American Museum of Natural History and last month joined the City Ballet board.

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