Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles

Be ready to help when there's a crisis. Our donors were able to give to COVID-19 relief quickly and easily through their Donor Advised Funds. You can open one with $5,000 for yourself, your child, or your grandchild. It’s an ideal way to fund your philanthropy, but be sure to take action before year-end to capitalize on tax benefits. Learn more at https://www.jewishfoundationla.org/donor-advised-funds

The pandemic has significantly magnified inequities in education for children across Los Angeles. In the spirit of Chanukah, a holiday centered on family, children, and eight days of giving, The Foundation awarded grants to four organizations providing academic and emotional support as well as access to technology to children in Los Angeles: Westside Jewish Community Center, Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA), Wise Readers to Leaders, 826LA & the Time Travel Mart

Giving Tuesday would be easier with a Donor Advised Fund. Here's how it works...

Foundation Executive Vice President Dan Rothblatt was the recipient of the inaugural Shining Star Award bestowed by National Philanthropy Day Los Angeles. He received the recognition at the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Los Angeles Chapter's 2020 Virtual Conference. The award was presented by longtime friends and former colleagues Rabbi Gary and Tamara Greenebaum, who paid tribute to Rothblatt’s 30-plus years of work in nonprofit development across the Jewish and general communities in Los Angeles. Dan has become widely admired and respected throughout the Jewish communal services and nonprofit profession at large for his tireless contributions as a mentor, adjunct university educator, and facilitator of an online resource that connects nonprofit job seekers to career opportunities. Congratulations, Dan!

Our final Online Donor Salon of the year was an intimate and dynamic conversation between Joline Godfrey, financial education expert and author of Raising Financially Fit Kids and Naomi Strongin, Associate Director of our Center for Designed Philanthropy. The topic was Financial Fluency in Families in the Context of Pandemics, Social Justice, and Change. It explored how families can engage together in meaningful philanthropy and develop financial mindfulness that leads to a shared set of fiscal values and a common language about what matters.

A HUGE thank you to Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles and Milken Family Foundation for grants that allowed us to realize the vision of bringing compell...ing service music into the homes of congregants across the United States! Through a collaboration with RobBen Music Productions and Teev Events, and the generosity of all the Cantors; Cantor Magda Fishman, , Cantor Ben Tisser, tenor, and Cantor Meir Finkelstein who lent their voices, we were able to create a moving virtual experience! And a big thanks to a wonderful partnership with Rabbi Mark Blazer and Jewish Life Foundation that enabled us to share this fantastic music through JLTV's High Holy Day services!

Jewish Community Foundation Announces Over $5 Million in Donor-directed Giving for COVID-19 Relief. These grants come from donor advised funds and family support organizations administered by The Foundation, the largest manager of charitable assets for Los Angeles Jewish philanthropists. To date, Foundation donors have directed a total of 412 grants to 161 nonprofits for COVID-19 relief. Among LA recipients of the largest grants from Foundation donors are Mayor’s Fund, The Jewish Federation, Jewish Family Service, and Food Forward; while nationally, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee was a significant beneficiary. Read more about the generosity of our donors here: https://bit.ly/2F6bOiM

In the new issue of Legacy Online, we invite you to: Read President and CEO Marvin Schotland's message to the community; Learn about our new COVID-19 Response Grants; Meet Marcia & Dick Volpert: pillars of our community; Explore our most recent online donor salons.

Executive Vice President Dan Rothblatt recently penned an opinion piece that ran in the Los Angeles Daily News and several other regional papers about lessons nonprofits are offering as they navigate the pandemic. "On a daily basis, despite unprecedented demand on their resources, these nonprofits are finding new ways to meet critical needs. In many cases, it is innovation born of necessity. However, instead of shirking from the challenges, these causes and programs are tackling them head-on," he observes.

Sixty is the new forty. Seventy is the new fifty. Really? Rabbi Laura Geller, in conversation with Dr. Pinchas Cohen, Dean of USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, discussed this question and more during our latest Online Salon for Donors. Rabbi Geller’s presentation, based on her new book, "Getting Good at Getting Older," explored topics such as the nature and value of friendships as we age, and what ‘leaving a legacy’ truly means.

Thank you Jewish Journal for this wonderful story about our COVID-19 Response Grants!

The Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles today announced that it is redirecting the entirety of its 2020 institutional grantmaking into a two-phase plan focused on COVID-19 relief totaling $8.5 million. Phase One funding awarded to date totals $2.5 million distributed to 22 nonprofit organizations. These monies include a grant of $1 million to the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles for its COVID-19 relief efforts directed toward nonprofit organizations supporting ...the most vulnerable segments of the Jewish community locally and in Israel. The program complements efforts being undertaken by The Foundation and will encompass four critical human and social services areas: wellness and resiliency; access to food through synagogues; financial aid and scholarships for early-childhood and day-school education to families impacted by COVID-19; and a loan-guarantee program. Phase Two grants, amounting to $6 million, will be awarded to Jewish nonprofits locally and in Israel to mitigate economic hardship resulting from COVID-19 and to ensure their viability. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/3ih3XxP See more

"Healing Through Artistic Expression" was our second Online Donor Salon. It featured Foundation grantees Jewish Women's Theatre and Theatre Dybbuk. Co-Founder and Artistic Director Ronda Spinak introduced heartening and humorous stories from Jewish Women's Theatre's digital series INSIDE OUR TIME: Stories From The Sheltering; theatre dybbuk Artistic Director Aaron Henne guided us through a moving storytelling exercise to find our personal narratives of change and healing during this unprecedented time.

How Coronavirus is Affecting Israeli Society ~ The first in a series of Foundation Online Donor Salons featured Dr. Avi Weiss, president of the Taub Center and professor of economics at Bar Ilan University. It was a sneak-peek at a soon-to-be-published extensive report on the subject of coronavirus in Israel. Since 2010, The Foundation has awarded nearly $10M to more than 60 organizations in Israel. Our grants have touched the lives of over 866,000 people in Israel. Learn more at www.jewishfoundationla.org.

Women and Philanthropy: Time, Treasure, Talent ~ "...if conventional wisdom holds that charitable giving is overshadowed by men, statistics tell a different story." Three women Foundation donors are setting a trend of active involvement in philanthropy: Susan Hirsch Wohl, Sheila Baran Spiwak, and Suzanne Weiss Morgen. Read their story in Legacy Magazine Online.

Over the past six weeks, our generous family of donors contributed $2 million in grants to nonprofits locally and in Israel for coronavirus-related needs. More than 800 grants were made through Donor Advised Funds. Additionally, The Foundation made nine grants for food security and financial emergency needs. Learn more about where to give at https://www.jewishfoundationla.org/giving-opportunities

This Passover will be profoundly different for all of us. During this challenging chapter in world history, we are especially grateful to our family of donors whose generosity makes a profound difference. This year, in light of the global crisis, The Foundation awarded grants to address food insecurity during Passover, and other urgent needs, locally and in Israel. Grants were awarded to: Be'er Sova, Jaffa Institute, Leket Israel, Yad Eliezer, Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles, Karsh Center at Wilshire Boulevard Temple, Touch of Kindness, and Food Forward. We encourage you to support these organizations and other nonprofits that are doing critical work in these uncertain times. Visit https://www.jewishfoundationla.org/ to learn more.

Our commitment to the community remains steadfast during these uncertain times. Along with our family of donors, we have been a pillar of stability in times of crisis and adversity a commitment that remains unwavering. The Foundation was established over 65 years ago to respond to communal needs that could not be anticipated, and that remains even more true today. Standing shoulder to shoulder, we will support our donors, nonprofit partners and the community at large in weathering this crisistogether. To contribute to causes responding to coronavirus, click here: https://www.jewishfoundationla.org/giving-opportunities

For Women's History Month, we highlight organizations dedicated to women's empowerment in the latest issue of "Ideas for Giving." You can learn about these seven outstanding nonprofits to support with your philanthropy: Sharsheret, The Jewish Graduate Student Initiative (JGSI), A New Way of Life Reentry Project, JVS SoCal, Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles, Moving Traditions, East Los Angeles Women's Center