Jewish Community Foundation

At The Jewish Community Foundation, we are experienced in matching Jewish givers with the right fund options and giving vehicles to suit their circumstances and goals.

At the Foundation, we can help:

Develop philanthropic plans that speak to values and charitable goals
Help find organizations that are making an impact in a particular area of interest
Facilitate family philanthropy as a shared activity and legacy
Ensure a lasting legacy of tzedakah and care—locally and overseas

 

There are many ways to give through the Foundation, each with its own financial benefits and rewards for you, your family, and the community.

These gifts can fund endowments, donor advised funds, supporting foundations, or other vehicles. Contact us for more information about choosing the giving options that are right for you and your family.

Create a Jewish Legacy is a high-quality, results-oriented program in which the Jewish Federation of the East Bay and The Jewish Community Foundation are:


Building public awareness about the power of legacy gifts (e.g., bequests and other planned gifts)


Cultivating legacy gifts from constituents


Using a donor-centric approach that includes other Jewish organizations and causes in donors’ gift plans


Recognizing donors for their contributions


Partnering with agencies and synagogues to do the same, providing training, consulting and marketing support


Funding endowments from these bequests that create support and stability for donors’ cherished institutions and programs


Developing strong leadership and technical skills in securing bequests and building endowments


Prioritizing bequests and endowments and make them an ongoing part of Jewish community fundraising operations


Establishing the Foundation as the East Bay’s primary resource for Jewish agencies and their donors for endowment funds

The role of bequests

Many people hesitant to give large gifts during their lifetimes would willingly leave bequests – if only they were asked (source: Jewish Federations of North America). Large bequests have come from people of seemingly modest means. People can give from assets rather than income.

80% of all planned gifts are bequests. The average bequest is ~$50,000 nationally; $100,000+ bequests are not uncommon.

Creating legacies is open to one and all. With proper recognition and stewardship, other significant gifts may follow; studies also show that bequest donors tend to increase their annual giving.

Partnerships with agencies and synagogues

Create a Jewish Legacy:


builds agency and synagogue capacity by providing them with the tools and motivation to discuss legacy planning, and ultimately benefit from endowments


builds on positive relationships organizations already have with their donors


puts more “feet on the street” in a community-wide campaign means more legacy gifts. For example, 13 organizations x 15 bequests x $50,000 = $9,750,000 in endowments.

The East Bay Jewish Community Teen Foundation (EBJCTF) is made up of a group of high school students determined to make a difference through the application of tzedakah and other Jewish values. They engage directly in the practice of philanthropy and collaborative grantmaking for the purpose of tikkun olam, repairing the world.

The teen board participates in a weekend retreat (in conjunction with the Bay Area’s Jewish Community Teen Foundations) and seven Sunday meetings from December through June in order to:

Run their own foundation—learn to fundraise and make grants
Discuss Jewish values and their application to social justice
Gain leadership, teamwork and philanthropic skills

By participating in meaningful activities that offer responsibility and the opportunity to practice tikkun olam in a community of peers, the East Bay Jewish Community Teen Foundation helps to ensure that Jewish youth in the East Bay community carry forth the philanthropic spirit of our heritage well into the 21st century.