Are you passionate about making a meaningful difference in the local Jewish community? Whether it’s supporting causes within the Jewish community or beyond it, the Jewish Community Foundation offers a unique and powerful way to make a lasting impact.
Founded in 1998, the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Ann Arbor serves as the planned giving arm of the local Jewish Federation. The Foundation empowers individuals to create or contribute to permanent endowment funds that support both current and future community needs in the greater Ann Arbor area. Through these funds, the Foundation helps ensure that financial resources are available to meet the evolving needs of the community for generations.
The Jewish Community Foundation manages 68 endowment funds created by local Jewish congregations, organizations, and community members, which together represent over $11 million in assets. Unlike investing with a traditional for-profit financial institution that seeks to grow its own profits, when the Foundation earns fees through the management of these funds, it can reinvest that revenue in projects that meet both immediate and long-term Jewish communal needs.
An endowment fund is invested for growth to generate ongoing income. Each year, only a portion of the fund’s interest is withdrawn for philanthropic use, preserving the principal and allowing it to grow and continue making a difference for years. Endowment funds can also be established to preserve the annual contributions you’re currently making, such as to synagogue dues or annual campaigns, solidifying financial sustainability to those beneficiary organizations for generations. Whether you care most about a synagogue, a Jewish communal organization, or a specific community project, the Foundation provides a platform to make your philanthropic goals a reality.
Creating an endowment fund with the Jewish Community Foundation requires a minimum contribution of $10,000. However, if you’re not ready to create a fund but still want to make an impact, you can contribute to one of the Foundation’s existing funds. One such example is the Irene Butter Fund for Holocaust and Human Rights Education, which supports educational programming that ensures the lessons of the Holocaust are preserved and taught to future generations.
For many in the Jewish community, the desire to give extends beyond their lifetime. If you’ve been a dedicated supporter of Jewish organizations in the greater Ann Arbor area, you may want to consider leaving a legacy by including them in your estate plan. Legacy gifts can take various forms, including a specific dollar amount or percentage of your estate, and are often made by designating a Jewish organization as the beneficiary of a retirement plan or naming it in a will. You can direct these gifts to existing endowments or establish new ones that will continue to support the community.
To promote legacy giving, the Ann Arbor area Jewish community takes part in the national Life & Legacy® program, coordinated locally by Osnat Gafni-Pappas at the Jewish Federation. “The Life & Legacy program has provided the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor with the resources to strengthen our endowment, while also placing legacy giving at the center of our conversations with donors,” Gafni-Pappas says. “We’re excited and committed to incorporating after-lifetime giving into our philanthropic culture and making it a standard practice. The program’s collaborative, inter-organizational approach has been an ideal match for the Ann Arbor community, and we’re pleased to see its significant impact across local Jewish institutions, not just the Federation. While we have completed the program’s initial four years, we feel fortunate to be able to continue working with the Harold Grinspoon Foundation in an extension of the program for four more.”
The Jewish Community Foundation is here to support you in your philanthropic journey, offering easy and creative ways to make a significant difference. Together, we can make a lasting impact in both our local Jewish community and in the broader world.
For more information about how you can contribute to or create an endowment fund, visit the Jewish Community Foundation’s website. To discuss your philanthropic goals with someone, reach out to Jewish Federation CEO Eileen Freed.