The Jewish Fund Annual Report 2016-2017
Letter from the Board Chair
As I compose this letter, I am reflecting on my three years serving as the Board Chair of The Jewish Fund, given the completion of my term in November. Serving as Chair following three years as Vice-Chair has been an exhilarating experience for me. The behind the scenes work of gathering information, gaining insights into community needs and advocating for innovative and realistic responses to these needs by our grantmaking has been tremendous. I have truly gained a great appreciation for the diligent and creative work of non-profit professionals to serve the needs of their constituents. The following are some highlights I’d like to share of our work in recent years.
First, following a Jewish community needs assessment implemented through an on-line survey a year and a half ago which was initiated and funded by The Jewish Fund, and implemented by the Jewish Federation, two concrete and exciting responses have taken shape. Addressing the clear lack of community awareness of the range of social service programs available to those in need, we have funded, through a challenge grant, a marketing program referred to as JHelp, which is currently in development. The comprehensive array of services currently available should not be the community’s best kept secret and we are optimistic for its success.
The second response to this survey addresses findings that community teens are experiencing disturbingly high levels of stress and anxiety. The Jewish Federation took the lead to engage leaders of organizations serving Jewish youth in an ongoing task force which has been meeting and planning initiatives to address these teen issues. The Jewish Fund has just approved a grant to launch an integral component of a multi-year plan, which will provide youth mental health first aid training to over 800 agency staff and teachers in evidence-based Safe Talk and ASIST trainings. We look forward to further developments to address these needs.
I am so proud of the growth and success of our Teen Board, now in its fourth year. These high school students take seriously their role as a grantmaking board and the education and skills needed to be responsible and responsive to their community. We now have a first year and second year board, numerous opportunities for leadership roles for those who completed the first year and a strong alumni program. This past summer, eleven alumni (high school and college students) interned at various non-profits throughout metro-Detroit and many participated in educational experiences to continue their learning of philanthropy and community engagement. I want to thank the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation for its support of our alumni program and the Jewish Teen Funders Network for its overall support of this initiative.
Finally, I want to express my pride and appreciation to our board for its willingness to delve into an area of grantmaking that is somewhat rare – capacity building grants. We have been supporting and encouraging these types of grants for many years and the percentage of our grants in this area has grown in recent years. These types of grants help produce organization changes that strengthen an organization’s ability to expand, to rise to current standards of practice and to deepen staff skills. Associated with capacity building, The Jewish Fund launched a professional development mini-grant program within the Jewish community. Grants of up to $7,500 are available to support transformative training participation for key staff in order to strengthen their capacity to perform with greatest impact. I’m confident we will continue to explore and support such grants into the future.
Karen Sosnick Schoenberg, Chair
The following lists show the grants of The Jewish Fund that were approved during the 2016-2017 fiscal year at the May and November 2016 board meetings. The lists include both new and continuation grants and are divided into sections reflecting the primary program areas of The Jewish Fund’s grantmaking priorities.
$50,000 For the first year of a three-year $195,000 grant to expand the organization’s infrastructure by hiring an operations manager.
$10,000 To raise awareness about mental health challenges amongst the Jewish teenage community through expansion of Umatter Weeks.
$50,000 For a one year grant to extend the term of an endowment fundraising campaign for the organization.
$10,000 For a one-year grant to support the CARF process of accreditation.
$12,486 To offer LinkUp, a social network for young adults with special needs.
$175,000 For the third year of a three-year, $507,500 grant to assist with the transition of the agency following a financial crisis through support of executive transition costs and marketing development.
$197,800 For the third year of a three-year, $484,279 grant to enhance and grow aging in place services to better respond to Jewish communal needs and improve safety and quality of life of vulnerable older adults.
$103,007 For the third year of a three-year, $370,543 grant to enhance and grow aging in place services.
$63,347 For the second year of a two-year, $143,215 grant to provide mental health tools and support to teens and their families.
$382,433 For the second year of a two-year, $764,866 grant to ensure adequate aging at home supports of home care and transportation for low income Jewish older adults.
$50,000 For a one year grant to support its 2017 Population Study in order to inform community planning.
$236,096 For a three-year grant to develop, implement and market an on-line service portal for community members seeking help and/or information regarding social service needs.
$118,500 For the first year of a three-year, $331,100 grant to expand on-site educational support services to better serve students with diverse learning differences in Jewish day schools.
$164,000 Extension to a fourth year of a three-year grant of $500,000 to frontload special Centennial Fund gifts in the areas of health and social welfare.
$75,000 For the second year of a three-year, $225,000 grant to provide clinical support for Jewish patients with progressive terminal illness.
Up to $117,567 To continue Jcare support services to low-income residents.
$22,200 For a one year grant to engage a consulting firm to formulate a five year strategic plan for the organization. (Jewish Senior Life Foundation)
$68,000 For the second year of a three-year, $205,500 grant to facilitate and improve the delivery of integrated health care services to Kadima clients.
$11,550 For a one year grant to extend the term of its current grant supporting programming for Moishe House Detroit City.
$302,358 For a one year grant to enhance the health and safety of Camp Maas participants through improved fire notification systems.
$75,000 For the first year of a two-year, $150,000 grant to expand the LGBTQ Learning Labs for Healthcare Professionals.
$79,899 For the first year of a three-year, $242,349 grant to achieve national accreditation for its community-based doula program.
$12,000 For the first of a three-year, $21,000 grant to provide vision service to economically disadvantaged students in the Hamtramck Public Schools through its school-based health center.
$30,000 For the first year of a three-year, $75,000 grant to improve the health of homeless mothers and their children through consistent and ongoing access to healthcare.
$15,500 To expand the accessible hours of text and chat crises line services.
$75,000 For the first year of a two-year, $150,000 grant to support youth with special needs within Detroit’s Head Start system.
$3,000 For a one year grant to upgrade and utilize new software to promote improved efficiency and effectiveness.
$7,000 For the second year of a three-year, $21,000 grant to maintain present clinic services and add a day time clinic session per week.
$33,500 For a one year grant to hire an outside professional consultant to help the clinic navigate its recent growth and strategically plan for the future.
$50,000 For the third year of a three-year, $150,000 grant to improve pre and interconception health of African American women residing in Detroit in order to improve rates of infant survival.
$25,000 For the third year of a three-year, $100,000 grant to develop and operate a recuperative center for individuals who are homeless and recently discharged from the hospital.
$50,000 For one year to help support the new position of development director.
$17,000 For the third year of a three-year, $87,240 grant to address issues of young adult homelessness along with substance abuse and mental health issues by providing supportive services.
$56,346 For the third year of a three-year, $169,035 grant to improve the health and wellness of at-risk children ages 0-3 in Oakland County.
$60,000 For the second year of a three-year, $175,000 grant to expand integrated perinatal care by serving underserved and high-risk women and children.
$25,000 For the second year of a two-year, $50,000 grant to supplement existing services offered by the River Rouge Teen Health Center.
$50,000 For the second year of a three-year, $125,000 grant to develop and implement Dad’s Baby Power, a parenting program for high-risk fathers in Wayne County.
$60,000 For the second year of a two-year, $180,000 grant to increase capacity to better meet the child maltreatment and trauma prevention needs of Detroit/Eastern Wayne County.
$50,000 For the third year of a three-year, $150,000 grant to improve the asthma management techniques of Spanish-speaking parents of young children.
$40,000 For the first of a three-year, $120,000 grant to provide medical students with a summer research internship.
The Jewish Fund Teen Board is a collaborative philanthropy group providing Jewish teens from the Metro Detroit area the opportunity to learn about grantmaking and philanthropy. In 2016-2017, our 3rd year of programming, 34 Teen Board members, representing 13 high schools and 11 congregations, granted $50,000 in two focus areas.
As a board, we all had a collective interest in mental health. Mental health is a pressing issue within our schools, so we felt it was our obligation to make a change. As teenagers, most of us were able to recall situations where mental health assistance such as the ones we are funding could have been useful. We are confident that our choice to include mental health in our mission statement will help eliminate the stigma surrounding this important issue. By providing the Metro Detroit community with support for vital resources, we hope to make a positive effect on our community.
The Teen Board is proud to fund two organizations committed to making significant community impact in this area:
$15,500 To expand the accessible hours of text and chat crisis line services for community benefit.
$10,000 To support UMatter Weeks in a minimum of five high schools, to raise awareness about mental health challenges and the severity of them amongst the Jewish teenage community of Metro Detroit and supply tools for approaching and addressing them.
This year, we chose special needs as one of our grant making priorities. We feel that this is important because of the division in our community between those with special needs and those without. We believe that everyone deserves equal opportunities, despite our differences. By funding programs that help people with special needs, we hope to broaden the opportunities available and allow them to lead better lives. Our goal is to help people with special needs feel more included within the community.
The Teen Board made two grants to organizations working to address this issue:
$12,486 To support LinkUp: Social Connection for Young Adults with Special Needs, which will provide an array of full social inclusion opportunities for individuals ages 18-26.
$12,000 To support the School Inclusion Program in order to allow students with a wide range of special needs to be included and be successful in a Jewish day school classroom with their same age peers and siblings.
Hamtramck School-Based Health Center in Partnership with Children’s Hospital of Michigan Foundation
The Robert Sosnick Award of Excellence was established in memory of Robert Sosnick, whose bold vision and leadership skills led to the creation of The Jewish Fund. In tribute to Mr. Sosnick and in keeping with the mission of The Jewish Fund, the program selected for the award should represent the ideals and standards of excellence that are both hallmarks of this award and characteristics of Robert Sosnick. Innovation, collaboration, achievement of program objectives, impact on quality of life, management of resources, and sustainability are all key criteria for a program’s selection for this annual award which includes a $25,000 prize.
The Jewish Fund is proud to support this community-based health center which serves to fill a gap in access to healthcare for students in the Hamtramck Schools and their families, serving a vital resource for legal immigrant children who are not eligible for Medicaid coverage, other than emergency services, in Michigan. In addition to direct health care services, the Center provides health education to students, school staff and the community by organizing and conducting health-related community programs. Among the range of health services provided free of charge, are the following critical services: immunizations, health screenings, TB screenings, evaluations for special needs, health referrals, vision exams and provision of eyeglasses, Medicaid health insurance enrollment insurance, development of individualized education plans, social work and community education.
Key to the long-term success of the health center is its dedicated staff that continues to adapt their practices and materials in order to serve the various immigrant groups who come for assistance in ways that are culturally appropriate and respectful. The Center actively pursues the elimination of barriers to accessing services and initiating new services with the support of a variety of community partners. These partners include Children’s Hospital of Michigan, Hamtramck Public Schools, Wayne County Health Department, City of Detroit Department of Health, Michigan Department of Community Health and Hamtramck Social Services. The Center is also affiliated with Wayne State University’s School of Medicine. The Jewish Fund recognizes the range and quality of services provided in an efficient and effective manner, given the Center’s modest budget of under $400,000 annually.
In 2016, the Center provided nearly 4,000 immunizations, recorded over 1,800 patient encounters, and treated 568 new patients beyond the prior year. Testing to diagnose Tuberculosis was provided to 34 patients. Individual Student Care Plans were developed for 44 students with chronic diseases and 216 consultation or social work visits were held to help families to access needed resources. Additionally, 206 families were helped to acquire health insurance and 33 pregnant women were enrolled in prenatal care services. Nearly 300 community participants attended health education programs. Given the lack of income from health services provided, the Hamtramck School – Based Health Center will continue to rely on philanthropic support and hopes the receipt of this award, may encourage additional funders to support the Center.
The Hamtramck School-Based Health Center has become a valued partner of The Jewish Fund and has two, three-year grants totaling $179,835 since 2014. Congratulations to the Hamtramck School-Based Health Center and Children’s Hospital of Michigan Foundation teams!
Hamtramck High School, where HSBHC operates.
2016 Starfish Family Services – Baby Power
2015 Hebrew Free Loan – Project Heal
2014 Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue
2013 Fair Food Network
2012 Forgotten Harvest
2011 Kadima
2010 Summer in the City
2009 JARC
2008 Jewish Senior Life/JVS - Dorothy & Peter Brown Jewish Community Adult Day Care Program
2007 Jewish Family Service – Project Chessed
2006 Jewish Community Center – Kids All Together
2005 City Year Detroit
2004 Children’s Dental Health Foundation
2003 DMC/Sinai Grace Hospital – Comprehensive Heart Program
2002 Jewish Hospice & Chaplaincy Network
2001 Kids Kicking Cancer
2000 JVS/Jewish Senior Life – Assisted Meals Program
For the year ending May 31, 2017, The Jewish Fund had a total return of 12.8% and the investment’s asset value was $61.6 million. The table above summarizes The Fund’s historic asset balances since its inception in 1997. During the 2017 fiscal year, The Jewish Fund award over $3 million in grants, representing the one-year payments of multi-year and single-year grants. Since inception, The Fund has awarded over $59 million in grants.
