The Jewish Fund Annual Report 2015-2016
In recent years, the juxtaposition of two competing needs has been central to the question of how foundations can produce the highest impact on communities with their grantmaking funds. The support for innovation can lead to new methods for addressing current problems or unmet needs and this has been the backbone of the foundation community, including the work of The Jewish Fund. Yet the realization that our community partners’ ongoing infrastructure expenses continue to grow has, until recently, been a relative whisper in the crowd of funding needs. Today, the philanthropic community is recognizing the compelling call to support capacity building, taking many forms such as board training, hiring fundraising professionals, outreach and marketing and leadership transition. These needs are frequently low priority and have traditionally been viewed as unappealing to donors. Our board of directors recognizes these types of needs to be critical to the ability of our grantees to grow, evolve and succeed and is proud to have directed new attention to such investments in our community. As you review the grants awarded during the past year, you’ll notice the creativity and depth of commitment of many grantees to strengthening their role as safety net providers, educators and health and wellness delivery agents.
We have also dedicated much of the past year to answering a critical question for The Jewish Fund: What are the highest needs in the areas of health and welfare in the local Jewish community? Given that addressing such needs is the top priority of our foundation, we recognized that we needed to learn from community residents and service providers, what these needs are so that we and other funders, could prioritize our investments to meet these needs. Through a grant to the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, an on-line survey and was implemented, along with a series of focus groups, managed by Morpace, a national market research firm. Surveys were created for the general adult population, teens and staff of Jewish agencies. The response well surpassed the numbers expected and the findings are currently serving as the basis for numerous planning initiatives. We anticipate utilizing these findings to prioritize our grantmaking efforts within the Jewish community in the coming years.
All of this can be summarized by stating the obvious…we are committed to continually assessing and refining our work in order to contribute to the improvement of our community’s health and well-being. We are grateful for the meaningful partnerships that have developed between our community’s service organizations and The Jewish Fund and hope the refinements we initiate will benefit the lives of our community residents.
Karen Sosnick Schoenberg, Chair
Margo Pernick, Executive Director
The following lists show the grants of The Jewish Fund that were approved during the 2015-2016 fiscal year at the May and November 2015 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.
$40,000 For the third year of a three-year, $120,000 grant to develop an Oak Park satellite location for activities for children with special needs.
$50,000 For the first year of a two-year, $100,000 grant to develop a capacity-building fundraising campaign for the Hillel campus at Wayne State University.
$100,000 For a one year grant to support capital campaign fundraising planning efforts and to maintain support of the program director position.
$10,500 For one year to provide personalized coaching and training while nurturing independence, healthy development and deterrence of substance abuse for young adults and teens with developmental disabilities. Teen Board Grant
$175,000 For the second year of a three-year, $507,500 grant to assist with the financial and operational transition of the organization.
$40,000 For the second year of a two-year, $94,200 grant to foster greater cultural competency, accessibility and responsiveness of available social services targeting the Orthodox Jewish community.
$161,300 For the second year of a three-year, $486,200 grant to enhance and grow aging in place services through assistive technology.
$150,942 For the first year of a three-year, $370,543 grant to enhance and grow aging in place services to better respond to Jewish communal needs and improve health, safety and quality of life for at-risk older adults.
$30,000 For a one year grant to improve the effectiveness of its communications and marketing services in order to build its capacity.
$900 For travel expenses for the second year of a $76,882 grant to educate and organize the Jewish community for effective intervention to prevent suicide and respond to community crises.
$37,500 For the second year of a three-year, $112,500 grant to facilitate the enrollment of low-income and at-risk members of the Jewish community in Healthy Michigan.
Up to $150,000 To implement a community needs assessment to identify critical health and welfare needs of the local Jewish community.
$23,500 For the third year of a three-year, $186,000 grant to expand services to better serve Jewish day school students with special needs.
$140,000 For the first year of a two-year, $265,000 bridge grant to provide comprehensive classroom and auxiliary support for children with a range of disabilities attending Jewish day schools.
$500,000 For a one-year grant to support the Foundation for Our Jewish Elderly’s funding of in-home support, adult day care and escorted transportation services, operated by Jewish Family Service, JVS and Jewish Senior Life.
$350,000 For a second year grant of funds available from the original grant award of $500,000, over three years, to frontload donor gifts in order to provide an immediate payout to support services while a donor’s gift is being fully funded.
$75,000 For the first year of a three-year, $225,000 grant to provide clinical support for Jewish patients with progressive terminal illness.
$50,000 For the third year of three-year, $150,000 grant to create sustainability for the organization’s future.
$105,706 For a one year grant to purchase equipment needed to launch an electronic recycling program and to build agency capacity in order to maintain high mission services.
$50,000 For a one year challenge grant to support programs serving people with disabilities, as a result of reduced public funding.
$27,401 For the third year of a three-year, $97,130 grant to expand the Memory Club at its Southfield location and at the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield to meet increased needs.
$72,500 For the first year of a three-year, $205,500 grant to hire a nurse practitioner to develop an integrated care model for the agency.
$55,000 For the third year of a three-year, $180,000 grant to help young adults who are diagnosed with mental illness and substance abuse, grow to their maximum potential.
$11,800 For a one year grant to help launch Moishe House in Detroit.
$4,800 For the third year of a three-year, $14,750 grant to provide kosher housing for women and their children in need of housing due to domestic abuse.
$20,000 For the second year of a three-year, $60,000 grant to hire an administrative assistant to help its volunteers in all operational functions.
$158,900 For the third year of a three-year, $158,900 grant to improve access to quality healthcare for LGBT people through cultural competency training targeting nurses and other health care professionals.
$43,812For the third year of a three-year, $131,436 grant to increase the overall health of underinsured and uninsured Brightmoor residents by providing free mobile medical, dental and community support assistance.
$39,995 For the second year of a three-year, $119,985 grant to support the operations of the Hamtramck School-Based Health Center.
$75,000 For the second year of a two-year, $150,000 grant to support the Early Childhood Funders Collaborative Innovation Fund.
$6,000 For a one-year grant to support prescriptions and medical supplies for underinsured and uninsured individuals and families.
$60,000 For the third year of a three-year, $180,000 grant to develop its expanded health center.
$390,223 For the second year of a three-year, $1,166,223 grant to expand the Nurse Family Partnership in Detroit, in order to decrease infant mortality and increase child wellness.
$7,000 For the third year of a three-year, $21,000 grant to expand the clinic’s hours of operation.
$50,000 For the second year of a three-year, $150,000 grant to support the Women Inspired Neighborhood (WIN) Network, which may lead to improved rates of infant survival.
$50,000 For the first year of a three-year, $100,000 grant to develop a recuperative center for homeless adults discharged from the hospital who require follow-up care and supportive services.
$25,500 For the second year of a three-year, $87,400 grant to address issues of young adult homelessness, along with substance abuse and mental health.
$16,000 For the first year of a two-year, $32,000 grant to add testing for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and Hep C, and to add women to the client population for testing.
$56,345 For the first year of a three-year, $169,035 grant to improve the health and wellness of at-risk children, ages 0-3 in Oakland County.
$65,000 For the first year of a three-year, $175,000 grant to expand integrated perinatal care by serving underserved and high-risk women and children.
$30,000 For the third year of a three-year, $90,000 grant to support operating expenses for provision of dentures, salary and rent for the dental clinic.
$17,500 For one year to increase family acceptance of an LGBTQ youth in order to prevent/address substance abuse issues. Teen Board Grant
$40,000 For a one year grant to support the organization’s engagement of a business strategy consultant.
$9,500 For one year to enhance the literacy skills of both children and their parent/caregiver. Teen Board Grant
$60,000 For the first year of a three-year, $160,000 grant to increase capacity to better meet the child maltreatment and trauma prevention needs in Detroit/Eastern Wayne County.
$12,500 For one year to support at-risk toddlers and preschoolers, so they can be successful in kindergarten. Teen Board Grant
$25,500 For the second year of a three-year, $150,000 grant to improve health outcomes for young children with asthma.
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 2nd year of programming, 34 Teen Board members, representing 13 high schools and 11 congregations, granted $50,000 in two focus areas.
As The Jewish Fund Teen Board we feel domestic violence is a pressing issue in our community. While researching this topic, we were shocked to learn the reality of domestic violence in our area. In fact, one in four women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime, often times unreported. After learning about the reality of this problem, we felt we needed to address it. This matter became our top priority after a representative from Haven, a local organization that deals with domestic violence on a daily basis, visited us and gave a compelling speech. It became our mission to give these victims a voice and encourage them to speak out against domestic violence. With the money we gave back to the community, we hope to make a significant difference in how domestic violence is perceived in our area.
The Teen Board is proud to fund an organization which works tirelessly to address this issue:
$15,000 to support Building a Future Without Violence, a community outreach program which provides youth with increased awareness to the prevalence of domestic and sexual violence, while developing skills for healthy relationships, and learning skills to intervene in a culture that allows for violence to occur.
We chose our grantmaking priority on mental health because this issue is very apparent among teenagers in our Metro Detroit. With the recent suicides in our community, our awareness of this issue made us want to do something about it.
As high schoolers, we see mental health as an important issue that appears every day in our lives at school and the negative impact it has. By contributing to the fight for mental health awareness, we hope to make a positive impact on our society.
We believe that by educating our community, we can reduce the stigma and establish an open and positive environment, as opposed to one where those who suffer from mental illness feel alone and have no one to turn to.
The Teen Board made three grants to organizations working to address this issue:
$6,000 To support a Teen Depression Educational Series to raise awareness about depression and the severity of it amongst the Jewish teenage community of Metro Detroit, and to supply tools for approaching and addressing it.
$19,000 To support Recognizing & Responding to Mental Health Crises in Youth & Young Adults. This program will train non-mental health professionals in understanding the signs and symptoms of mental health problems in youth and young adults; as well as how to respond in effective ways during a mental health crisis.
$10,000 To support Mental Wellness Workshops in order to facilitate unmet mental health needs within the Orthodox community by hosting educational workshops and lectures.
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.
This year’s recipient is Starfish Family Services in recognition of Baby Power, an evidence-informed early childhood intervention program addressing the maternal mental health needs of pregnant at-risk women and new mothers living in Inkster, Michigan, and neighboring communities. The program was designed and implemented in partnership with the Depression Center at The University of Michigan to improve maternal mental health by reducing stress, depression and anxiety, to improve parenting and the quality of mother-infant relationships, and to increase natural social supports for at-risk Inkster mothers. Through a range of strategic activities, including prenatal education, home-based assessment and support, group therapy, parenting classes, community outreach and social events, Starfish has demonstrated strong outcomes for participating families. Meaningful community partnerships are an integral part of the program, as a key objective is to access community resources. Evaluations reported a high degree ¬of success in most areas, including enrollment and program completion, increased knowledge of the childbirth process, and reduced anxiety. The reporting and documentation of its evaluative activities are superior to any other grantee funded by The Jewish Fund.
Starfish Family Services has become a valued partner of The Jewish Fund and has received six grants totaling $465,000 since 2004 for a range of programmatic and capacity building initiatives. Congratulations to the Baby Power team at Starfish!
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, 2016, The Jewish Fund had a total return of (4.6%) and the investment’s asset value was approximately $58.1 million. The table above summarizes the Fund’s historic asset balances since its inception I 1997. During the 2016 fiscal year, The Jewish Fund awarded 47 grants totaling over $3.4 million. These represent the one-year payments of multi-year and single-year grants.
