More Jewish Philanthropy Is Going to Identity and Social-Change Issues

Title: Giving Jewish: How Big Funders Have Transformed American Jewish Philanthropy

Organization: AVI CHAI Foundation

Summary: Wealthy Jewish donors and foundations are focusing their giving less on older established institutions and more on efforts to build Jewish identity among the least involved Jews, according to the report. They are also beefing up collaboration among major foundations and increasing their giving to programs trying to make big social changes.

The report examined how Jewish philanthropy, which has amounted to $6 billion in annual giving, has changed over the past 25 years.

Among the findings:

• Interest in and giving to programs aimed at increasing Jewish identity have outpaced philanthropy to social services, such as care for the elderly, immigrants, and impoverished Jews, among wealthy Jewish donors.
• Jewish-led foundations are shifting their attention from supporting causes and institutions to efforts that seek to make broad social changes or address systemic societal problems.
• More than 100 foundations focused on Jewish life in the United States and Israel have emerged in the past 25 years.
• Some of the big new Jewish-related foundations that have surfaced in recent decades are being led by women, who previously played a smaller role.