$20-Million Gift to Jewish Federation Will Provide Scholarships

Geri Braverman—who with her late husband was a longtime donor to the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles—pledged $20-million. Geri Braverman—who with her late husband was a longtime donor to the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles—pledged $20-million.

April 29, 2012 | Read Time: 1 minute

How much: $20-million pledge

Who gave it: Geri Brawerman, whose late husband, Richard, was a lawyer in Los Angeles

Who got it: The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles

Donor’s connection to the organization: Ms. Brawerman and her husband have been longtime donors to the organization.

The gift’s purpose: To provide 10 needy high-school students a year with $10,000 college scholarships. The money will also support leadership development and activities to persuade young Jews to get involved in Jewish causes.

How the gift came about: About 18 months ago, the federation approached Ms. Brawerman about making a gift that would be larger than her annual six-figure donations. Jay Sanderson, chief executive of the federation, says he told her he wanted to shift the organization’s focus more toward accomplishing donors’ goals and making a national and international impact rather than just distributing money to the same groups year after year, and he hoped she would set an example.