Columbus Jewish Foundation Realigns Spring 2009 Grants Process
As hopeful applicants eye the Columbus Jewish Foundation for grant support this Spring, concerns about pending changes in the Foundation’s gift-making priorities were answered this week with a notice to its partner agencies about the Foundation’s priorities and grant review process during the coming months.
According to the widely-circulated release, “no one can successfully predict how long the current financial crisis will last, how deep the recession will be, or what toll this will take on the non-profit sector. But transparency in our grantsmaking priorities, coupled with some tweaking of our procedures, deadlines and oversight, should alleviate your concerns so we can weather the challenging times ahead together.” “Helping Agencies Succeed,” a Foundation core value, is achieved through the provision of grants to help agencies and synagogues fulfill their charitable missions.
“As a rule in the past, Foundation seed grants were frequently made over the years to launch excellent new initiatives and programs like the Jewish community hospice, community chaplaincy, and capital campaigns” said Jackie Jacobs, Foundation Director, “but in these times it is prudent to leverage and focus on the most needed, most vulnerable, and most mission-driven programs.”
Traditional Foundation priorities and guidelines will remain the same in the following areas: Jewish Education and Literacy, Social Justice, and Jewish Arts. Grants in these fields of interest will be made from permanent endowments that were donated in past years for these purposes. However, review of general community grants applications (approximately 39% of all allocable dollars) will be temporarily deferred until a fuller picture emerges of the now-being-developed Federation allocation priorities and where United Way, Federal, State and Local government cuts will hit.
Also, a new Jewish Needy Committee will be convened to develop grants policy in this critical area, and in order to reinforce the primacy of the Federation campaign, the Foundation board has gone on record with a resolution to maintain the Foundation’s $100,000 annual Federation campaign gift for the next four years. Ruth Ann Blank, Foundation Assistant Treasurer and Community Grants Committee Chairman acknowledged that the grants process will continue to reflect the mission and purposes of the Foundation. “We know that downsizing, cutbacks, and staff reductions are likely at a time when our network of services is in greatest need.
These realities call for thoughtful planning as we move forward with the Foundation’s Spring 2009 grant making activities.” Blank noted that applications with a focus on Jewish Education & Literacy, Social Justice and the Jewish Arts will be accepted and that application deadline has been extended to 5:00 pm, Monday, March 9, 2009. She added that the new deadline gives applicants time to get a better sense of the emerging priorities of other funders, and that the Foundation does not want to be the funder of last resort.
Proposals may be considered for core programs that are facing increased program need. Greater weight will be given to requests that are submitted jointly or in cooperation with other organizations, but grants will not be entertained for multi-year funding, professional development, or fund raising-related domestic or overseas travel missions.
Overseas Needs requests will be entertained by invitation only. Although general community grants from unrestricted Foundation funds will be deferred, the Foundation’s mini-grant program remains unchanged, and requests may be submitted throughout the year. Foundation Vice President and Jewish Education and Literacy Chairman Bradley Kastan noted that all of us want to ‘do good for the Jews and our community’ and (our agencies) have very different but important missions and responsibilities towards achieving that goal . . . . Now, more than ever, a community plan will help our entire community recognize its priorities and build a wall around our most vital institutions and needs.”
The Foundation is working closely with the Columbus Jewish Federation, which is simultaneously modifying its planning and allocations procedures to maintain a safety net and well-defined core and priority allocation priorities. For more information about the Foundation, the Spring 2009 grants process and application, and giving opportunities, visit www.iamphil.org or e-mail phil@tcjf.org. Please contact Foundation Director of Grants Susan Tanur at 614-338-2365 for more specifics about the upcoming grants process.
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