What We Fund
Community Investments
Each year, the Jewish Federation of St. Louis works with our volunteer and professional community leadership to assess the needs of our community and establish strategic plans to sustain our vibrant Jewish ecosystem. Through our partnerships with thousands of donors, we then raise over $15 million each year to meet those needs. Our volunteers then lead a community investment process to get those funds working to fulfill our mission through agencies, congregations, organizations, and programs. Our team then evaluates those investments based on the impact they are having here in St. Louis, in Israel and wherever there is a need. This community impact and philanthropy work has been done since our inception in 1901 and remains the core of our work.
Types of Investments
Community Investment Opportunities
We have many funding opportunities available to nonprofit organizations and types of support available to individual community members.
Learn more about our Community Investment Opportunities.
Research Fund
Jewish Federation of St. Louis, in conjunction with local synagogues and other Jewish organizations, launched a study of the St. Louis area Jewish community in 2014 to determine its size, geographic distribution, socioeconomic, religious and cultural attributes. The St. Louis Jewish Community Study will help inform community planning, allocations and programming efforts for Jewish agencies and organizations for the next decade.
Total Community Investments Chart
Sources of Funds
Endowments & Planned Giving
Endowments and Planned Giving provide an annual income or a tailored stream of payments to support programs, projects, agencies, organizations, or initiatives of particular interest to you and your family.
Contact Lori Wishne, Director of Planned Giving & Endowments, to learn more about setting up your own Endowment.
Donor Advised Funds
A Donor Advised Fund is established exclusively for donor charitable giving. It enables donors to support causes they care about most and offers important tax advantages. The dollars donated to a Donor Advised Fund are invested, therefore maximizing their charitable impact while the donor retains the privilege to make allocations.
Contact Lori Wishne, Director of Planned Giving & Endowments, to learn more about setting up your Donor Advised Fund.
Supporting Foundations
A Supporting Foundation is an independent tax-exempt entity with its own identity and corporate structure. It is governed and operated by its own Board of Trustees and qualifies as a public charity, and therefore, a tax-exempt entity, because of its affiliation with the Jewish Federation of St. Louis.
Financial Resource Development Chart
Leadership
Planning & Allocations/Transition Committee
NOTE: All names are in alphabetical order by last name.
Committee Chair: Greg Yawitz
Committee Members: Douglas Baron*, Daniel Friedman, Burt Garland*, Daniel Ginsburg, Randall E. Green, Gerry Greiman, JoAnne Levy, Ruth Raskas, Craig Rosenthal*, Sue Schlichter*, Sherry Shuman*, and Les Sterman
*These individuals were past Subcommittee Chairs and play a leadership role in the transition process.
Staff
Michael Oberlander, Chief Philanthropy Officer
Mindee Fredman, Director, Community Investment
Nikki Weinstein, Director, Community Assessment & Planning
Emily Bornstein, Manager, Impact & Evaluation
Lori Kabrun-Berry, Senior Associate, Community Impact
Nava Kantor, Associate, Community Impact
At this time, we are in the process of developing a model to implement our new Strategic Plan, and we are exploring different methods to look at all our investments through the lens of our new Strategic Plan.
We are also beginning to restructure the framework for lay involvement in the new model. The vision for the new model moves away from thematic subcommittees and towards committees with substantive expertise and experience that can support the processes in needs assessment; planning and review of impactful interventions and programs; community investment; and evaluating the impact of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis’ investments.