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
Strategic Program Grants
Strategic Program Grants support programs and services that expand and strengthen an engaged, vibrant and flourishing St. Louis Jewish community; secure the well-being and safety of individuals within the Jewish community; strengthen our connection to Israel and the Jewish People worldwide; and develop the financial and human resources, and infrastructure, needed by our community.
Local Beneficiary Agency Investments
Jewish Federation of St. Louis has 15 Partner Agencies that receive unrestricted funding each year to help support their capacity to serve the St. Louis Jewish community.
Learn more about our Beneficiary Agencies.
National Agency Investments
Jewish Federation of St. Louis funds the JCC Association, Hillel Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA), the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, American Jewish Committee, Anti-Defamation League, B’nai B’rith Youth Organization (BBYO), Israel Action Network (IAN), Moishe House and JPro Network. Part of the submission of each of these agencies/organizations is a breakdown of how the work that they do impacts our St. Louis community.
Learn more about our National Agencies.
Israel & Overseas Agency Investments
Jewish Federation of St. Louis, through its unrestricted overseas allocation, funds programs and services of the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) and the American Joint Distribution Committee (JDC).
Learn more about our Israel and Overseas Agencies.
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.