Coming Together to Better Serve the Bay Area Jewish Community

If you have additional questions not covered here, please email us.

What is happening?
The Jewish Federation and Jewish Community Foundation of the East Bay, and the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund are coming together in order to better serve the Bay Area Jewish community.

The core work of the East Bay Federation will continue under the auspices of the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund. The Jewish Community Foundation of the East Bay will be transferring its operations to the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund to better serve philanthropists and the broader Bay Area Jewish community. This includes donor and account administration, finance, assets, asset management, grantmaking and grant management. The San Francisco-based Federation will maintain an office in the East Bay, and retain several professionals there focused on East Bay donors, philanthropy, and community.

Refer to our press release for more information.

Why is this happening now?
Our organizations were founded before the Bay Bridge was built, but our community is now highly transient. In February 2018, we released a population study that confirmed there is a sense of connection to a larger regional Jewish community, as opposed to one segregated by regions. Today, it no longer makes sense to support two separate operations.

Philanthropy trends show that donors want more efficient use of donated funds, demonstrable social impact (including the capital waiting to be granted), and designated giving is on the rise. The San Francisco-based Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund’s expanded philanthropy advisory practice, called Federation Philanthropy Partners, is poised to meet these needs.

Is this a merger?
No. A “merger” is a legal term, and the two East Bay non-profit entities are not merging. Legally, the two non-profit entities of the East Bay Federation and Foundation will be dissolving and their services transitioned to the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund, to more efficiently serve the entire Bay Area community.

Will the Jewish Federation of the East Bay be closing?
Yes. The non-profit entity of the Jewish Federation of the East Bay will dissolve and some of its core activities will transition to the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund, including the Sprout initiative (which encompasses PJ Library and PJ Our Way and Youth and Family Concierge services), professional development for East Bay Early Childhood Educators, security support for East Bay Jewish organizations and synagogues, and financial Aid for Jewish summer camp and Israel travel. Operations will wind down by June 30, 2019.

Will The Jewish Community Foundation of the East Bay be closing?
Yes. The non-profit entity of The Jewish Community Foundation of the East Bay will dissolve and all of its activities will transition to the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund, including account administration, finance, assets and asset management, grantmaking and grant management. We anticipate that this change will occur over a number of months.

What about funding for East Bay Jewish organizations?
The East Bay Federation and Foundation have secured an additional three years of funding for East Bay Community Impact grantees. Our hope is that this will give the organizations and the larger community time to adjust to the San Francisco-based Federation’s granting requirements.

What will happen to the East Bay staff?
A small number of current East Bay Federation and Foundation staff will receive job offers from the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund to continue focusing on East Bay donors, philanthropy, and community. Those announcements are forthcoming. There will be layoffs in order to decrease administrative costs. We are working hard to take care of our staff members given the difficulty of this reality.

What is going on with the San Francisco-based organization’s strategic plan, and how do these decisions impact that?
The Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund has been undergoing a strategic planning process over the past year. The average strategic planning process takes 12-18 months and with the myriad of stakeholders and programs we have, in addition to our 100+ history, creating a strategic plan takes time. We are aiming to have a final plan developed for Board approval this summer. Once that plan is approved, we will evaluate how to best align the activities of the East Bay Federation and Foundation to best fulfill the strategic plan. We will keep you informed on these developments.

Are you also collaborating with the Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley?
The Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley is undergoing their own strategic planning process. We welcome discussions when the timing is right for them.

Where can I learn more?
The East Bay Federation and Foundation will be hosting an Annual Meeting on June 19, at the Brower Center in Berkeley. We will be celebrating 100 years of serving the East Bay community, and envisioning our future as we move into our second century of giving back. All are welcome.

For Donors and Fundholders of the East Bay Federation and East Bay Community Foundation

What if I’m a donor to the East Bay annual campaign?
Your donations will be invested into further building the East Bay Jewish community. Your future gifts can continue to be designated and invested in the East Bay.

Will the transition impact any of my fund activity?
After a short period when your fund will not be available for any activity, from June 24 through July 7, you will make grant recommendations and send in contributions to the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund (the Federation). The Federation has a similar portal for making grant recommendations and checking your fund balance. We will provide access details in a separate communication.

What will the transition look like? When can I expect that to happen for my fund?
We will be transferring all assets and data to the Federation as part of this transition. You will not need to do anything to effect this change. Once the transition is completed, you will continue to make contributions and grants as you do today, with some new instructions for mailing checks, processing wire transfers, and making stock gifts. We will provide these instructions in a separate communication.

What types of contributions to my fund does the Federation accept? Is it different from what The Jewish Community Foundation of the East Bay (The Foundation) accepts?
Like The Foundation, we can quickly process contributions by check and wire transfer as well as publicly-traded securities. More complex and/or illiquid gifts, such as real estate, IPO or privately-held stock, are also supported and will be considered for acceptance, subject to due diligence.

How do you communicate with me that you’ve received my contribution?
We typically send an acknowledgment letter within a week following the receipt of a contribution.

How can I make a stock gift, and how long does it take before it is available for grantmaking?
You will continue to work with your broker to transfer publicly-traded securities to Charles Schwab. Because Schwab does not give us the source of the contribution, it is always important that you notify us by email or phone with the name of the security or securities and number of shares. We sell the shares immediately. While it may take up to two weeks before the proceeds from the settlement appear as available for granting, you may still submit grant recommendations. As long we have received your contribution of stock and credited it to your fund, we will process your recommendations.

What is the process for recommending a grant?
You may submit a grant recommendation via the donor portal or by submitting a grant recommendation form by mail or email.

How long does it take to process a grant?
Grants are processed weekly. Recommendations submitted by noon on Tuesday generally will be sent out on Friday of that week. Grants to organizations not already in our database or that require additional due diligence may require an extra week. We will notify you if there is going to be any additional delay.

Can I still recommend grants to the organizations that I’ve previously supported?
Most of your grantees will likely already be approved for grants. If you recommend a grant to a grantee the Federation has not funded before, we will conduct due diligence on the organization to verify its tax-exempt status and ensure its activities comply with the Federation’s grantmaking guidelines, which encompass the vast majority of nonprofit organizations. If there are any concerns about a particular organization, we will reach out to you.

Are there different grantmaking guidelines?
Our grantmaking guidelines are designed to ensure that all Federation grantmaking, including from donor-advised funds, is consistent with the mission and values of the Federation. The guidelines allow for grants to a very broad range of Jewish and non-Jewish institutions and are available on our website.

Will you still send me a copy of my grant award letters?
To reduce our environmental footprint and operating costs, we do not automatically mail copies of grant award letters. If you would like to continue receiving them, please notify us.

What are your investment options? How are they different/better than what I currently have available?
Your investment options will remain the same for now. The Federation is working on new investment options including multiple investment pools and an a la carte investment menu which will be available for all donors in early 2020.

How are the policies and procedures of the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund different from The Foundation policies and procedures?
Your fund will continue to be managed according to the same policies and procedures of The Foundation.

What are your fees? Are my fees going up?
By special arrangement, The Foundation’s fee structure for all funds transferred to the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund will remain the same.

Will you still mail my statements?
We post fund statements to the donor portal quarterly and notify you when they are available. If you prefer to receive statements by mail, please let us know.

What ongoing communications can I expect from the Federation?
We will email you when your quarterly statements are available. We also send a quarterly e-newsletter covering timely philanthropy topics, ideas about giving, and event announcements. You may opt in to other communications from the Federation based on your interests.

For East Bay Organizations

What about funding for East Bay Jewish organizations?
The East Bay Federation and Foundation is securing an additional three years of funding for East Bay Community Impact grantees, in order to support grantees during the transition. Those announcements are forthcoming. Our hope is that this will give the organizations and the larger community time to adjust to the San Francisco-based Federation’s granting requirements.

What programs are continuing?
The Jewish Federation of the East Bay will transition its core activities to the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund, including the Sprout initiative (which encompasses PJ Library and PJ Our Way and Youth and Family Concierge services), Early Childhood Education, and security support for East Bay Jewish organizations and synagogues.

For Donors and Fundholders of the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund

How will this new era of collaboration be beneficial to my philanthropy?
Philanthropists will be better connected to a network of donors and organizations across the Bay Area in order to achieve more and better collective impact.

Will my existing services with the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund be impacted?
Your services will continue uninterrupted through this transition. Our organization will maintain an office in the East Bay and retain several professionals focused on the East Bay Jewish community and philanthropy.