The Federation’s Impact by the Numbers in 2016

San Francisco, CA – The Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties (the Federation) has concluded a strong 2015-2016 year of impact, achieved through meaningful collaboration with its partners – organizations, donors, foundations, and community leaders – to build and sustain Jewish life and community in the Bay Area, Israel, and globally. During the coming fiscal year (July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017), the Federation will continue to emphasize collaboration as it plans to invest $23.5 million in the Jewish community through a mixture of direct grants and programs, in addition to other non-financial types of support.

“This was a year of important community building and realignment for the Federation, energized and supported by a renewed spirit of partnership with our community,” said Danny Grossman, CEO of the Federation. “Our success as an organization hinges on our capacity to convene, lead, listen, support, and reinforce the phenomenal work of agencies, synagogues, foundations, and philanthropists. We have worked hard to become more efficient, more transparent, more strategic, more genuinely collaborative, and, as a result, make a greater impact on our Jewish world. Thanks to a truly communal effort, we are able to holistically support Jewish life in the Bay Area, Israel, and globally.”

The Federation’s projected community financial investment of $23.5 million (for the 2016-2017 fiscal year) is divided into three primary areas of impact: Caring for the Vulnerable, Inspiring Jewish Life and Learning, and Strengthening Israeli Society. These dollars support the community through direct grants to outstanding organizations and through the Federation’s own programs, both of which provide direct services or address communal needs. This work is funded by $22.1 million in philanthropic resources raised during the 2015-2016 fiscal year, as well as other business revenue sources. Fundraising dollars include both unrestricted gifts and gifts designated to specific areas of focus, including the Campus Initiative on Israel Engagement and the Portrait of Bay Area Jewish Life and Communities.

Highlights of the Federation’s impact during the 2015-2016 fiscal year:

• Capacity Building services to over 80 Jewish organizations, achieving substantial enhancements in the productivity and impact of those organizations. These services include our Pro Bono Consulting Practice, which saved $300,000 by leveraging 1,250 hours of free professional expertise for our partners.
• The Synagogue-Federation Partnership, which advised and educated over 160 lay and professional leaders at 22 synagogues on issues ranging from leadership to growth, financial sustainability, and legacy giving. And our planned giving trainings helped eight nonprofits raise tens of thousands of dollars in legacy commitments.
• Leadership Development for more than 50 participants through Fed Fellows, the Grand Leadership Institute, LGBTQ Pathways to Jewish Leadership, and other programs. These programs have resulted in numerous placements on boards, committees, and professional positions in our community.
• Sending more than 450 teens and young adults to Israel through Birthright, Diller Teen Fellows, Gift of Israel, and other programs.
• Engaging 73 local teens in the Federation’s Jewish Teen Foundations, which provided $166,000 in grants to 17 different organizations.
• Providing more than 450 scholarships for Jewish overnight camp, including 20 for Jewish family camp weekends (which includes those for single-parent families and special needs family camps) and many more for day camps; 668 scholarships for Jewish day schools; and, hundreds of individual scholarships for religious schools, preschools, and day camps.
• Serving over 10,000 kids at Jewish early childhood education centers in the Bay Area; supporting 400 teachers; distributing free PJ Library books to more than 5,000 local children; and, providing Jewish Resource Specialist services at 15 schools, with more than 2,000 participating children.
• Engaging more than 3,000 Jewish young adults, who joined dozens of service projects, professional development events, and other local Federation programming.

In addition to direct grantmaking and programs, the Federation also stewarded and administered some $150 million in donor-directed grants to both Jewish and secular organizations through personal philanthropic vehicles under Federation management (during the 2015-2016 fiscal year), including:

• $80.8 million in grants through 25 Supporting Foundations to 353 organizations.
• $68.8 million in grants through 877 Donor Advised Funds to 2,557 organizations.

The Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund connects people of all ages, backgrounds, and perspectives to the power of the Jewish community to improve the world. We partner with donors, organizations, and foundations to address pressing issues facing our community, and develop innovative strategies that result in deep and lasting impact locally, in Israel, and around the world. Learn more at www.jewishfed.org.