VOL. 20 NO. 2 • SUMMER 20105770

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1-3 2010 CUTTING EDGEGRANTS RECIPIENTS

NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR DONORS AND FRIENDS OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

F ive non-profit organizations whose programsseek to address social issues, strengthen Jewish

identity and add vibrancy to Jewish life, have beenawarded a total of more than $1 million in CuttingEdge Grants by the Jewish Community Foundationof Los Angeles.

Cutting Edge Grants encourage creative thinkers,social entrepreneurs and innovative organizations topropose and implement significant and transformativeprograms of high visibility and impact. Grantees canreceive a maximum of $250,000 over three years.Created in 2006, this grant program also providesfunding for local replications of high-impactinnovative programs already successfully implementedin other geographic markets.

The 2010 awarded programs include arts andculture festivals for young, unaffiliated Jews; a bookgifting program that mails age-appropriate Jewishreading books to families with young children; anindependent living program for special-needsadults; and a community-wide effort that organizescongregations and nonprofits to address the issue ofhunger in Los Angeles.

“This year’s Cutting Edge Grants represent someof the most innovative and transformational thinkinggoing on in our community. From addressing hunger inL.A. to the housing needs of developmentally disabledJewish young adults, to opening up a world ofJudaism for young children through reading, to newcommunity-based arts and culture programs, thesevibrant, dynamic initiatives will not only engage ourcommunity and make significant impact today, butwill also resonate for years to come,” statedMarvinSchotland,The Foundation’s president and CEO.

Satisfying the hunger to helpA grant of $250,000 was awarded to The Jewish

Federation of Greater Los Angeles for Fed Upwith Hunger/Netiya. Initially launched at theHigh Holidays in 2009 with the goal of ensuringthat everyone in Los Angeles County has enoughto eat, this grant will support activities such asplanting gardens, organizing food drives and usingthe community’s collective voice to influenceanti-hunger legislation.

Netiya, founded by Rabbi Noah Farkas atValley Beth Shalom, is a coalition of synagogues,camps, schools,Hillel groups, social action organizations

On a warm, late-spring evening from a hillsideveranda with panoramic views stretching fromDowntown Los Angeles to the Pacific Ocean,The Foundation hosted acelebration of nonprofitleadership in our community.The symbolism of thesetting—a seemingly endlessvista of our city—was notlost on me. Symbolic, I say,because surrounding me onthat terrace was a collectionof visionaries—recent recipi-ents of The Foundation’sCutting Edge GrantsInitiative (CEGI), each ofwhom has his and her own distinct perspectivefor perpetuating a vibrant Jewish Los Angeles.

The event (see p. 4) b rought together grantrecipients with donors, board members, profes-sional staff and friends. Now five years old,Cutting Edge Grants provide multi-year awardsup to $250,000 for innovative programs thataddress important, substantiated needs in the localJewish community. Representatives of 13 recipientorganizations shared overviews of their programs

Continued on back page

Marvin I. SchotlandPRESIDENT & CEO, JEWISH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

F R O M T H E D E S K O F

DONOR PROFILES5

Continued on page 2

Nurturing Identity, BuildingCommunity, Repairingthe WorldFoundation awards more than $1 million inCutting Edge Grants to launch five new,innovative programs in the L.A. Jewish community

This year’s Cutting Edge Grants will fund transformativeprograms benefitting a wide range of people throughoutLos Angeles.

CELEBRATING LEADERSHIP4

Printed with vegetable based inks on recycled paper/30% post-consumer recovered fiber.

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2Cutting Edge Grants Continued from page 1

Six Points Fellowship for EmergingJewish Artists$250,000 to support nine L.A. artist fellows to produceexhibits and performances that connect young Jews to theirJewish identity.

The Six Points Fellowship for Emerging Jewish Artistsis based on a pilot program in New York, where artistscreated projects that engaged 9,500 attendees from theNew York area and nearly 20,000 people through onlineblogs and a website. Established in 2006, The Six PointsFellowship was created in response to a realization withinthe Jewish community that culture, especially popularculture (film, music, television, art, performance arts,books and magazines), is a powerful connector in the

lives of young unaffiliated Jewish adults. It is also the primary mechanismfor creating a common language and furthering Jewish identity. From thisrealization came the understanding that artists are critical peer guidesalong this journey. Three partner organizations—Avoda Arts, JDub, andFoundation for Jewish Culture—came together to create a program thatwould support emerging artists in creating high quality culture engagedwith Jewish ideas, concepts and questions.www.sixpointsfellowship.org

Etta Israel Center: J-CHAI: Jewish CommunityHousing for Adult Independence$200,000 to enable independent living and participation inJewish communal activities to 32 higher functioning Jewishyoung adults with special needs.

Founded in 1993, the Etta Israel Center (EIC) raisesawareness of and provides services for Jewish youth andadults with special needs. The goal is for individuals withspecial needs to achieve inclusion and integration in theL.A. Jewish community. EIC began its residential programin 2000. It owns and operates several adult residentialfacilities for Jewish adults ages 18-59 with mild tomoderate developmental disabilities. Additionally, EICoffers inclusion and self-contained classrooms in Jewish

day schools for developmentally challenged students. EIC also providessocial activities for young Jews with special needs including summercamps, shabbatonim and other recreational programs. It pioneeredprogramming for the L.A. Iranian Jewish community, offering supportgroups for parents of children with disabilities conducted in Farsi.www.etta.org

JConnect Inc: Jewlicious Journeys Project$200,000 to enable thousands of young adults to connect totheir Jewish identity through Jewish immersion experiencesthat showcase young Jewish filmmakers, musicians and artists.

Founded in 2002 by Cheston Mizel,JConnect is an independent, grassrootsorganization dedicated to promotingcommunity, unity and Jewish connectivityfor Jews in their 20s and 30s. JConnect

merged with Jewlicious in 2009 in order to combine resources and expandits scope to offer a variety of “Jewish experience” brands that utilize innovativeways to engage and inspire Jewish college students and young adults. Programsinclude JConnectLA, Shabbat Tent, Jewlicious Festival, Jewlicious.com,and Jewish Film Competition. With Cutting Edge Grant funding fromThe Foundation, JConnect will now produce Jewlicious Journeys whichaims to attract 12,000 young adults in three years to its annual cycle offour Jewish-immersion festivals in music, culture and service.www.jconnectla.com

Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles:Fed Up with Hunger/Netiya$250,000 to engage, unify and mobilize the L.A. Jewishcommunity to participate in a campaign of volunteerism,advocacy, and gardening/environmental programming toaddress the issues of hunger and food access.

Fed Up with Hunger/Netiya is a new initiative of theLos Angeles Jewish Federation and Netiya, the L.A.Jewish Coalition on Food, Environment and SocialJustice. The Jewish Federation is the central planning,coordinating and fundraising body for 22 local and

international agencies, as well as other partners. It offers a broad rangeof humanitarian programs benefitting the local Jewish community andbeyond. Netiya (Hebrew for “planting”) is a multi-denominational coalitionof synagogues and Jewish community institutions engaged in social actionand community organizing. It was founded by Rabbi Noah Farkas ofValley Beth Shalom.www.jewishla.org

Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles:PJ Library Los Angeles Community$150,000 to enable 1,800 unaffiliated families to connectwith Jewish community and culture through children's booksand music.

Founded in 2005 by philanthropist Harold Grinspoon,PJ Library is a national outreach program for Jewishfamilies with young children, currently serving more than115 communities. The PJ Library sends out free, age-appropriate Jewish children’s books and music to young

Jewish children on a monthly basis.The PJ Library has been very successful with 2,100 children currentlyenrolled from the San Fernando, Conejo, Simi, Santa Clarita andAntelope Valleys. Now, with the grant funding from The Foundation,The Jewish Federation is able to launch the PJ Library program citywideto an additional 1,800 eligible children.www.jewishla.org

2010 Cutting Edge Grant RecipientsAt A Glance

and community members, organized around hunger and environmentalissues.

“Los Angeles has been dubbed the hunger capital of the country,”said Scott Minkow,The Jewish Federation’s vice president,Partnerships & Innovation.“More than one million Angelinos—one outof eight—lack consistent access to nutritious food.We know that acrossthe board—Orthodox, Reform, Conservative and unaffiliated, youngand old—people want to get involved in this issue. Fed Up withHunger/Netiya can unite these efforts under one banner—and we lookforward to uniting our Jewish community in this important socialjustice cause.”

Empowering emerging artistsAlso receiving a $250,000 grant was Six Points Fellowship for

Emerging Jewish Artists, a partnership of Avoda Arts, JDub andthe Foundation for Jewish Culture. Based on a highly successfulprogram in NewYork, the program provides fellowships for emergingartists to create projects in film, video, animation, visual arts andperformance-based arts that investigate Jewish values and ideas.Theartists will present their projects to young Jewish audiences atmainstream venues.

“Los Angeles is a city of people who love culture,” said RebeccaGuber, director of Six Points Fellowship.“There are many cultural

New York fellows of the Six Points Fellowship for Emerging Jewish Artists,which is being adapted to support nine fellow artists to produce Jewish-themed exhibits and performances in Los Angeles.

The Jewish Federation received $250,000 for its Fed up with Hunger/Netiyaprogram to address hunger and improve policies related to food access.

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consumers and many artists here.The Fellowship will allow a wholegeneration of young L.A. Jewish artists and their audiences to connectto their Jewish identity and the community through the arts.”

Six Points Fellowship will target artists in underserved communities—Israeli, Russian and Persian Jews, as well as some East Side creativeneighborhoods such as Echo Park, Silver Lake and Highland Park.

“We are empowering artists to express ‘being Jewish’ on their ownterms,” said Guber.“The Foundation’s support is essential for us in thisparticular moment as we are looking to create a truly engaging Jewishidentity program in Los Angeles. Other funders are now willing to geton board with us because of The Foundation’s lead grant.”

Fostering greater inclusivenessThe Foundation awarded $200,000 to Etta Israel Center for

J-CHAI—Jewish Community Housing for Adult Independence—anew program to help developmentally disabled young Jewish adults findand share apartments on theWestside’s Pico-Robertson neighborhood.The program aims to empower the residents and integrate them intocommunal activities and organizations. J-CHAI will serve 32 clientsover the three-year grant period.

“Our intention is not to create a caretaking program,” said Dr. MichaelHeld, executive director of Etta Israel Center.“On the contrary, wefully believe that the adults who live in the J-CHAI apartments will beactive, contributing members of the Jewish community.”

The Foundation grant will allow J-CHAI to hire two professionals—a case manager to ensure that residents are accessing transportation, jobsearches and other independent living services; and a coordinator forJewish life, who will provide structure for J-CHAI clients and helpthem develop a plan for living a Jewish adult life.

“With this grant,The Foundation has taken an important leadershiprole in the understanding of the potential of people with special needs,”Held said.“Their support allows the L.A. Jewish community to embarkon a new vision of how to support and build a community for Jewishadults with disabilities.”

Adding vibrancy to Jewish lifeA $200,000 grant was awarded to JConnect, Inc. for its Jewlicious

Journeys Project.The project builds on the success of the popularJewlicious Festival, which has been held every winter in Long Beachfor the past six years, reaching thousands of young, unaffiliated Jews.

The grant will fund a cycle of community-wide multifaceted festivals,including Camp Jewlicious,TikkunFest, Jewlicious Festival andL.A. Sephardic Music Festival that will attract young Jews “acrossthe spectrum of ethnicities, levels of observance, backgrounds andpolitical persuasions,” according to Rabbi Yonah Bookstein, executivedirector.“The Foundation grant is instrumental in establishing this typeof immersion experience, which is critical to the development of apromising Jewish future in Los Angeles.”

Each festival will have a different characteristic. Camp Jewlicious,for example, combines a summer music festival, summer camp andgrassroots community organizing.“It’s the first opportunity here inLos Angeles where young Jews of any affiliation or organization canreceive training and assistance on how to effect change in an issue areathat they are passionate about,” Bookstein added.

“Festivals help build community by creating a low barrier for entryto participation and providing a celebratory medium for youngpeople to explore Jewish life and culture,” he explained.“This specialcombination of culture, food and Judaism is a powerful connectingexperience for participants.”

Connecting with young familiesThe Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles received a

$150,000 grant for PJ Library, a program designed to introduceunengaged families to Jewish values and traditions by bringing Jewish-content children’s books into the home.The program also offersinformation and activities to help the parents connect with Jewish life.

Created by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, PJ Library® is anational program implemented by local communities. Each month,participating children ages 6 months to 51⁄2 years old receive a book ormusic CD, along with a parents’ guide that helps connect the theme ofthe book or songs to a Jewish value.

The program currently reaches2,100 children living in underservedcommunities north of MulhollandDrive. Foundation funding will allowfor replication of this model and city-wide implementation to all of GreaterLos Angeles to include an additional1,800 children south of MulhollandDrive.The grant will also supportthe hiring of a program coordinator,who will identify and reach out toprospective participants and createopportunities for communityinvolvement for PJ Library parents.

“We deeply appreciate TheFoundation’s validation of the workwe are doing,” said Carol Koransky,executive vice president, JewishFederation of Greater Los Angeles.“We underwent a rigorous process,which gave us an opportunity to takea good look at our organization.We are grateful to The Foundation forhelping us to launch this throughout Greater Los Angeles.”

Working of behalf of Jewish L.A., these 2010 Cutting Edge Grantrecipients will indeed help to make our community more deeplyengaged, more inclusive and more committed to the Jewish imperativeto repair the world.

In addition to the more than $1million in Cutting EdgeGrants for 2010, The Foundation has awarded $250,000to The Jewish Federation’s Emergency Cash GrantsProgram, which provides grants directly to individuals andfamilies affected by the economic downturn to meet their

immediate needs. Support falls into the following categories: healthcare;household expenses and shelter; employment support; and emergencychildcare. Funding follows an initial Foundation grant of $250,000 thatwas awarded in 2009 for this purpose. For more information, go towww.jewishla.org/pages/hunger-and-poverty or call (323) 761-8345.

Jewish Federation of Greater Los AngelesEmergency Cash Grants Program

$250,000 grant to provide for basic needs

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Foundation funding willenable 1,800 unaffiliatedfamilies with young childrento receive Jewish booksand music directly in theirhomes through thePJ Library program.

The most recent Jewlicious Festival drew 1,000 young adults over threedays and featured a concert with Grammy-nominated recording artistMatisyahu, and many well-known performers artists from Israel to L.A.

A $200,000 Cutting Edge Grant will enable 32 Jewish adults with specialneeds to live independently through Etta Israel’s program, J-CHAI: JewishCommunity Housing for Adult Independence.

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“There is something extraordinary that is coming out ofLos Angeles right now. It is a kind of creativity, a kind

of willingness to take risks…. It is an extraordinary momentfor us!”Rabbi Sharon Brous, recipient of The Foundation’s

Inspired Leadership Award, spoke these words during herkeynote address at a recent evening of gratitude whichacknowledged the innovative and transformative work beingdone by social entrepreneurs in the L.A. Jewish communitywith critical support made available through The Foundation’sCutting Edge Grants.

The Cutting Edge Grants Initiative was established torespond to needs in the community in a creative, unique way.“Our goal is to help social entrepreneurs and innovativethinkers dream bigger, reach higher and ultimately succeed inmaking a positive difference in our community,” explainedMarvin Schotland,The Foundation’s president and CEO.

Foundation chair Lorin Fife introduced the evening’sprogram adding,“We’re particularly proud that thisextraordinary transformation is taking place during one of theworst economic downturns we’ve experienced in many years.”

In addition to Rabbi Brous, 13 grant recipients spoke to an audienceof donors, board members and community leaders gathered at thebeautiful home of Hayley and Michael Miller and shared updatesabout how their ideas have flourished and evolved into sustainable,impactful programs.

Connecting every Jew under the sunA Cutting Edge Grant of $250,000 helped launch LimmudLA, an

all-volunteer organization dedicated to connecting Jews in Los Angelesof all ages and affiliations. More than 700 participants attended the lastannual three-day conference which included Jewish learning, films,networking, yoga, concerts, prayer services and much more.“WithoutThe Foundation’s grant, LimmudLA would not have gotten off theground,” said former executive director Ruthie Rotenberg.

Engaging Iranian-American Jews in political andL.A. civic life

The Foundation awarded 30 Years After a three-year Cutting EdgeGrant of $200,000 to engage the 40,000 L.A.-based Iranian-AmericansJews to become more active community members.The program focuseson encouraging participation in American civic and advocacy affairsand inspiring a commitment to Israel, social justice, and political actionthrough educational events, student mentoring, and voter registrationdrives. Co-founder SamYebri said,“Thanks to The Foundation’s grant,30Years After has been able to organize dozens of lectures, workshops,conferences and programs that have attracted several thousand youngPersian Jews.”

The Foundation Celebrates VisionaryCommunity Leaders and NonprofitPrograms

Fostering Jewish-Latino relationships as neighborsand friends

Two grantees shared how their programs have fostered ongoing,rewarding relationships between the Jewish and Latino communities.The Simon Wiesenthal Center—Museum of Tolerance receiveda $250,000 grant for Jewish Student Leadership for a Diverse World.Linda Blanshay, director of program development at the Museum,reported that nearly 100 Jewish and Latino students participated.She noted that during the student leadership training program,“theyexplored Jewish and Latino identity, history and values, and interculturalcompetency to foster mutual respect, understanding and friendships.”Rabbi Randy Brown, director of American Jewish Community

(AJC), thanked The Foundation for the $150,000 seed funding tocreate Esencia de Judaismo (Essence of Judaism).According to RabbiBrown, over the past two years, 250 Latino pastors have participated ina 20-hour academic course about Judaism, Jewish culture, and Israel,addressed stereotypes, and promoted collaboration between Latinos andJews on community projects.

Educating public high school students and teachersabout IsraelStandWithUs is an international organization that ensures Israel’s

story is told on campuses, in libraries, churches and the media. Over thelast three years, a Foundation grant enabled the organization to launchLearn Israel, which provides programs for teachers and students aboutthe Middle East conflict so they can participate in educated dialogue.“We’ve presented to 25,000 students in public high schools in L.A.”reported executive director Roz Rothstein.

Also among the grant recipients who highlighted their programs’accomplishments were the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angelesfor HaMercaz and the NextGen Initiative, Jewish World Watch,JDub, Jewish Artists Initiative, Jewish Family Relief Network,Jewish Jumpstart, andVista Del Mar Child & Family Services.

“There is an incredible amount of creativity, of moral courage, and ofgreat spiritual strength in our community.And we are at a point rightnow where we can harness it, support it and turn it into what the nextgeneration of Jewish life will look like,” said Rabbi Brous.“Workingtogether, we can truly make a difference. I believe that the future is verybright,” she concluded.

To view video excerpts from the Celebrating Nonprofit inOur Community event, visit www.jewishfoundationla.org andclick on “News and Events” and then click “Past Events.”

Foundation funding focuses on innovative programs with impact

Community leaders and non-profit organizations gathered for a celebration and evening ofrecognition hosted by The Foundation. Cutting Edge Grant funding from The Foundationhelped these programs to flourish and transform the Los Angeles Jewish community.Photo credit: Maxine Picard

Rabbi Sharon Brous, recipient of The Foundation’s Inspired LeadershipAward, flanked by The Foundation’s president and CEO, Marvin Schotland(L) and The Foundation’s chair, Lorin Fife (R).Photo credit: Maxine Picard

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5D E V E L O P M E N T P E R S P E C T I V E

Joined The Foundation family in:Established a Donor Advised Fund in 2010.

Live in: Beverly Hills.

Occupation: Fran is a housewife. Stuart isthe vice president of S & R Metals, a steelprocessing firm.

Family details:The Millers have fivechildren—Rita, 24 (married to JonathanStatman),Daniel, 22,Dena, 21,Devora, 18,and Estee, 14. Four of the five children, aswell as Jonathan, just celebrated graduationsthis spring!

Personal interests: As their kids attendedJewish day school and grew in their Jewishlearning, Fran and Stuart decided to make surethey were setting the right example in theirhome.“We were always committed to Judaism,but we grew more deeply committed toreligious observance over time,” Fran explained.

Sandy will soon be renewing their vows underthat very same chuppah to mark their 50thwedding anniversary.

Personal interests: Irv enjoys golf and theyare both serious about their bridge playing, butmost of their focus is on the family.“We lovespending loads of time with our family. Oneday a week we take the grandkids to dinner,and we have Shabbat dinners together everyFriday night.”

Community involvement: Irv is a pastpresident of Temple Judea and coordinatesits current legacy campaign. Sandy is a docentat the Skirball Cultural Center. She is apast president of The Jewish Federation’sValley Alliance and presently, co-chairs theEndowment Committee for itsWomen’sDepartment. Sandy is particularly passionateabout the importance of endowing a gift as away to leave one’s legacy.

When did you first learn aboutphilanthropy? Sandy explains,“When I wasfifteen years old, my rabbi gave a sermon thatinformed the rest of life. It was about theethical code by which we aspire to live as Jews.It made a lasting impression on me, and theconcept of giving back to others has been acentral point in my life ever since.”

Focus of our philanthropy: The Klaskysenjoy supporting their synagogue,TempleJudea, and the Jewish Studies program atCal State University, Northridge.Theyalso support the greater Jewish community,primarily though The Jewish Federation, aswell as causes important to the gay and lesbiancommunity, and L.A. Family Housing which

Stuart studies Jewish texts and Hebrew language.Stuart also enjoys magic and recently became acard-carrying member of the Magic Castle—a status he earned after an audition before agroup of serious magicians. Fran is a harpist,and together they enjoy yoga and hiking, familyvacations, and sharing Shabbat meals and all theJewish holidays with the family.“Family is #1for us,” Stuart said.

When did you first learn aboutphilanthropy? “Tzedakah is the cornerstoneof our faith,” Fran explained.“We’re bothchildren of Holocaust survivors.We werebrought up in homes where we learned neverto take for granted how fortunate we are andhow important it is to help others when wecan.” Stuart added,“My father was a big ba’altzedaka (giver of charity). He would hand me acheck and direct me to give it a woman on thestreet so she could pay her rent.We feel it’s ourduty to give at least 10% to charity. It feels goodto give, but even if it didn’t, it’s still a responsi-bility we all must fulfill.The work is neverdone, but we should always strive to do more.”

Focus of our philanthropy: Central to theMillers’ values is a love of Israel. They stronglybelieve in the importance of supporting institu-tions in Israel, both secular and religious. Oneorganization the Millers care deeply about it isBet Elazraki, a residential facility in Netanya,Israel that assists children who cannot be raisedby their parents due to such issues as violencein the home, drug or alcohol abuse, mentalillness, and abandonment.“We visited thishome on one of our trips to Israel, and cannever forget the important and amazing workthey are doing with young people,” Fran said.

Donor Profiles

The Development PerspectiveThe Millers have been close friends of my

family for many years. Through the years, ourfamilies have shared many celebrations, Jewishholidays, and Shabbat meals together. Everyso often, Stuart would ask me a few casualquestions about The Foundation. One day,Stuart said, “I’d like to call you and talk aboutsetting up a fund. Bring an agreement.” Wetalked over lunch, and the Stuart & FrancesMiller Family Charitable Fund was established.The Millers appreciate all the administrationsupport The Foundationprovides so they can focustheir time on the things theycare about most. I suspectthat the Millers’ relationshipwith The Foundation willgrow deeper over time, muchlike my friendship with them.

– Baruch Littman, Vice President,Development

The Development PerspectiveI had the pleasure of meeting the Klaskys in

1985 and our lives have been intertwined eversince. Their commitment to the community andfamily sets a high standard for all of us. Theylive the concept of Tikkun Olam every day.When I joined the staff of The Foundation, Iwas not surprised to learn that the Klaskys hada fund here and that theywere part of The Foundationfamily. The Foundationprovides excellent tools forphilanthropists. It’s a greatmatch, and for me, it’s apleasure to support thephilanthropic vision of suchwonderful people.

– Dan Rothblatt, Senior Vice President,Philanthropic Services

Joined The Foundation family in:Established a Donor Advised Fund in 2006.

Live in: Northridge.Although Sandy and Irveach hail from Detroit, they met in Los Angeleswhen they were counselors at summer campwhen Sandy was 19 and Irv was 20.

Occupation: Irving has been a gastroenterol-ogist for 41 years. Sandy worked as a teacherin the Gifted Program at LAUSD.After raisingher family, she returned to school and earned amasters degree and a doctorate in educationalpolicy and later worked as a college fundraiserand advancement executive.

Family details:The Klaskys have threegrown children—Helaine (married to WillWechsler),Neil (married to Adrian Koffka)and Stephanie (married to Steve Gamer)—and six grandchildren, whose ages range fromalmost 3 to 13 years old.“Our children wereall married under a special chuppah.” Sandrasaid.At the suggestion of their family, Irv and

provides services assisting those in need oftransition out of homelessness and poverty.The Klaskys feel strongly in every one doingtheir part and then some.As Sandy stated,“Ifeveryone does the minimum, how will those inneed be helped? It’s our responsibility to do asmuch as we can.”

Goals for our fund: “Our goal is that theinstitutions we support through our DonorAdvised Fund will continue do to their goodwork long into the future—here in Los Angelesand in Israel.We both feel passionate that wehave contributed our time, energy, and resourcesto the Jewish community.We want to makesure the Jewish community continues to thriveand that our work continues beyond our years.”

Frances & Stuart Miller

Sandra & Irving Klasky

The best thing about The Foundation is:The Millers appreciate the way The Foundationhandles the vetting of its grantmaking andthat they can trust in its professional expertise.Furthermore, according to Stuart,“TheFoundation handles all the administrative partof our philanthropy—and that is quite helpfulfor us,” Stuart said.“It’s nice to be a part ofsomething bigger than ourselves,” added Fran.“It’s what we love about the Jewish communityand about being a part of The Foundation.”

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Arts for All, a program to bring arts education to the 80 schooldistricts in Los Angeles County, received $60,000 from the

Arts in Schools! Giving Circle, an initiative spearheaded by the JewishCommunity Foundation of Los Angeles.The Giving Circle providedpooled funds for the artist-in-residency program—in dance, music,theater, and the visual arts.

The funding was presented byArts in Schools! Giving Circle co-chairand Foundation Advisory Boardmember Sonia S. Cummings at therecent Arts for All progress reportmeeting at the Music Center indowntown Los Angeles.

The Arts in Schools! Giving Circle was formed in response to donorinterest in funding arts education.“These funds represent the support of

a diverse group of individualsin Los Angeles, and under-score our vision, that togetherwe can leverage our resourcesand impact the lives ofchildren through art,” saidMs. Sonia S. Cummings.

“The Foundation is deeplyappreciative of Sonia’s leader-ship in the Arts in Schools!Giving Circle,” said AmeliaXann, vice president of theFamily Foundation Center

Artist-in-Residency Programs Come FullCircle Thanks to Pooled Donor Funds

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Pictured at the event (from left) are Laurie Schell, executive director,California Alliance for Arts Education; Amelia Xann, vice president of theFamily Foundation Center and Grant Programs at The Foundation; SoniaSimon Cummings, Arts in Schools! Giving Circle co-chair and FoundationAdvisory Board member; Laura Zucker, executive director, L.A. County ArtsCommission; Mark Slavkin, vice president of education, Music Center ofLos Angeles County.

The Foundation’s chair, Lorin Fife, and his wife Linda were recently honored at Congregation Adat Ari El’s annualtribute event. Pillars of the Adat Ari El community and esteemed leaders in the Los Angeles Jewish community, weat The Foundation were thrilled to join in this wonderful evening of recognition and celebration of our dear friends.In addition to Adat Ari El and The Foundation, among the organizations and programs to which the Fifes havededicated their leadership and support are LimmudLA, the Los Angeles-Tel-Aviv Partnership, and The JewishFederation. They are passionate about Israel, arts, education, the Jewish community, and most of all, their family.

Foundation ChairLorin Fife Meetswith DonorsLorin Fife,The Foundation’s chair, was delighted to meet with some

new donors at a recent luncheon hosted at The Foundation.Topicsof conversation included ways The Foundation can add value to donors’philanthropy, the consulting services of the Family Foundation Center,and The Foundation’s grantmaking activities. It also provided theopportunity for new donors to become better acquainted with oneanother. In addition, president and CEO Marvin Schotland shared morebackground on our 56-year history and how it supports initiatives thathelp to transform our community.

and grants programs.“It is so rewarding to see what tremendous goodcan happen when like-minded funders join together to make adifference in the community.”

Arts for All is a comprehensive program that works to ensure that allstudents in Los Angeles County’s 80 school districts receive sequentialarts education every year from kindergarten through 12th grade.

An Honor For Linda and Lorin Fife

Linda and Lorin Fife received a special presentation fromCalifornia State Assembly member Mike Feuer at the recentannual tribute event at Adat Ari El in their honor.

(L to R) Stuart Miller; Dan Rothblatt, The Foundation’s vice president ofphilanthropic services; Nina and Alan Miles; Diane Sweet; Foundationchair Lorin Fife; Donn Delson; Foundation president and CEO MarvinSchotland; Irene Baron and her son, Don Baron.

A proud student shares his artwork.

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Transforming Works of Creativity IntoTools for Philanthropy

D E V E L O P M E N T E V E N T S

“We tax lawyers don’t get out that much,” joked JosephDoloboff, partner at Blank Rome and one of two presenters

at a recent Foundation event entitled, TransformingWorks of Creativity intoTools for Philanthropy held at the Kirk Douglas Theater in Culver City.The event was especially designed for business managers, family officemanagers and other professional advisors to explore creative ways tobenefit their clients and promote increased philanthropy by donatingintellectual properties.

“This is relatively simple to do, and safe. But you can mess up a goodidea,” said Bradford Cohen, partner at Venable. Mr. Cohen is bestknown for his business and tax advice related to the motion picture,television, music, emerging media and sports industries. Specializing incoordinating relationships among the entertainment, advertising andnonprofit industries, Mr. Cohen spoke about how the intersection ofcopyright law and tax and estate planning can affect many advisorsincluding copyright attorneys, business managers, accountants, corporateattorneys, estate planners,tax attorneys, lenders, andinvestment bankers.“If theadvisors do not coordinate,unintended results canoccur,” said Mr. Cohen.

Mr. Doloboff, who bringsmore than 25 years ofexperience in business taxlaw in both the public andprivate sectors, emphasizedthat current tax laws providea great opportunity tostrengthen relationshipsbetween donors and worthyorganizations.“These rulesare groundbreaking,” he said.“There has been nothing likethem in the law before.”

Business and family office managers learn how art, royalties and intellectual propertycan be transformed into resources for a powerful philanthropic legacy for their clients

(L to R) Elliot Kristal, The Foundation’s vice president of charitable gift planning, Baruch Littman, The Foundation’s vicepresident of development, Joseph Doboloff, partner at Blank Rome, Bradford Cohen, partner at Venable, Dan Rothblatt,The Foundation’s senior vice president of philanthropic services, and Amelia Xann, vice president of the Family FoundationCenter and grant programs at The Foundation.Photo credit: Howard Pasamanick

Mr. Cohen’s advice to the audience was to consider steering theirclients toward a Donor Advised Fund at The Foundation.This waythe donor can receive immediate tax benefits, have their fundmanaged professionally, and also make grant recommendations withThe Foundation’s guidance, if so desired.

A key point for transforming works of creativity into philanthropy isthat record keeping is vital.“When I first read about The Foundationand all of its benefits, I wondered why anyone would want to createtheir own private foundation,” said Mr. Doloboff.“A Donor AdvisedFund is so effective and so much simpler.”

To view a video recap and a copy of the PowerPoint presentation,as well as event photos, visit www.jewishfoundationla.org andclick on “News and Events” and then click “Past Events.”

To learn more about The Foundation’s charitable planning services,contact our Development Department at (323) 761-8704, or email usat donate@jewishfoundationla.org.

www.jewishfoundationla.org

Join our email distribution list and conserve paper.Simply click on “Join Our Mailing List” at the bottom of our homepage.

A Site to Behold!

� Read articles about current news in philanthropy, charitablegiving solutions, inspiring stories by donors, how Foundationgrants are transforming the community…and much more!

� Before meeting with your attorney, download acomplimentary copy of our Estate Planning Workbook andyou’ll be better prepared to meet with your advisor and createor update your estate plan.

� Did you know that you can easily calculate how a specificannuity or trust can benefit you—right on our website?PG CALC, our web-based, interactive calculator can provide youwith charitable deduction calculations and payout rates for arange of planned gifts. You simply plug in information specific to

Our website is full of information, tools and resources that support yourgoals in making a difference.

your needs and run a test scenario of what your potentialpayout would be.

PG CALC provides you with an additional tool to confidentiallyevaluate your various planned gift options. Or, if you prefer,you can receive a customized, confidential gift calculationfrom The Foundation without obligation by contacting theDevelopment Department.

www.jewishfoundationla.org

Log on today!If you’d like to discuss any of the above with a member ofThe Foundation’s Development Department, please call(323) 761-8704 or email hglynn@jewishfoundationla.org.

�

Please help us go green!

FIN_Leg010summer.qxd:Legacy Summer 06 8/13/10 6:58 AM Page 9

and, gratifyingly, the attendant impact enabled with seed fundingfromThe Foundation. Since establishing the Cutting Edge GrantsInitiative in 2006, we have seeded 39 initiatives with a total of nearly$6.2 million.

Among those represented were Jewish Jumpstart, which incubatesand provides start-up support for nonprofits; Nes Gadol, an initiativeof Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services, to facilitate b’naimitzvah for special-needs children; and the American JewishCommittee’s Esencia de Judaismo, conceived to promote cross-culturalunderstanding with the Latino community, to name just three programs.Video footage featuring all 13 of these stirring presentations is viewableonline at www.jewishfoundationla.org (click on “News and Events”and then click “Past Events”).

In the evening’s capstone, we were held rapt as Rabbi SharonBrous, who received The Foundation’s inaugural Inspired LeadershipAward, spoke in characteristic eloquent and impassioned form,challenging those of us on that veranda to continue to drive change—through social justice, Jewish engagement and continuity, andcommunity building.The evening was equally moving and electric.

Fast on the heels of celebrating recent Cutting Edge Grantachievements, it was time to select the 2010 recipients, whoseprograms are featured in this issue. Five programs received multi-yearawards totaling more than $1 million in aggregate: Six Points

6505Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1200Los Angeles, CA 90048

8

From the Desk of Marvin I. Schotland Continued from page 1

Chair

Lorin M. Fife

President and CEO

Marvin I. Schotland

Vice Presidents

Kenneth A. AugustLeah M. BishopAnthony ChaninMax Factor, IIIBertrand I. GinsbergHarold J. MasorAlan Stern

Senior Vice President,Philanthropic Services

Dan Rothblatt

CFO/Senior Vice President,Finance & Administration

Michael J. Januzik

Vice President,Charitable Gift Planning

Elliot B. Kristal

Vice President, Development

Baruch S. Littman

Vice President,Family Foundation Centerand Grant Programs

Amelia Xann

Secretary

Selwyn Gerber

Treasurer

Lawrence Rauch

©2010 Jewish Community Foundation. No portion of this publication may be reproduced or used without permission.

VOLUME 20NO. 2

SUMMER 2010

Le

ga

cy

Legacy is published to provide news and information about The Foundation to donors and friends.

TEL. (323) 761-8700FAX (323) 761-8720

TOLL-FREE (877) ENDOW-NOW(877-363-6966)

www.jewishfoundationla.orgPlease send your comments and

suggestions to the editor.Editor: Lewis GronerManaging Editor:Bonnie Samotin ZevDesign: Graphic OrbContributing Writers:

Tabby BiddleJackson DragonJanet Sanders

Fellowship for Emerging Jewish Artists; J-CHAI: Jewish CommunityHousing for Adult Independence; Jewlicious Journeys Project; Fed Upwith Hunger/Netiya; and the PJ Library.

Current and past awardees are resounding indication that socialinnovation is pulsing through Jewish Los Angeles. Our role atThe Foundation is to harness the most promising initiatives, providecritical funding and offer expertise on organizational developmentand infrastructure. Call this, if you will, the intersection of institutionand inspiration—in this case, matching our resources with the originof great ideas.

In this context, support for breakthrough initiatives is a centralcomponent of The Foundation’s mission to serve the long-termneeds of our communities.We are here, in every respect, For thisgeneration…and generations to come, which with this issue of Legacy,The Foundation is introducing as its brand position line. It is areflection that while grounded in the issues of today, we keep thecollective eye trained on the evolving requirements tomorrow willundoubtedly bring. Ever forward looking,The Foundation will behere far into the future—for coming generations of donors, dynamicinnovators and the communities they sustain alike.

Printed with vegetable based inks on recycled paper/30% post-consumer recovered fiber.

Upcoming Professional Advisor Events – September 8 and 15!The next presentations in our 2010 Professional Advisor SpeakerSeries are on the topic, Tips re: How Not to Fall into the FamilyLaw Abyss, and will be held on Sept. 8 (Beverly Hills) and Sept. 15(Woodland Hills). The presenter will be Stacy D. Phillips, Law firm ofPhillips, Lerner, Lauzon & Jamra.

To sign up or for more information, call (323) 761-8707 oremail ekristal@jewishfoundationla.org.

The Foundation’s complimentary educational seminars for professionaladvisors address timely and critical issues related to estate planning andcharitable giving, as well as provide a great networking opportunity.MCLE credit is available.

To see video recaps of past professional advisor events, visit:www.jewishfoundationla.org and click on “News andEvents” and then click “Past Events.”

�Seeking Cutting Edge Grant

Applicants for 2011 !

The Foundation created theCUTTING EDGE GRANTS INITIATIVEto encourage SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS andFORWARD THINKERS to actualize their ideasto transform JEWISH LOS ANGELES.

Space is limited. Registration for the workshop is required.

To learn more about eligibility, visit www.jewishfoundationla.org,email grants@jewishfoundationla.org or call (323) 761-8705.

For those eligible to apply for a 2011 CUTTING EDGE GRANT,we highly recommend attending the GRANTSEEKERSWORKSHOP on MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2010.

NONPROFITORGANIZATIONUS POSTAGE

PA I DLOS ANGELES, CAPERMIT NO. 1805

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