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Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego

Type:

Donor-Advised Fund
Formation:

1967

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The Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego is a major donor-advised fund based in San Diego, California. Since its founding in 1967, it has given over $1.6 billion in grants, and as of the end of 2019 managed $500 million in assets. 1 2

Most of the Foundation’s grants are awarded to apolitical educational, research, and art endeavors, as well as to college endowments and to other foundations. What the Foundation characterizes as Jewish organizations are also a major recipient of its grants. Some grants also go to left-leaning groups such as Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation. 3 4

The Foundation was originally named the Community Foundation of the United Jewish Federation. Its name was changed in 2005. 5

History

The Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego was founded to support Jewish donors and investors’ charitable goals in the San Diego area and elsewhere. Significant donor relations efforts in the late 1990s led to an increase in assets managed from $30 million in 1997 to $138 million in 2000. Grants in 2000 totaled an organizational record of $29 million. 6

From 2000 to 2010, the Foundation established relationships with more donors, increased the number of niche partnerships and organizations under its overall umbrella, and increased both the size of its managed assets and its grant amounts. In 2009, it gave $62 million to 1,000 recipients. 7

By 2014, the Foundation had given away $1 billion in grants, and in 2016 it was managing $310 million in assets. It has given away over $500 million in grants since 2014. 8

As of 2019, the Foundation was the largest philanthropic donor in San Diego County, California. 9

Mission & Impact

Grants

The Foundation manages the funds of its investors both to earn profits for them and fund causes important to them. This service is provided for both living donors and to fulfill the stipulations of endowments left by deceased investors. 10 Most grants are given to apolitical educational, research, and art endeavors, as well as to college endowments and to other foundations. Some grants also go to left-leaning groups such as Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation. Another priority for grants is explicitly pro-Israel organizations, such as the American Israel Education Fund. 11

Eighty percent of the Foundation’s 2019 grants went to recipients in the San Diego region. 12

Nearly two-thirds of 2016 grants went to San Diego-based efforts, with 29 percent going to other U.S.-based organizations. Almost half of its 2016 grants benefited what the 2016 annual report characterized as Jewish organizations; similarly, half of all grants were designated as education oriented. Fifteen percent of the Foundation’s 2016 grants went to other federations and foundations. 13

Spin-Off Organizations

The Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego has also created other organizations under its umbrella, some examples of which include:

  • The Endowment Leadership Institute

The Endowment Leadership Institute provides education to other organizations seeking to build long-term endowments. In 2003 the Jewish Community Foundation became the first Jewish group of its kind to launch this type of initiative. Shortly thereafter, the Institute became a model for what became $800 million in actualized and promised gifts to Jewish community groups. The Foundation also manages funds for dozens of Jewish and secular non-profits based in San Diego County. 14

  • The Jewish Women’s Foundation

The Jewish Women’s Foundation operates under the Jewish Community Foundation’s umbrella. Its third annual “Let’s Talk About It” panel event in January 2020 focused primarily on women’s health from ethical, medical, and other perspectives. Previous events focused on substance abuse and social support for people who identify as LGBT. 15

The Women’s Foundation funded three-year grants in 2018 focused on improving the social, mental, and physical health of Jewish women, as well as providing meals to low-income girls and Holocaust survivors. 16 It also provides a multi-page document about resources available for people who identify as LGBT. 17

  • Jewish Teen Foundation

The Jewish Community Foundation’s Jewish Teen Foundation educates and trains teenagers to be effective charitable actors. The 2018-2019 program raised over $28,000 and included 13 schools and synagogues. The money went to eight organizations; four were focused on mental health and family issues and the other four were animal rescue shelters. 18

  • Governance Leadership Institute

The Governance Leadership Institute is a senior executive leadership program created in 2008 to teach non-profit leaders how to make themselves and their organizations more effective. 19

Financials

The Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego has received more than $100 million annually since 2012, with over $200 million raised in 2016. 20 Virtually all of its revenue comes from outside funding – in 2016 just over $5 million was earned from investments, with nearly $195 million received from outside contributions. In 2017, just over $10 million of its more than $131 million in revenue came from investments, while outside contributions totaled more than $120 million. 21

In 2017, the Foundation spent more than $83 million on grant donations, with total expenses of $86.6 million. In 2016 grants totaled nearly $164 million. Assets in 2017 were more than $250 million, up from less than $204 million in 2016. 22

Representative examples of the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego’s 2017 grants include the following:23

  • $450,000 to the Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma Research Foundation, which researches this rare form of cancer.

$579,480 to the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation. 24

$755,000 to the American Committee for the Tel Aviv Foundation, a U.S.-based fundraising arm for the Tel Aviv Foundation, which is primarily focused on improving the lives of residents of Tel Aviv, Israel. 25 26

$265,000 to the American Israel Education Foundation, which is the educational arm of the American Israel Political Action Committee (AIPAC). 27

$3,282,690 to the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. Describing itself as the “The Global Jewish 9-1-1,” the Committee has acted as a refugee evacuation and overall humanitarian organization to Jews across the world who are in various stages of conflict, poverty, or other difficulties. 28

  • $3,646,222 for the American Technion Society, which assists the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.
  • $173,570 to the left-leaning Anti-Defamation League.
  • $538,000 to the social entrepreneurship donor group Ashoka.

    • $50,000 to the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. 29

    $463,442 to the Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces. 30

  • More than $210,000 to three Planned Parenthood affiliates in the United States.

    • $7,338,839 to the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. 31

    Leadership

    Beth Sirull is the CEO of the Foundation, serving in the role since 2017. She was previously president of Pacific Community Ventures, a San Francisco-based non-profit which seeks to provide business opportunities in poor communities. 32 She was named to Forbes’ list of 30 Top Social Entrepreneurs in 2012. 33 She was a public donor to Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest in 2019. 34 On February 17, 2024, it was announced that Sirull would step down as CEO and be replaced by Jeremy Pearl, whom serves as the executive vice president and chief financial officer of the Foundation as of February 2024. “Our Shtetl San Diego County: Jewish Community Foundation’s Leadership Transition.” San Diego Jewish World, February 17, 2024. https://www.sdjewishworld.com/2024/02/17/our-shtetl-san-diego-county-jewish-community-foundations-leadership-transition/[/note]

    Executive vice president and chief financial officer Jeremy Pearl has been with the Foundation since 2005. 35 In February 2024 it was announced he would replace Beth Sirull as CEO of the Foundation on March 15, 2024. 36

    References

    1. Jewish Community Foundation San Diego, Mission, Vision & Values. Accessed May 11, 2020. https://jcfsandiego.org/our-story/mission-vision-values/  
    2. Jewish Community Foundation San Diego, “Foundation News,” February 2020. Accessed May 11, 2020. http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?m=1102100429865&ca=aec482c0-7b68-4b23-9020-fcc9539963c5
    3. ProPublica, Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego 2017 990. Accessed May 11, 2020. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/952504044/05_2019_prefixes_94-95%2F952504044_201806_990_2019051516303060
    4. Jewish Community Foundation San Diego, “2016 foundation report.” Accessed May 11, 2020. https://jcfsandiego.org/wpcontent/uploads/2016/12/JCF_FoundationReport2016_FullFinal_viewingonly.pdf
    5. Jewish Community Foundation San Diego, History. Accessed May 11, 2020. https://jcfsandiego.org/our-story/history/
    6. Jewish Community Foundation San Diego, History. Accessed May 11, 2020. https://jcfsandiego.org/our-story/history/
    7. Jewish Community Foundation San Diego, History. Accessed May 11, 2020. https://jcfsandiego.org/our-story/history/
    8. Jewish Community Foundation San Diego, History. Accessed May 11, 2020. https://jcfsandiego.org/our-story/history/
    9. Jeanne Rawdin, “Jewish Community Foundation helps address social issues in San Diego and beyond,” June 27, 2019. Accessed May 11, 2020. https://www.lajollalight.com/business-spotlight/sd-cm-ljl-biz-spot-jcc-20190627-story.html
    10. Jewish Community Foundation San Diego, “2016 foundation report.” Accessed May 11, 2020. https://jcfsandiego.org/wpcontent/uploads/2016/12/JCF_FoundationReport2016_FullFinal_viewingonly.pdf
    11. ProPublica, Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego 2017 990. Accessed May 11, 2020. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/952504044/05_2019_prefixes_94-95%2F952504044_201806_990_2019051516303060
    12. Jewish Community Foundation San Diego, “Foundation News,” February 2020. Accessed May 11, 2020. http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?m=1102100429865&ca=aec482c0-7b68-4b23-9020-fcc9539963c5
    13. Jewish Community Foundation San Diego, “2016 foundation report.” Accessed May 11, 2020. https://jcfsandiego.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/JCF_FoundationReport2016_FullFinal_viewingonly.pdf
    14. Jeanne Rawdin, “Jewish Community Foundation helps address social issues in San Diego and beyond,” June 27, 2019. Accessed May 11, 2020. https://www.lajollalight.com/business-spotlight/sd-cm-ljl-biz-spot-jcc-20190627-story.html
    15. Del Mar Times, “Jewish Women’s Foundation presents annual ‘Let’s Talk About It’ event on women’s reproductive health,” January 16, 2020. Accessed May 11, 2020. https://www.delmartimes.net/lifestyle/events/story/2020-01-16/jewish-womens-foundation-presents-annual-lets-talk-about-it-event-on-womens-reproductive-health
    16. Jewish Community Foundation San Diego, “Grantees.” Accessed May 11, 2020. https://jcfsandiego.org/funds-foundations/jewish-womens-foundation/grantees/
    17. Jewish Community Foundation San Diego, “LGBTQ resources for your family.” Accessed May 11, 2020. https://jcfsandiego.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/LGBTQ_Resources_2018.pdf
    18. Jewish Community Foundation San Diego, “2018-19 Jewish Teen Foundation.” Accessed May 11, 2020. https://jcfsandiego.org/young-adults/jewish-teen-foundation/2018-19-jewish-teen-foundation/
    19. Jewish Community Foundation San Diego, “Governance Leadership Institute (GLI).” Accessed May 11, 2020. https://jcfsandiego.org/legacy/governance-leadership-institute-gli/
    20. ProPublica, Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego 2001-2018 990s. Accessed May 11, 2020. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/952504044
    21. ProPublica, Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego 2017 990. Accessed May 11, 2020. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/952504044/05_2019_prefixes_94-95%2F952504044_201806_990_2019051516303060
    22. ProPublica, Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego 2017 990. Accessed May 11, 2020. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/952504044/05_2019_prefixes_94-95%2F952504044_201806_990_2019051516303060
    23. ProPublica, Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego 2017 990. Accessed May 11, 2020. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/952504044/05_2019_prefixes_94-95%2F952504044_201806_990_2019051516303060
    24. American Civil Liberties Union, “Giving to the American Civil Liberties Union and the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation: What is the difference?” Accessed May 11, 2020.
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