ZANDAFI Philanthropy Advisors advises nonprofits, philanthropists and foundations in developing their strategy, mission, and vision. It was founded by Misha Galperin, a former president and chief executive officer of Jewish Agency International Development who is active in pro-Israel and Jewish philanthropy. ¹

Background

ZANDAFI Philanthropy Advisors was founded by Misha Galperin, a clinical psychologist who grew up in the former Soviet Union. ² Prior to founding ZANDAFI, Galperin was the president and chief executive officer of Jewish Agency International Development and prior to that, the CEO and executive vice president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. ¹ Galperin sits on the board of the Jewish Institute for Liberal Values ³ and the Combat Antisemitism Movement. ⁴

His columns in eJewish Philanthropy, The Forward, the Jewish Week, JTA, and the Algemeiner were all featured on the ZANDAFI website. ⁵

Financials

ZANDAFI does not list clients on its website. However, the Combat Hate Foundation, based in Kansas, hired ZANDAFI as an independent contractor for $113,483 over the course of 2020. ⁶ The Mike and Sofia Segal Foundation hired ZANDAFI for $50,001 as an independent contractor for “advisory” services in 2019. ⁷ The Center for Jewish History hired ZANDAFI for “strategic planning” services in 2016 for $113,750. ⁸

Approach

ZANDAFI has a four-pronged approach to advising. First, the group provides a tailored assessment of the client’s goals followed by developing plans and timelines; second, ZANDAFI provides ongoing support and can take on or outsource particular functions for the client as desired, including training, recruitment, and supervision; third, it evaluates impact, efficiency, and effectiveness of client operations; and finally, ZANDAFI provides skill development for staff and board members. ²

ZANDAFI advises nonprofits, philanthropists and foundations in developing their strategy, mission and vision, as well as financial and human resource development, grantmaking, marketing, functions and organizational structure. ⁹

1. Experience — ZANDAFI Philanthropic Advisory Services. 2014. “ZANDAFI Philanthropic Advisory Services.” ZANDAFI Philanthropic Advisory Services. 2014. https://www.zandafi.com/experience.
2. ZANDAFI — ZANDAFI Philanthropic Advisory Services. 2014. “ZANDAFI Philanthropic Advisory Services.” ZANDAFI Philanthropic Advisory Services. 2014. https://www.zandafi.com/what-we-do.
3. “About Us – Jewish Institute for Liberal Values.” Jewish Institute for Liberal Values. April 25, 2021. https://jilv.org/about/.
4. “About.” 2023. Combat Antisemitism Movement. May 31, 2023. https://combatantisemitism.org/about/.
5. Media. 2014. “ZANDAFI Philanthropic Advisory Services.” ZANDAFI Philanthropic Advisory Services. 2014. https://www.zandafi.com/read-me.
6. Combat Hate Foundation Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990PF), 2020, https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/842208774/202143139349301629/IRS990 Part VII, Section B1, Line 3a.
7. Mike & Sofia Segal Foundation Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990PF), 2019, https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/207395108/202033219349105933/IRS990PF, Part VIII, Line 3a.
8. Center for Jewish History Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax, 2016 https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/133863344/201723179349300607/IRS990 Part VII, Section B1A.
9. ZANDAFI — ZANDAFI Philanthropic Advisory Services. 2014. “ZANDAFI Philanthropic Advisory Services.” ZANDAFI Philanthropic Advisory Services. 2014. https://www.zandafi.com/