Jewish Funders Network is an international community of private foundations and philanthropists with over 2,500 members from 11 countries around the world whose mission is to promote meaningful giving and take an active part in the processes that change the thinking and action patterns of philanthropy in the Jewish world. JFN Israel, established in 2008, enables Israeli funders to exchange ideas about their philanthropic involvement and expand their giving circles, both in Israel and overseas. Download our membership brochure.
History
Founded in 1990, the idea for JFN grew out of a conversation between Sidney Shapiro, Jonathan Cohen, and Jeffrey Dekro. They then brought together 17 funders to plan the first JFN conference in Chicago in January 1991, attended by 59 funders. Read JFN's full history here.
Mission
JFN works with Jewish funders, at the individual and collective levels, to improve the quality of their giving and maximize their impact as they make the change they want to see in the world. JFN leverages the power and the creativity of networks to produce change in the Jewish world.
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Values
JFN's values remain the ethical underpinning of everything we do. We represent a broad spectrum of beliefs and attitudes in our membership. We do not shy away from confronting difficult issues, encouraging respectful dialogue, and making hard choices guided by the following principles:
Responsibility (Tikkun Olam—Repair the World)
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Equality (Betzelem Elohim—all of us are created equal)
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Respect (Derech Eretz)
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Inclusion (Eilu v’Eilu—"This and also this")
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Partnership (Areyvut)
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JFN is not a grantmaking organization and does not fund projects or individuals, nor do we promote any projects in need of funding in front of our members.