Monthly roundtable series and other programs for JFN members who seek to ensure their endowment investments are mission-aligned with their philanthropic goals by investing in ventures that aim to be financially profitable while also achieving specific social or environmental goals. 

Join JFN

Monthly Impact Investing Roundtable Series

Facilitated by JFN Board Member Vanessa Bartram, each month's lively and action-oriented roundtable (conducted online) features a master class and two investment roundups, all led by JFN members and designed to encourage shared learning and shared action along our impact investing journeys.

Whether you are new to impact investing or a seasoned veteran, the roundtables will help you to build skills, deepen your collaborations and deal access, and add meaning to how you're managing your money. JFN members can watch videos of past sessions on the "Impact Investing" playlist on JFN's Members-Only Videos page (scroll down for Impact Investing Roundtable series playlist). Find the next session on our events calendar or email ari@jfunders.org.

A Guide to Jewish Impact Investing

Written by JFN member Michael Lustig (one of the instructors of the new certificate course), this is the first-ever guide to Jewish impact investing, investment in ventures that aim to be financially profitable while also achieving specific social or environmental goals.

This free, downloadable guide provides a brief overview of impact investing concepts and defines and characterizes what makes Jewish impact investing unique. The guide, part of JFN's Guides for Intelligent Giving series, also features illustrative case studies and a list (one that will be updated on an ongoing basis) of various Jewish impact investing resources and specific investment options.

• Watch an interview with Michael Lustig.
• Listen to Michael Lustig and Roundtable Facilitator Vanessa Bartram in this episode of JFN's "What Gives?" podcast.
• Certificate Course in Jewish Impact Investing (2024)

Participants earned an NYU Executive Education Certificate and, with it, the knowledge and skills to begin making their (or their foundation’s) assets yield social as well as financial returns. 

Taught by two experts on Jewish impact investing, this course introduces you to a new and evolving financial field, with a particular emphasis on developments in Israel and the broader Jewish world. You’ll learn about a wide variety of impact investing vehicles and how they differ from traditional investments. You’ll also gain an understanding of the tools available for measuring an enterprise’s environmental, social and other impacts.

Tailored for Jewish Funders Network members and those who are eligible for membership, the course consists of eight 90-minute Zoom sessions that combine lecture, discussion, and interactive projects. A modest amount of reading and other coursework is required, culminating in a personal project to be presented at the end of the course.

Email ari@jfunders.org to be notified when the course is offered again.

Matching Grant Program

JFN has twice partnered with the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation on a matching grant program designed to expand Israel’s impact investing ecosystem. Congratulations to the 15 NGOs, from a variety of areas, including the Arab society, regional entrepreneurship development, impact real estate, and agricultural and food technology, that benefited from the most recent round of matching grants. 

Issue Exploration Track at JFN's October 2021 Israel Ideas Festival

This intensive workshop included the rare opportunity to hear the inspiring personal story of keynote speaker, Diane Isenberg, founder of Ceniarth, which invests globally in rural, marginalized places with an emphasis on agriculture, affordable housing, financial inclusion, and energy access. The session also explored three Israeli impact investments in Israel in real estate, impact tech, and employment. A video of this session is on JFN's Members-Only Videos page (Israel Ideas Festival Premium Content playlist).