A New Road Map for the Foundation

The following letter introduced the Foundation’s new Road Map in the October 2019 edition of its newsletter, A Closer Look.

More than two years ago, the Foundation began a major process to examine our grantmaking strategies and desired outcomes. With that process complete, we are pleased to share a new Road Map detailing how the Foundation approaches and supports effective Jewish learning experiences that are meaningful and helpful to people throughout different inflection points in their lives. We invite you to view the Road Map in Talmud Daf format, which includes core assumptions, principles, long-term outcomes, and accompanying commentary. You’ll also see our new Logic Models that detail each strategic priority.

The Foundation’s mission—to foster compelling, effective Jewish learning experiences for young Jews—remains unchanged, as laser-focused as before. Yet, we recognize the need to take more risks, to identify more ways and places in which learning occurs, and to both lead and collaborate more to pursue this mission in today’s world. The Road Map shares a new aspiration, indicative of Jim Joseph’s, z”l, belief that Jewish learning can significantly influence a person’s whole self and her or his place in society. We want the Foundation’s philanthropic efforts in Jewish learning to inspire all Jews, their families, and their friends to lead connected, meaningful, and purpose-filled lives. Jewish learning should inspire them to make contributions to their communities and beyond.

We hope these new materials on the Foundation’s strategic approach are helpful to you and articulate how we approach our work today. Please let us know any questions and feedback you have.