Exploring Philanthropy through a Family Fund
We engage families to explore their shared values and charitable interests. We helped Richard and Cyral Sheldon establish the Sheldon Family Advised Fund. Richard and Cyral’s children, Scott, Sloane and Stacy, share their experiences in selecting charities and making annual grants from their family fund.
Family Philanthropy During the Pandemic
When the world seems chaotic, Sean White finds solace by looking at a photo of his grandmother making matzah balls. This is Sean’s most treasured memory of Miriam Toubman. More than 30 years ago, the Toubmans began a tradition of family philanthropy to honor their father and grandfather, William, who passed away at age 52.
Expanding Behavioral Health Options at Hebrew Senior Care
The Foundation joined with many of our community’s major donors to assist Hebrew Senior Care (HSC) with its impressive plan to transform its business model from an acute care ward to an expanded Behavioral Health Unit (BHU). The expansion has doubled HSC’s capacity to...
Powerful Together: Addressing COVID-19
We are always more powerful when we come together as a community to respond to a crisis. That’s why the Foundation and the Jewish Federation established the Jewish Hartford Rapid Relief and Recovery Fund (RRR Fund) in March 2020 to help people, agencies and synagogues impacted by COVID-19. The Foundation and Federation seeded the RRR Fund with $150,000. In the first months of the crisis, staff from the Foundation, Federation and Jewish Family Services (JFS) procured and delivered food each week, including hot kosher meals for Passover, plus Dignity Grows hygiene products to 125 Jewish families in need in 19 towns in Greater Hartford. The food program was eventually transitioned to JFS, which is doing a tremendous job serving the community’s needs.
Teen Explores his Values Through his Fund
“Philanthropy allows me to support organizations that share my values, spread the blessings I have been lucky enough to receive, and give back to the communities where I have lived and worked,” says Jack Hutensky. Jack’s parents started a Donor Advised Fund for...
Helping People in Need
Grants from Donor Advised Fund holders are improving the quality of life for clients with limited finances at the Jewish Association for Community Living (JCL). "Gifts from the Foundation's generous donors allowed our residents to receive rental assistance,...
Music Empowers Neighborhood Children
Donor Advised Fund holders are supporting Music Matters, a first of its kind program for underserved children in Hartford. Hosted the by Charter Oak Cultural Center’s Youth Institute, students in grades 4 and 5 enjoy free private and ensemble instrumental music instruction in a comprehensive afterschool program four days a week, as well as food and homework assistance.
JewGood Hartford Redefines Philanthropy
Will millennials be the generation that redefines philanthropy? Studies show millennials want to be more experimental and data-driven in their giving, and more personally involved in addressing long-standing social challenges. Steve Piaker thinks JewGood Hartford...
Endowment in Action
Frank Kavitsky left a legacy gift decades ago that has provided remarkable support every year. His legacy will continue far into the future, since he entrusted the Foundation with a planned gift before he passed away in 1998. Since he left this gift of $1.2 million, the fund has granted out nearly $1 million to the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford, and his fund’s balance is $1.5 million — even larger than his original gift. That is endowment in action!
JTConnect Receives Springboard Grant
Jewish Teen Learning Connection (JTConnect), which demonstrated impressive growth in the last few years, was awarded a three-year Springboard grant of $120,000. The grant is being used to support a second staff member at JTConnect, allowing Executive Director Eric Maurer to spend more time working on fundraising, board development and engagement and strategic planning. “Growing our programming and strengthening our operation would not be possible if it weren’t for the Foundation’s Springboard grant,” says Eric.