Foundation News —Chip Edelsberg

Foundation News
—Chip Edelsberg, Executive Director

June 2011

While I was in the process of composing this month’s Jim Joseph Foundation (JJF) Executive Director Update on JJF’s developing effort in researching Jewish teen education and engagement, JTA released Lynn Schusterman’s Op-Ed “Uping the Ante: Why I’m Doubling Down on the Teen Years.” Lynn lauds the success of youth groups and Jewish camps for engaging Jewish teenagers in “a compelling, meaningful and value-added manner.” Lynn exhorts funders to spend dollars supporting organizations which offer effective programs and to award grants to organizations which will replicate best practices.

JJF’s grant support of organizations which the foundation has assessed to effectively educate Jewish teenagers is substantial: JJF has awarded $72 million to these organizations in the foundation’s first five years of its existence. But our assessment of our work to-date persuades us we have more to do.

In short, JJF thinks that there may be significant opportunity not only to enhance and expand programming of current grantees that are “high performers” but also to create new approaches to Jewish teen education and engagement.

In a few weeks, JJF is convening of group of interested funders and several experts who are devoted to analyzing and understanding Jewish teen experiences in a meeting co-facilitated by BTW Informing Change and Rosov Consulting. JJF has contracted with these firms to research best practices in Jewish teen education and engagement and to better understand structure and programs communities can build to most effectively engage and educate today’s teens. Based on the report BTW and Rosov Consulting will eventually produce, we are hopeful of identifying a promising approach(es) to sustainable, community-based Jewish education and engagement that merits funding support.

In the attached information, you will see some of the data that JJF has compiled in educating ourselves about Jewish teenagers. We have spent more than a year learning. We are now poised to push forward with others in exploring a potential investment. I will be sure to share with you on this site any significant outcomes from the upcoming convening. In the interim, I welcome any reactions you have to the attachments or observations you might want to share about your experience as a funder or professional working in this area.

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