Why Give to JCF
8 Great Reasons to Establish a Fund with the Jewish Community Foundation
The Jewish Community Foundation is one of our region’s most respected and trusted philanthropic organizations. We are independent and impartial, which makes us ideally suited to help you support the Jewish and non-Jewish organizations you care about now and in the future.
At the Jewish Community Foundation, we deeply appreciate our donors. We also become personally acquainted with you and your charitable wishes. We come to know you by name. We care about what motivates you to give and how we can best help you fulfill your goals — now and in the future. Our knowledge of community needs, opportunities, and organizations working to meet those needs can help you fulfill your charitable goals.
For the following reasons, we invite you to make JCF your philanthropic home for managing and stewarding your endowment funds, donor advised funds, or funds from your Jewish community agency, organization, day school, or synagogue.
1. We invest in our local Jewish community by providing grants for new and innovative programs.
Our grants have been instrumental in launching some of the most successful local programs and organizations, including:
- Greater Phoenix Jewish Community Kollel
- Hebrew High Care-a-Van, Bureau of Jewish Education
- Jewish Baby University, Bureau of Jewish Education
- Jewish Career Services, Jewish Family & Children’s Service
- Jewish Genetic Diseases Center
- Limmud AZ
- PJ Library
- Valley Beit Midrash
- Women’s Jewish Learning Center
Enhancing the Jewish community is at the core of everything we do. With your generous help, we will continue to play a vital role in building and sustaining a healthy, vibrant Jewish community.
2. We are a cost-effective alternative to creating a private foundation.
A Donor Advised Fund or a Supporting Organization with JCF provides most of the advantages of a private foundation at a fraction of the cost — with considerably less work and usually with better tax benefits. A Donor Advised Fund or Supporting Organization is like having a private foundation at your fingertips. Use this comparison chart to see more detail about how establishing JCF Funds compares to establishing a private foundation.
3. We are an independent, self-governed public charity with four decades of transparent financial management.
The Jewish Community Foundation is an independent, self-governed public charity. We serve as the central resource for long-term Jewish philanthropy in Greater Phoenix, having earned the trust of our donors, Jewish agencies with whom we partner, and the estate and financial planning professionals who work with us to help their clients and our donors achieve their charitable and financial goals. We are proud of our long history of efficient operations and superb financial management.
4. We employ professional staff with expert financial management experience.
Since 1972, JCF has overseen and administered hundreds of charitable funds. Our staff regularly participates in national educational seminars on the latest trends in planned giving, endowments, tax laws, and IRS rules and regulations. We have expert experience:
- Building charitable endowments
- Facilitating endowment gifts
- Creating individual legacy plans
- Making, managing, and administering grants
- Gift planning financial administration
- Nonprofit management
5. We provide professional investment management services.
The Jewish Community Foundation’s investment portfolio is managed by an investment committee that includes many leading local investment experts. The committee employs independent expert advisors who assist in developing the Foundation’s overall investment philosophy and guidelines. The independent advisors also recommend fund managers to handle the day-to-day management of the Foundation’s portfolio, which is reviewed and adjusted regularly. The portfolio is well diversified among fixed income, equities, and alternative investments.
6. We work in partnership with national resources.
The Jewish Community Foundation has access to the resources, talent and knowledge available through:
Partnership for Philanthropic Planning – A national organization that helps people and organizations create charitable giving experiences that are the most meaningful in achieving both charitable missions and the philanthropic, financial, family, and personal goals of the donor.
Planned Giving Round Table of Arizona – A local organization serving the needs and interests of charitable gift planning and financial professionals.
Arizona Grantmakers Forum – A local organization dedicated to increasing, enhancing, and improving philanthropy in Arizona.
The Wexner Foundation – A pioneer in the field of Jewish philanthropy, focused on the development of Jewish professional and volunteer leaders in North America, and public leaders in Israel.
The Jewish Federations of North America – A planned giving and endowment department serving and linking Jewish Community Foundations nationally.
The Harold Grinspoon Foundation – A foundation that invests in projects that provide a strong return on investment for the Jewish community.
The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation – A foundation that promotes positive change in peoples’ lives, and seeks innovative solutions that enable young people, families and communities to achieve results beyond what seems possible today.
7. We work with allied legal, accounting, real estate, and financial planning professionals in the community through JCF’s Professional Advisory Committee.
The Jewish Community Foundation’s Professional Advisory Committee is a collection of local professionals who share an interest in the endowment building activities of the Foundation and a deep commitment to the future of the Jewish community. Through our relationships with these seasoned professionals, we have access to some of the best in the business, whenever your particular situation calls for specialized knowledge and experience.
8. We actively develop the next generation of Jewish philanthropists.
Jewish tradition teaches that one of our key responsibilities is to make the world a better place for future generations. Next generation donors consistently cite the activities of their parents and grandparents among the greatest influences in their own philanthropy. Only personal experience, like the activities offered through our B’nai Tzedek Youth Philanthropy program, ranks higher as an influence: #NextGenDonors: The Future of Jewish Giving.
