Jewish Federation to eliminate unrestricted funding for local Jewish agencies and schools by FY 2018

By Donald H. Harrison

SAN DIEGO – In two years’ time, the Jewish Federation will completely cease giving “unrestricted funds” to San Diego County’s Jewish agencies and schools and re-channel the money it collects from donors to various kinds of community collaborations, including initiatives to draw teens, “NextGen” 20-somethings, seniors and unaffiliated families closer to the San Diego Jewish community.

This means that in FY 2018 the Jewish Federation will make no unrestricted grants to any of the following organizations: Jewish Family Service, the Lawrence Family JCC, Seacrest Village Retirement Community, Hillel, the San Diego Jewish Academy, Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School, Torah High School, Southern California Yeshiva (SCY), Chabad Hebrew Academy, the On the Go senior transportation program, the Ken Youth Movement, Moishe House, and the Anti-Defamation League.

In FY 2013, these schools and agencies received a combined total of unrestricted grants (that is, grants which could be used for any purpose) totaling $1,488,200.  The total was $1,077,960 in FY 2014; $1,000,350 in FY 2015; $808,081 in Fiscal Year 2016; and will be $387, 815 in FY 2017, and zero in FY 2018.

In an interview, Jewish Federation CEO Michael Sonduck explained that the change is a reflection of how much fundraising has changed in the Jewish community since the 1930s when the Federation first got started.  In the early days, he said, donors would send their checks to the Federation which then would parcel out the money based on its assessment of community needs.  It was a one-stop shopping arrangement with the various schools and agencies refraining from independent fundraising.

That changed over the years, however, with most schools and agencies mounting independent fundraising efforts including gala dinners, golf and tennis tournaments, raffles, and direct solicitation for major contributions.

Sonduck said major donors to the Jewish Federation by and large are the same people who are supporting the agencies and the schools.  In discussions with Federation staff, he said, donors said that Federation grants to these agencies and schools duplicate the contributions they already make.  They urged the Federation to focus instead on building collaborations within the community to respond to unmet needs.

For example, said Sonduck, as a result of a matching grant made to the Federation by the Jim Joseph Foundation, the Federation has encouraged the development of an outreach program to Jewish teenagers.  This program is administered by Lawrence Family JCC and will involve encouraging high school students to connect with the Jewish community via various mitzvah projects.  The grant for this program is considered a “restricted fund” because it must be used for the Teen Initiative.

Another initiative is planned for NextGen 20-somethings to encourage their direct involvement with the Jewish community.

While nearly all the agency and school directors said they appreciate everything that the Federation has done in the past to support their missions, some expressed considerable worry that while new collaborations are being built up, tried and true activities of the Jewish community are being short-changed.

For example, the headmaster of Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School, Rabbi Simcha Weiser, told San Diego Jewish World:

“When Michael Sonduck told me that our Jewish Federation was defunding our five Jewish day schools, I felt dismay, and I am left only with unanswered questions. Our Jewish Federation has declared as its focus “to create a vibrant, caring, connected and enduring Jewish community.”  Certainly supporting the growth and education of the 1,035 children who attend our Jewish day schools today is essential to reaching this lofty goal.  We already count on many current young leaders and community professionals who are Day School graduates; they lead our outreach efforts to support Israel, strengthen Jewish living, and connect with unaffiliated families.

“How can cutting off support to today’s students be in keeping with fostering continuity?  What newly conceived collaboration or social experiment warrants abandoning programs of learning which have been documented as successful in inspiring two full generations of children to live as proud, engaged and committed Jews?”

Michael Rabkin, the executive director of Hillel of San Diego, was similarly skeptical.  “We are all grateful at Hillel to the Jewish Federation for decades of partnership and support.  However, the elimination of Federation funding is an unhappy surprise.  Considering how vital the college-aged demographic is to the future of the Jewish people and everywhere.”

He added: “For generations, Jewish college kids have been part of a social contract.  When we send our kids to college elsewhere, we know those communities are sustaining their Hillels, and the same has been true here – part of creating a welcoming and inclusive San Diego Jewish community.  So we have a much more difficult challenge ahead of us to meet the needs of our Jewish students today.  There are at least 2,500 Jewish students on the college campuses in San Diego and at our current level of funding, Hillel can only reach about half of them.  So we need more communal support, not less.”

Pam Ferris, the CEO of Seacrest Village Retirement Communities, expressed less worry.  She said while she is disappointed that funding will be cut, she is confident that supporters of the home for the Jewish aged will make up the difference.   Like others with whom San Diego Jewish World spoke, Ferris made a point of praising the Federation for its past support.

Michael Hopkins, CEO of Jewish Family Service, issued this statement: “As longtime partners with Jewish Federation of San Diego County, we understand that funding shifts are necessary to build and strengthen community collaboration. We will continue to work with the Federation to achieve our mutual strategic goals and are confident that JFS will emerge as a key partner in ensuring that our seniors can live with dignity and safety in their own homes.

“Jewish Family Service has a strong network of diverse funding, including public and private grants and individual donations, that allows us to continue to directly assist individuals and families who are working hard to improve their lives.”

With collaborations envisioned for teens, 20-somethings and for seniors, there is a chance that the various agencies may be able to participate in the collaborations, in the process receiving some funding.

For example, Chaim Heller, Head of School at San Diego Jewish Academy, noted that students in the upper grades of the K-12 school are teenagers.  He said perhaps they can be drawn into the teen collaboration administered by the Lawrence Family JCC.  If so, students at the Orthodox SCY High and Torah High School might also be included.

Queried on this point, Michael Cohen, executive director of the Lawrence Family JCC, commented: “All of the Jewish Day Schools and organizations that specifically target Jewish teens are partners in this communitywide effort. There is a micro-grants program that allows each of these groups to apply for funding to enhance the work they do with their teens.”

Cohen added that the Jewish Teen Initiative is “designed to both support existing Jewish teen programming and to reach Jewish teens that have not found their connection point to the community. To support our Jewish teen programs, this initiative is providing a training environment for Jewish teen educators todevelop their practice and learn from their colleagues. The initiative is also learning from the leaders of the 28+ Jewish teen programs by convening ‘The Delegation’ and asking them what type of community they want to have.

Additionally, said Cohen, the Teen Initiative has created “Motiv,” an online platform dedicated to connecting teens to meaningful volunteer service. “The Motiv platform will allow teens to find volunteer projects, record them and see what they have accomplished through a personalized dashboard thatreflects their impact. This system will allow them to share their service story as they apply for scholarships, college and jobs and allow them to explore who they want to be in the world. More at www.motivsandiego.org. The goal of this initiative is to be serving 40%+ of high school aged Jewishteens in San Diego by 2020. Currently, there are an estimated 7,000 Jewish teens in San Diego of which 10% are currently engaged.”

While the Teen Initiative seems to be further along in its conceptual development, the Next Gen initiative, catering to 20 somethings, may likewise provide some funding for Hillel, which caters to students in that age range.

As noted by Hopkins a comprehensive  outreach program to senior could involve JFS. Likewise it could tap into the resources of Seacrest Village Retirement Communites.

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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World.  He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com