1st Federation-Affiliated Jewish Women’s Fund to Launch as Independent Entity

An autonomous Jewish Women’s Foundation will be able to ensure accountability to its stakeholders, build its own infrastructure, and make its own investment decisions.

The Jewish Women’s Foundation of the Greater Palm Beaches plans to become the first of 24 national Jewish women’s funds affiliated with a local federation to establish itself as an autonomous organization.

“Twelve years ago, an insightful and committed group of forward thinking Jewish women came together to implement a new philanthropic model for affecting social change to support women and girls in our community and around the world,” said Tami Baldinger, Chief Executive Officer of the Jewish Women’s Foundation of the Greater Palm Beaches. “Our local Jewish Federation saw the potential, supporting and nurturing our Foundation to the point that our Trustees felt ready to launch it as an independent entity.”

Strengthened by major donations, including a $1 million gift from a single donor, the Trustees decided that independence would enable the Foundation to deepen its impact, tell its story more broadly, and bring more women into its ever-widening circle of stakeholders.

The Jewish Women’s Foundation has awarded more than $1.5 million in grants to organizations in the U.S., Israel, and around the world that empower women and girls to achieve social and economic equality. In the coming year, the Foundation plans to make at least $200,000 in additional grants, using social change philanthropy, advocacy, and education to ensure that women and girls can reach their fullest potential.

As an independent organization, the Jewish Women’s Foundation will be able to fully execute on its social change vision and go beyond the limits of the Federation’s mission of direct service. An autonomous Jewish Women’s Foundation will also be able to ensure accountability to its stakeholders, build its own infrastructure, and make its own investment decisions.