For many years, an informal group of local funders known as the Atlanta Foundations Forum regularly gathered to discuss ideas, innovations, issues, and best practices that influence grantmaking in and around the city. In 2018 a group of Jewish philanthropic leaders ran with that idea and created a Jewish version, known as the Jewish Foundations[RK1] Forum.
Today, under the auspices of Atlanta Jewish Foundation, the Jewish Foundations Forum engages with more than 40 private and supporting foundations, large donor-advised funds, and individual philanthropists to showcase philanthropic initiatives and present opportunities for collaborative funding.
On March 2, the Jewish Foundations Forum will convene its semi-annual meeting featuring a conversation with Fay Twersky, President and Director of The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, and former Vice President of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. You’ll learn more about collaborative giving, the power of active listening to our ultimate intended beneficiaries, and how Atlanta philanthropists can leverage working together to make a bigger impact in our community.
Atlanta has been blessed with a group of generous Jewish families who have built our community and continue to sustain it. Understanding that the philanthropic future rests on subsequent generations, the Jewish Foundations Forum is especially focused on ways to educate and involve the 2nd and 3rd generation family members, the future of philanthropy in Jewish Atlanta.
In its collaborative role, the Jewish Foundations Forum played an important role in marshalling philanthropic dollars to meet local needs. Over the summer of 2021 a diverse group of Atlanta philanthropists convened to identify community priorities in the aftermath of COVID. Using scenario planning techniques to tease out the most pressing issues facing Jewish Atlanta, they prioritized mental health.
Mental health needs are complex and are still being addressed. Jori Mendel, Interim? Chief Foundation Officer of Atlanta Jewish Foundation is proud of this work. “Through a funder collaborative that emerged from Foundation’s Forum we are creating space to talk openly about mental health. We are conducting a robust landscape analysis that will provide a community roadmap for addressing mental health needs.”
For information about Atlanta Foundations Forum and the mental health funder collaborative contact Jori Mendel.