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The Foundation

The mission of the Foundation - Jewish Communities of Western CT is to assist donors in planning for the best use of their resources for family and charity, while providing funding for the future of the local Jewish community as well as national, overseas, and in Israel.

Established in 1994 as a semi-autonomous division of the Federation - Jewish Communities of Western CT, Inc., the Foundation has grown substantially through gifts and managed funds, and through judicious investments.

The pomegranate, our Foundation logo, has long symbolized life in many cultures. It has special meaning in Jewish culture because its seeds were thought to physically represent the 613 commandments of Judaism. The pomegranate stands for a productive future and a significant past.

Jewish Community

Bethlehem, Cheshire, Litchfield, Middlebury, Morris, Naugatuck, Oxford, Plymouth, Prospect, Roxbury, Southbury, Southington, Thomaston, Torrington, Washington, Waterbury, Watertown, Wolcott, Woodbury, Afula/Gilboa (Israel), Israel, and Kazan (Russia).

Investments

The Foundation's Investment Committee, chaired by Pat Magida, oversees the investment of the Endowment Fund, and meets periodically with the Fund's managers and consultants.

The Foundation's endowment fund of approximately $12.5 million at September 30, 2009 is invested with the Fund Evaluation Group, Inc.

The portfolio is invested for the long term with minimum and maximum target ranges. As of August 2009, the Foundation is invested as follows: 43% large/mid cap equities, 5% small cap equities, 11% international equities developed markets, 5 % international equities emerging markets, 17% fixed income instruments, 2% real estate and 16% low volatility instruments.

NEWS: Grants and Allocations Schedule
The Grants & Allocations Committee of The Foundation, Jewish Communities of Western CT, Inc. has set its schedule for reviewing and determining requests for 2009/2010.

Grants providing seed money for startup programs from the Foundation’s unrestricted funds will be reviewed and determined in October, January and May. All grant applications have deadlines set for the 15th of the month preceding their review at grants meetings. Grants for capital expenses are reviewed each June.

The Foundation's College Scholarships come from four scholarship funds, each with their own set of guidelines. The Dr. William Finkelstein College Scholarship Fund, The Shobhna Shukla and Matthew Ginsburg College Scholarship Fund, The Janet & Alan Hertzmark College Scholarship Fund and the Ruth Kravitz Higher Education Fund will receive applications no later than April 15, 2010 with awards announced in early May.

Camperships are provided by the Charlotte and David Walzer Camping Fund and The Waterbury Hebrew Ladies' Aid Fund. Other funds supporting Jewish camping experiences have come from the William Finkelstein Fund for Needy Jews, The Sophie, Joseph and Mark Brinker Fund and the Traurig Fund. Camp scholarship applications must be received by April 1, 2010 in order to be considered. Camperships will be awarded in early May.

Scholarships for travel to Israel are funded by the Walzer Passport to Israel Fund and the Liebeskind Scholarship to Israel Funds. These scholarship applications are accepted at any time and awards are made timely.

Interested parties can obtain the grant application guidelines and various forms for scholarships and grants by selecting the appropriate tab.
For further information please contact The Foundation at (203) 267-3177 or Donna Albertario at dalbertario@jfed.net

Thank you to the Rabin Society Fund

The Foundation’s Rabin Society Fund provided a partial grant for students to attend the L’Taken Conference at the end of January.  The Foundation received a letter written by the student’s chaperone describing their activities and providing a few quotes from the girls.  Following are a few excerpts from comments made by the students:

By having the opportunity to go to Washington DC, I was able to experience something that I will never forget. I learned how Jewish values are important in helping the country. Throughout learning about all the issues presented at this L'Taken trip I was able to see how our beliefs go with the problems present and how they work for justice for the people at stake. — Sarah O’Brien

What I got out of the trip was a lot of new knowledge about how our U.S. Government works and the impact/importance of lobbying for issues our country faces.And my favorite part was really the whole weekend. It was a big adventure, the workshops were inviting and fun, working with the other kids was fun too and Capitol Hill was a great experience. — Shoshana Rabinovsky

I had a great experience at L'Taken and learned about a lot of issues that I hadn't known about before. It was really interesting to see how Capitol Hill works and to see firsthand the role that lobbyists play in decision making in Congress. My favorite part was visiting the Senate and House office buildings because we got to personally see the government at work and try to affect the decisions of our representatives. — Rebecca Beilinson

From this trip I learned more about how intricate the system of passing a law is. I now understand that our government leaders are very interested in hearing what the people have to say. It was also interesting to learn about all the different topics that are very controversial in government and how we as teenagers and Jews are related to the topics. — Arielle Landaeta

Foundation Scholarships Available

The Foundation, Jewish Communities of Western CT, Inc. has
three scholarships for higher education. Please visit our website at www.jfed.net for the guidelines for each. This year the applications can be completed directly online and emailed to Donna Albertario at dalbertario@jfed.net. Completed applications must be submitted no later than April 15th. Only complete applications will be considered.

Camperships Available - Apply Now!

Creating Jewish memories and friendships that last a lifetime are two of the benefits of the Jewish camping experience. There are few better ways for children to spend their summers - just ask anyone and they will be eager to share something that happened to them during summer camp. Applications for “camperships” to Jewish camps can be completed online at www.jfed.net and will be accepted until April 1st. Email your completed application to Donna Albertario at dalbertario@jfed.net.