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February 4th, 2013
The Natan Fund and ROI Community Announce the Recipients of the First “Natan Grants for ROI Entrepreneurs”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media contact: Rebecca Langer, Puder Public Relations
Office: 212-558-9400; Cell: 201-280-8966; Israel: 077-444-7158; Rebecca@puderpr.com

THE NATAN FUND AND ROI COMMUNITY ANNOUNCE THE RECIPIENTS OF THE FIRST “NATAN GRANTS FOR ROI ENTREPRENEURS”

4 ROI Community members to receive a total of $37,000 from Natan to broaden the reach and deepen the impact of innovative Jewish projects

Jerusalem, February 4, 2013 – The Natan Fund and ROI Community announced the recipients of the inaugural “Natan Grants for ROI Entrepreneurs,” a new grantmaking partnership dedicated to supporting ROI Community members with innovative ideas for diversifying Jewish life in communities around the world. The grants, totaling $37,000, will be distributed to four recipients hailing from the U.S., Mexico and Uruguay. The new partnership between Natan and ROI Community, a member of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Philanthropic Network, was initiated as a way of integrating Natan’s growing group of young philanthropists with ROI’s global network of emerging entrepreneurs and innovators.

ROI Community members from 10 countries submitted a total of 45 proposals to Natan. Through a highly competitive vetting process, Natan members made their selections based on how innovative the projects are at addressing challenges within their respective regions, the strength of the project’s leadership team and how deeply the projects resonated with Natan’s grantmaking agenda. Seven projects advanced to the final interview stage, from which the Natan grant committee ultimately selected four grantees.

The recipients of the first “Natan Grants for ROI Entrepreneurs” are:

  • Amy Beth Oppenheimer (United States). Oppenheimer is the Director of Faces of Israel, an educational film that explores Israel as a Jewish state today focusing on questions of Jewish identity, religious pluralism and civil liberties. She received the grant to bring the highly interactive Faces of Israel program, which includes presentation, discussion and film-viewing, into remote communities across the U.S. www.facesthemovie.com
  • Fabian Schamis (Uruguay). Schamis is the Executive Director of Punta del Este Jewish Community. He received a grant for Nefesh, a new local school that is the only source of Jewish education and strives to develop new leadership committed to Judaism and the State of Israel. Nefesh is the first program in the region to address the youth and their needs and is already strengthening ties within the local community as well as with other communities in the broader region.
  • Isidoro Hamui (Mexico). Hamui received a grant for Merkaba Fest, the first annual Jewish music festival in Mexico. Merkaba Fest aims to create, promote and explore both local and foreign artists and share Jewish culture and music with the greater Mexican society. http://www.ficj.org/
  • Robert Saferstein (United States). Saferstein received a grant to expand Friday Night Lights, a series of sophisticated Shabbat dinners for gay Jewish professionals, each highlighting a different charitable organization helping the LGBTQ Community. Friday Night Lights offers new access points into the Jewish community and fosters a genuine interest in long-term Jewish involvement. www.fridaynightlightsevents.com

The Natan Fund generally provides early-stage funding for creative approaches to some of the key challenges facing the Jewish people and the State of Israel today. Its portfolios includes creating new access points to Jewish life, especially for younger Jews who are less engaged with existing communal organizations; strengthening the bonds that connect Jews to one another, particularly across geographic borders; and strengthening Israel’s economy. Its partnership with ROI emerged out of a desire to expand Natan’s grantmaking to very early-stage ideas around the world and a belief that ROI’s rigorously vetted pool of innovators with diverse approaches to strengthening Jewish life would prove to be an excellent network of applicants from which to draw.

“More than just a grant program, Natan’s partnership with ROI is also a way of strategically integrating two networks of dedicated young people who are transforming the Jewish world for the 21st century,” said Felicia Herman, Executive Director of The Natan Fund. “By bringing Natan’s network of young philanthropists together with ROI’s network of young entrepreneurs and innovators, and by creating a dedicated source of funding for ROI members, both Natan and ROI hope to strengthen and enhance each others’ work while collectively having an even greater impact on the Jewish world than either group could have on its own.”

“These grants are a prestigious recognition of the creative, multi-faceted ways ROI Community members are changing the face of Jewish communities around the world,” said Justin Korda, Executive Director of ROI Community. “Our partnership with The Natan Fund is an incredible opportunity to help take these particular projects to the next level and also to foster long-term relationships between emerging philanthropists and entrepreneurs with bold ideas for ensuring a brighter Jewish future.”

About ROI Community:

ROI Community is a global network of Jewish innovators created by Lynn Schusterman. ROI connects dynamic, creative Jews and gives them the tools, support and space to turn their ideas into innovative work that will change the face of Jewish life. ROI Community conferences, gatherings, professional development, mentorship opportunities and financial support empower ROI members as leaders, activists and change-agents in shaping the Jewish future.

ROI is a member of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Philanthropic Network, a global network focused on igniting the passion and unleashing the power in young people to create change for themselves, in the Jewish community and across the broader world. www.roicommunity.org

About Natan:

Natan inspires young philanthropists to actively engage in Jewish giving by funding innovative projects that are shaping the Jewish future. Natan believes that educated, engaged, and entrepreneurial philanthropy can transform both givers and nonprofit organizations. Natan members pool their charitable contributions, set the philanthropic strategy and agenda for the foundation, and allocate funds to innovative organizations that are building new vision for the Jewish people and the State of Israel. Through unique educational events and experiences, and through a rigorous, hands-on grantmaking process, Natan is creating an influential, philanthropically-minded community of young Jews dedicated to transforming the Jewish future. www.natan.org

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January 23rd, 2013
Israel Education Coming of Age
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January 18th, 2013
To Everything There Is a Season: The Metamorphosis of Israel Education

This article first appeared in eJewishPhilanthropy. 

Something significant is happening in the way young Jews learn about and connect to Israel. From camps to day schools, youth groups to Israel trips and supplementary education, rather than simply being taught about Israel, young people are being encouraged to form a relationship with Israel by engaging with the state, land and people in a variety of formal and informal settings.

Indeed, today’s field of Israel education is embracing innovative approaches to experiential learning and emerging from its nascent stage with the possibility of becoming a fundamental element of Jewish education and Jewish identity formation. But to really ensure that our future generations are deeply knowledgeable about and engaged with Israel, we need an “all-hands-on-deck” approach to prioritizing Israel Education, especially at the pre-collegiate level. Read More »

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January 18th, 2013
To Everything There Is a Season: The Metamorphosis of Israel Education
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January 7th, 2013
Taglit-Birthright: Visiting Israel, Our Start-Up-Nation
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November 19th, 2012
The Power of Speaking Up in Support

Like so many of you, I have been watching the headlines and images coming out of the Middle East with a mix of sadness, fear and dread. Sadness at seeing millions of innocent lives put in harm’s way. Fear at knowing our homeland is once again under attack and tensions are ratcheting up in an already volatile region. Dread at anticipating the harsh judgment Israel will receive in the court of public opinion for doing what any nation must: secure its borders and protect the lives of its citizens.

No nation, after all, can be expected to tolerate more than half of its population—an estimated 4.5 million people—living under constant threat of rocket fire. Air raid sirens have twice sounded throughout Jerusalem as rockets have landed within range of the capital city, Israel continues to intercept rockets over Tel Aviv and residents of Israel’s south are spending their days and nights in bomb shelters.

It is a reality of life in Israel, but it is the story the headlines don’t often tell. And as we go about our work week, our Israeli brothers and sisters prepare for the possibility of sending their loved ones to war once again. Read More »

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November 13th, 2012
Ashoka Receives $250,000 Challenge Grant to Advance Social Entrepreneurship in Israel
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November 12th, 2012
Ashoka Receives $250,000 Challenge Grant to Advance Social Entrepreneurship in Israel and the Jewish World

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 12, 2012

Jake Sharfman, Puder Public Relations | Jake@puderpr.com | 212-558-9400 (o) 248-318-1072 (c) 077-444-7158 (ext. 1)

ASHOKA RECEIVES $250,000 CHALLENGE GRANT TO ADVANCE SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN ISRAEL AND THE JEWISH WORLD 

Funding from Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation to support joint effort to customize and implement Changemakers® platform for Jewish community 

WASHINGTON — Ashoka announced today it has received a $250,000 challenge grant to customize its trademarked Changemakers® platform to support and connect growing numbers of social entrepreneurs in Israel and around the Jewish world. Kikar Ashoka, the customized platform, aims to help these social entrepreneurs develop, maintain and scale initiatives, collaborate on shared ideas and connect with potential supporters.

The three-year challenge grant is from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. As part of the broader Charles and Lynn Schusterman Philanthropic Network (CLSPN), the Schusterman Foundation is focused on empowering young people with the skills and tools they need to create substantive change in their local communities, in Israel and across the Jewish world. With the goal of encouraging more philanthropists to support Kikar Ashoka and the entrepreneurs who will use it, Ashoka must raise an additional $250,000 for the project, set to begin development this winter.

The announcement came during the Tikkun Olam Conference at the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America, in which Ashoka Founder Bill Drayton and CLSPN President Sandy Cardin shared the stage for a conversation about the intersection of service, social change and entrepreneurship.

“The one single factor that determines society’s success is the percentage of changemakers within it,” said Bill Drayton. “It’s important for the future of Israel and the Jewish people to have as many social entrepreneurs as possible re-thinking and imagining what a prosperous society looks like.”

“The Jewish community in general, and Israel in particular, has a wealth of innovative thinkers and change agents applying their talents to social initiatives,” said Sandy Cardin. “Through our partnership with Ashoka, we believe we can help increase the viability and visibility of their social footprint. It is a great opportunity for these Jewish changemakers and for all of us who benefit from their passion.”

Ashoka pioneered the field of social entrepreneurship 32 years ago and is now a global network of 3,000-plus changemakers in 72 countries. It launched Changemakers a decade ago to foster positive collaboration amongst these entrepreneurs and their initiatives. Thus far, Changemakers has sourced more than 10,000 innovations; helped establish partnerships with global corporations and foundations such as Nike, eBay, Google, Citi and the Rockefeller Foundation; and leveraged over $600 million in funding for the most promising solutions.

Ashoka launched in Israel in 2009 to support and spread local innovative social solutions and to showcase Israel beyond its borders as the Start-Up Nation in the social sector as well as in the fields of hi-tech, clean-tech and biotech. Kikar Ashoka will provide a much-needed centralized platform for innovators and projects that seek to create positive social change within Israel, to bring Israeli innovation to the broader Jewish world and to ensure that social entrepreneurs across the Jewish community are able to reach wider audiences in Israel. It will be bilingual—in both Hebrew and English—providing an opportunity for Israeli changemakers to communicate in their own language while participating in a global Jewish marketplace of ideas.

Similar to the Ashoka Changemakers platform, Kikar Ashoka will feature:

  • Tools for innovators to define goals, develop business plans, track and report progress, and run their ventures;
  • An open platform for social entrepreneurs to showcase their innovations and collaborate;
  • Knowledge, learning and assisted matchmaking opportunities; and
  • Competitions to identify and grade investment innovations.

“The goal of this collaboration between Schusterman and Ashoka is to identify, connect and support emerging innovators with the right resources at the right time,” said Dr. Nir Tsuk, Director of Ashoka Israel. “It will function as a marketplace for social entrepreneurship, where innovators and funders can easily partner, and where graduates of many social incubators and leadership programs in Israel and the Jewish world can find a natural next step.”

The partnership with Ashoka fits in with Schusterman’s broader mission to invest in young social entrepreneurs who can develop new solutions to longstanding challenges, as well as strengthen the Jewish community and Israel. Also included within the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Philanthropic Network is the ROI Community, a global network of more than 800 Jewish innovators in 50 countries who are creating new ways to engage more people in Jewish life.

“Through our work with ROI, as well as incubator programs like PresenTense and Joshua Venture, we have recognized a need for a sophisticated platform that supports changemakers by connecting them to resources, partners, supporters and networks that can open the door to greater success and deeper impact,” said Cardin. “Through our partnership with Ashoka, we believe we have found one of the best ways to help meet that need.”

 

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About Ashoka

Ashoka is the world’s largest organization of social entrepreneurs and changemakers. Founded in 1980 by Bill Drayton with the belief that the most powerful force in the world is a big idea in the right hands, it champions the most important new social change ideas and supports the entrepreneurs behind them by helping them get started, grow, succeed and collaborate. As Ashoka expands its capability to integrate and connect entrepreneurs around the world, it builds an entrepreneurial infrastructure that is supporting the fast-growing needs of the citizen sector. Ashoka’s vision is to create change today, for an Everyone A Changemaker™ society to become the reality of tomorrow. www.ashoka.org

About Ashoka Changemakers
Ashoka Changemakers is a community of action that connects social entrepreneurs around the globe to share ideas, inspire and mentor each other. Through its online collaborative competitions and open-source process, Changemakers.com is one of the world’s most robust spaces for launching, discussing and funding ideas to solve the world’s most pressing social problems. Changemakers builds on Ashoka’s three-decade history and belief that we all have the ability to be a Changemaker.

About the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation

The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation is committed to strengthening the Jewish people, public education in the U.S., and the quality of life in its hometown of Tulsa, OK. Within the Jewish community, the Foundation empowers young people to engage in meaningful Jewish experiences, build inclusive Jewish communities, connect with the State of Israel and repair the world. www.schusterman.org

The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation is part of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Philanthropic Network, a global network of philanthropic initiatives focused on igniting the passion and unleashing the power in young people to create change for themselves, in the Jewish community and across the broader world. CLSPN also includes the Schusterman Foundation-Israel (SFI), ROI Community (ROI) and REALITY.

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November 5th, 2012
In Case You Missed It: Highlights from Young Adult Gatherings

From Johannesburg to Jerusalem and many places in between, we have had the privilege of meeting with young Jewish adults all around the world this year who are fueling our optimism about the Jewish future. They are left wing, right wing, straight, gay, religious, secular, from big cities and small towns. But where some might see divisions and irreconcilable differences, these young people see potential for partnerships, for building bridges, for working together to contribute to the global Jewish community and to the world at large.

Indeed, each encounter further confirmed our belief that to be most effective in creating a vibrant Jewish future, we need to put young people—not our organizations, programs or egos—at the center of the relationships, experiences and networks we are supporting.

Herewith, some of the highlights … Read More »

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October 16th, 2012
Seventy U.S. Educators Visit Israel to Explore Leadership, Education System
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