FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media contact: Roben Kantor / Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation / 202.289.7000, ext. 6 • rkantor@schusterman.org

JEWISH NEW MEDIA INNOVATION FUND AWARDS $500,000 TO DIGITAL MEDIA PROJECTS

Jim Joseph, Righteous Persons and Schusterman Family foundations invest in new media innovation designed to shape American Jewish life and learning for 21^st century; 9 projects selected from diverse pool of 300+ applicants

Washington D.C.—March 14, 2011 – The Jewish New Media Innovation Fund, a pilot program of the Jim Joseph, Righteous Persons, and Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family foundations, announced today that over $500,000 in grants and technical support will be awarded to nine digital media projects designed to engage 18 – 40 year olds in Jewish life, learning, culture, and community.

The selected projects are diverse in the tools and technologies they will use to empower Jews to interact with, share, build, and explore Jewish life. They include virtual communities, mobile applications, websites, video series, a data management system, a digital music platform, and interactive holiday and liturgy translators. (A complete list of project descriptions can be found at www.jewishnewmedia.org.)

“There is an exciting transformation underway in how people are using digital media to communicate, educate, and build community,” said Rachel Levin, Associate Director of the Righteous Persons Foundation. “These projects share an ability to harness new digital media tools and technologies that are a large part of young people’s lives today and use them to enhance efforts to engage young people in Jewish life.”

In its pilot year, the portfolio offers a mix of project types, including:

• A digital platform for exploring historical dimensions of Jewish music and culture;
• An interactive, customizable Haggadah creator;
• A parenting website targeting the vast spectrum of Jewish families, with local online communities and an interactive Jewish baby name bank;
• Online cartoon videos teaching people how to lead Jewish rituals and holidays in their homes;
• A digital TED-style dialogue about G-d;
• A mobile application that places Jewish campus life directly in the palm of your hands;
• An online community that translates traditional Jewish liturgy into modern vernacular;
• A mobile application that empowers individuals to learn weekly Torah and Haftorah portions; and
• An intelligent data management system that uses predictive analytics to connect young Jews to programs and opportunities based on expressed personal interests.

Each project will receive one-time funding for a period of 12 months. In order to enhance the impact of these grants, the Fund will offer to provide mentoring and coaching, as well as resources for benchmarking and evaluating success.

“Our goal is to support innovative initiatives using new media to engage and deepen Jewish identity,” said Phyllis Cook, a member of the Jim Joseph Foundation Board of Directors. “It is my hope that some of these projects will surprise us with their effectiveness and that we will learn how to employ this media effectively in touching the next generation.”

The nine finalists were chosen from a pool of over 300 applications spanning eight countries and requesting an estimated $18 million. Nearly 65 percent of the applications came from not-for-profit organizations, with the remaining 35 percent submitted by for-profits and individuals.

A team of 75 readers scored each application according to a criteria rubric that placed a premium on innovative ideas that serve the Jewish community and can be successfully implemented with the grant funds. A pool of the strongest 30 proposals advanced to the six-member committee of advisors consisting of experts in the fields of digital media, social innovation, Jewish life, and youth engagement. These advisors closely reviewed and discussed the top proposals and then recommended the nine projects that will receive funding. (Learn about the members of the advisory council at www.jewishnewmedia.org.)

The process was expertly stewarded and facilitated by Blueprint Research + Design, a strategy consulting firm specializing in program research and design for philanthropic foundations.

“The Jewish New Media Innovation Fund is itself an innovation—a collaborative effort by three foundations to involve many members of the Jewish and social media worlds in helping to improve the Jewish community,” said Lucy Bernholz, President of Blueprint. “The selected projects represent just the beginning of the diversity of ideas and opportunities that this kind of open, inclusive process can uncover.”

The Jewish New Media Innovation Fund was established by the Jim Joseph, Righteous Persons and Schusterman Family foundations in an effort to better understand how digital media can help preserve Jewish history, renew Jewish traditions, and revitalize Jewish institutions while promoting more vibrant and meaningful Jewish life in the 21st century.

The funders plan to study the full applicant pool and share aggregate learnings about the need for new media support in the Jewish world with the Jewish philanthropic community and all those working to foster Jewish life, learning, culturem and community.

“We are encouraged by the clear insight this process has revealed—namely, that countless organizations, institutions and individuals are asking hard questions about how we can shape our community for the 21st century,” said Sanford Cardin, President of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. “We look forward to sharing our discoveries about how funding in this space can effectively spur creativity and foster meaningful engagement through emerging technologies.”

For more information on the Jewish New Media Innovation Fund, visit www.jewishnewmedia.org.

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About the Jim Joseph Foundation

The Jim Joseph Foundation, established in 2006, is committed to a sustained program of grant making in pursuit of a vision that leads to ever-increasing numbers of young Jews engaged in ongoing Jewish learning and choosing to live vibrant Jewish lives. The Foundation manages close to 700 million dollars of assets, using all of its resources to foster compelling, effective Jewish learning for young Jews in the United States. www.jimjosephfoundation.org

About the Righteous Persons Foundation

The Righteous Persons Foundation is dedicated to supporting efforts that build a vibrant, just, and inclusive Jewish community in the United States. Steven Spielberg established the Foundation in the fall of 1994, initially with his profits from the film Schindler’s List. Since then, the Foundation has invested in organizations and efforts working to: revitalize Jewish arts, culture, and identity; engage the next generation; strengthen a commitment to social justice; and promote understanding between Jews and those of other faiths and backgrounds. www.righteouspersons.org

About the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation

The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation is dedicated  to ensuring vibrant Jewish life by empowering young Jews to embrace the joy of Judaism, build inclusive Jewish communities, support the State of Israel and repair the world. Established in 1987 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Foundation also provides assistance to non-sectarian charitable organizations dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in our hometown, especially in the areas of education, child advocacy and youth development. www.schusterman.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 5. 2010

Media contact:
John Delicath
202.271.4896
john@jewishnewmedia.org

$500,000 PILOT FUND ANNOUNCED FOR JEWISH NEW MEDIA PROJECTS

Jim Joseph, Righteous Persons, and Schusterman Family foundations will give first-of-their-kind grants to spur the use of digital media tools to enhance American Jewish life

Washington, D.C. – The Jim Joseph, Righteous Persons, and Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family foundations announced today the launch of the Jewish New Media Innovation Fund, a collaborative program offering a total of $500,000 in grants for digital media projects.

The Jewish New Media Innovation Fund (Fund) is seeking proposals for projects that leverage new media tools–including video, digital communications, social networks, and more–to empower Jews to interact with, share, build, and explore Jewish life. The Fund is looking to better understand how digital media can help preserve Jewish history, renew Jewish traditions, and revitalize Jewish institutions.

The partnership between the three foundations is built on the shared belief that new media innovations represent a tremendous opportunity to help maintain and strengthen Jewish identity, inspire new kinds of activity in Jewish life, spark conversations that invite new participants, and create forums that facilitate new Jewish ventures.

“Each generation has the opportunity to use the tools of their day to engage with what it means to be fully Jewish and fully human in the world,” said Rachel Levin, Associate Director of the Righteous Persons Foundation. “For our generation, that toolbox includes digital media as a way to access information, culture, and connection. Our hope is that this Fund will help accelerate and strengthen the experimentation that is already happening in pockets around the country.”

In this pilot year, the Fund is offering grants to individuals, non-profits, social enterprises, and for-profit groups. Funding is available for both start-ups and established projects, where the grant will ensure the launch of an existing concept or take an established project to the next level.

“The Jim Joseph Foundation is supporting entrepreneurial new media tools focused on engaging young Jews in their identity and in Jewish education in the broadest terms,” said Phyllis Cook, a member of the Jim Joseph Foundation Board of Directors.

The Jewish New Media Innovation Fund is the only effort of its kind in the Jewish philanthropic community, a collaborative effort among three different foundations to share what we learn with the broader Jewish community and philanthropic world.

“By partnering with these two highly accomplished and respected foundations, we believe we can leverage the power of philanthropy, technology, and social networking to engage young people in leading richer, more meaningful Jewish lives,” said Sandy Cardin, president of the Schusterman Family Foundation.

An Advisory Board, consisting of experts in the fields of digital media, Jewish life, and youth engagement will select the winning proposals. Interested parties must apply online.

Proposals are due November 22, 2010.

The announcement of awardees is expected in February 2011.

For more information on the Jewish New Media Innovation Fund visit www.jewishnewmedia.org.

About the Funders

Jim Joseph Foundation

The Jim Joseph Foundation, established in 2006, is committed to a sustained program of grant making in pursuit of a vision that leads to ever-increasing numbers of young Jews engaged in ongoing Jewish learning and choosing to live vibrant Jewish lives.  The Foundation manages close to 700 million dollars of assets, using all of its resources to foster compelling, effective Jewish learning for young Jews in the United States.

Righteous Persons Foundation

The Righteous Persons Foundation is dedicated to supporting efforts that build a vibrant, just, and inclusive Jewish community in the United States. Steven Spielberg established the Foundation in the fall of 1994, initially with his profits from the film Schindler’s List. Since then, the Foundation has invested in organizations and efforts working to: revitalize Jewish arts, culture, and identity; engage the next generation; strengthen a commitment to social justice; and promote understanding between Jews and those of other faiths and backgrounds.

Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation

The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation (CLSFF) is dedicated to spreading the joy of Jewish living, giving and learning around the world and to enhancing the quality of life in our hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Through our national office in Washington, D.C., CLSFF supports programs that ensure vibrant Jewish life by empowering young Jews to embrace the joy of Judaism, build inclusive Jewish communities, support the State of Israel and repair the world. Established in 1987, the Foundation also provides assistance to non-sectarian charitable organizations dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in our hometown, especially in the areas of education, child advocacy and youth development.