“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: what are you doing for others?” -Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. On Monday, January 20th, Americans honored the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr in a variety of ways. Many chose to celebrate Dr. King through a day of service, recognizing that a day “on” rather than a day off is a fitting tribute to a man who dedicated his life to the service of others.

Koret’s values of learning (limmud) and community (kehillah) feel particularly important as the year draws to a close. It’s a perfect time to reflect on how our grantees embody these values and are working to build a brighter future.

The Koret Foundation has supported College Track for over twenty years and shares its belief that a strong education leads to meaningful career paths, economic mobility, and greater personal freedom.

This Sukkot, the Koret team spent a day in the North Bay visiting two grantees: the Osher Marin JCC and Congregation Rodef Sholom. In the spirit of Sukkot, we were graciously welcomed by both organizations.

Next month marks twelve months since the Hamas attacks of October 7. A full year of suffering, uncertainty, and loss—in Israel and in Gaza— for so many people, so many families, entire communities. Yet again, as the Jewish people have been compelled to do numerous times throughout the arc of history, they have proven their ability to not only endure, but to rise up and redefine what it means to be resilient and hopeful.

Food banks have changed substantially since the days of your elementary school food drive, and that’s a good thing. Last month, Koret program associate Ellen Lathrop visited Second Harvest of Silicon Valley and learned all about their expansive services–which go far beyond distributing canned foods.

“There’s sort of this false impression that the pandemic is over, but food security is very important.” Ashley Rodwick, Senior Program Officer at the Koret Foundation, spoke with the San Francisco Chronicle about the Foundation’s recent $2.2 million investment in food banks and programs addressing food insecurity in the Bay Area.

In the shadow of the ongoing tragedy in Israel and Gaza, we welcome spring as a season of hope. We are proud to work with organizations that leverage the power of storytelling in its broadest sense to bridge cultural gaps, shine light on the past, expand our perspectives, and help shape a brighter future.

A new research study supported by Koret Foundation, Rosov Consulting, and EarlyJ, “Exploring the Jewish ECE Ecosystem,” was shared with more than 180 participants across three locations last month. The findings from the research are available in full to the public.

“Locally-based nonprofits, when supported by philanthropy, are in a unique position to understand and offer the right support at the right time that could make a crucial difference between [a veteran] regaining stability or remaining on the street.” In this op-ed, Koret’s Ashley Rodwick and Insight Housing’s Calleene Egan explore how private philanthropies and community organizations can help fill gaps in government funding to support veterans.

Koret, in partnership with EarlyJ and Rosov Consulting, conducted a study to assess the state-of-play for Jewish ECE in our region. We have chosen to provide open access to the research in hopes that it will help practitioners, locally and beyond, make better informed grants toward expanding access to and increasing the quality of Jewish ECE programs.

Kehilla, Hebrew for community, is at the heart of our work. Our grantmaking has always focused on supporting and strengthening the Jewish community, at home and in Israel. In the wake of the attacks on October 7—and during the holiday season—we encourage everyone to connect with and lean on their community, and Koret could not be prouder of our kehilla.