The Koret Foundation supports organizations that test and advance new and important ideas. To that end, this spring, we launched two new major initiatives.
Koret’s new $3.8 million Civic Learning Initiative seeks to build student knowledge and support teacher training to promote democracy and combat disinformation. Grantees include iCivics, The Commonwealth Club, Common Sense Media, KQED, and YMCA of San Francisco. These five organizations reach across backgrounds and generations to create a more informed citizenry.
To continue building bridges between Israel and the Diaspora, Koret awarded a $10 million grant to establish a new global education, leadership and research collaborative between Tel Aviv University and ANU- Museum of the Jewish People. The grant will create the Koret Center for Jewish Civilization, which will employ a unique educational and cross-disciplinary approach to the challenges of contemporary Jewish thought, social engagement and identity, as well as build dialogue and understanding between Jewish Israelis and those in the Diaspora.
Heading into the summer, we are excited to see Koret grantees Honeymoon Israel and Onward Israel restart trips to Israel, and the Shalom Hartman Institute resume its summer Community Leadership Program in Jerusalem. We are also thrilled to see Bay Area arts institutions open world class shows, from the Diego Rivera murals at SFMOMA, the Obama Portraits at the deYoung Museum, and Don Giovanni at SFOpera. We wish you a healthy and joyful summer.
Inspired by our grantees:
Juma: It starts with a job
Founded in San Francisco in 1993, Juma is a nonprofit social enterprise whose purpose is to break the cycle of poverty for low-income youth, allowing them to earn a living wage while building important workforce skills and advancing their educational journey. In the summer of 2021, Juma was presented with a sweet business opportunity, thanks to two successful alumni of the program. The story is a delicious blend of coming full circle, paying it forward, and creating a training lab.
Read more about Juma here.
Thoughts & Opinions:
Building bridges between Israeli Jews and American Jews
Dr. Anita Friedman, President of the Koret Foundation, spoke with the Jerusalem Post about the new Koret Center for Jewish Civilization based at Tel Aviv University in partnership with ANU – Museum of the Jewish People.
“The idea is to try to stitch us all together in a new way, to bring together one of the largest Jewish philanthropies in the world – which is the Koret Foundation – and one of the flagship Jewish institutions of the state of Israel – Tel Aviv University – along with the Government of Israel, and many other organizations in one common cause. Most people agree that this [connection between American and Israeli Jews] is a real challenge that needs to be taken seriously.”
