Two of the Bay Area’s largest charitable foundations announced multi-million-dollar gifts in the realms of education and Bay Area Jewish community demographics.
As part of a $17.4 million series of grants announced at its spring 2016 board meeting, the S.F.-based Jim Joseph Foundation will give up to $250,000 to the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation for a new Jewish community study.
Titled “A Portrait of Bay Area Jewish Life and Communities,” the study will survey the local Jewish population, collecting data on sociodemographics, Jewish connections and engagement, and human and social service needs. It will further develop plans to track progress toward the Federation’s goal of doubling Jewish engagement over the next decade.
Meanwhile, the Koret Foundation established a $50 million five-year initiative supporting 12 Northern California higher education institutions.
Dubbed the Koret University Partners Initiative, the grant will provide funding to improve student success based on strategic priorities of the universities’ presidents and chancellors; upgrade campus facilities and technology; strengthen ties between Bay Area and Israeli scholars, and enhance resources to increase student success and graduation rates, especially for students from underserved communities.
The initiative addresses priorities such as research, scholarships, technology, recruiting and retention programs for low-income students. More than 1,500 students will receive financial support through the initiative.
The 12 institutions selected as Koret University Partners are: City College of San Francisco, Notre Dame de Namur University, San Francisco State University, San Jose State University, Santa Clara University, Sonoma State University, Stanford University, University of San Francisco, U.C. Berkeley, U.C. Santa Cruz, U.C. Davis and U.C. San Francisco.
U.C. Berkeley will get the largest grant, $11 million, which will include establishment of the Koret Outreach, Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Excellence — or KOURSE — program. Stanford will receive $10 million; U.C. San Francisco and U.C. Davis will get $6 million each, and USF will receive $5 million.