Jewish Endowment Foundation of South Carolina
The Jewish Endowment Foundation of South Carolina (JEFSC), formerly the Jewish Endowment Foundation of Greater Charleston, is a public charity based in North Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1996, it manages endowments and makes grants supporting Jewish life and other community needs in South Carolina and beyond.
Key facts about Jewish Endowment Foundation of South Carolina
In short: Jewish Endowment Foundation of South Carolina gave $882K across 25 grants in 2025 (avg $35K), mostly in South Carolina. 20% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- EIN
- 57-1042419
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $882,211
- Grants made (2025)
- 25
- Average grant
- $35,288
- Median grant
- $12,500
- New grantees (estimate)
- 20% first-time grantees (5 of 25, 2025)
- Total assets
- $31,903,308
- Primary geography
- South Carolina (94% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990 · View filing
Total Assets
$31.9M
+21.9% YoY
Annual Giving
$882K
+37.7% YoY
Grant Count
25
+25.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$35K
+10.1% YoY
Is Jewish Endowment Foundation of South Carolina open to new grantees?
20%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 25 grantees (20%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $22K; repeat grants $39K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $17K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
JEFSC’s stated mission is to educate, strengthen, and support South Carolina’s Jewish community by uniting people and investing resources, and to foster philanthropy and shared investment among donors and community leaders to sustain Jewish communities and values across the state.
The foundation says its endowments support purposes including operating support, fields of interest, and scholarships. Its grantmaking supports Jewish institutions and agencies, with requests ranging from operational support to new program initiatives. Its 2025 filing also reports grants and scholarships for religious and other philanthropic efforts, education, human needs, health, the environment, and the arts.
Grantees’ own descriptions illustrate the range of organizations supported. Addlestone Hebrew Academy describes itself as a community day school providing education in secular and Judaic studies. Lowcountry Food Bank says it works for equitable, dignified, and consistent access to food. The Jewish Studies Center says it develops a Jewish studies program at the College of Charleston and supports Jewish students and community programming. Other recipients include organizations whose stated missions concern South Carolina community problem-solving, university support, drug-policy education, affordable housing for older adults and people with disabilities, and Christian higher education.
Grantmaking
In filing-year 2025, the IRS grant detail lists 25 grants totaling $882,211. Grant amounts ranged from $5,250 to $285,487, with a median of $12,500. The listed grants were primarily for general support. The largest were:
Separately, JEFSC’s 2025 filing program description reports that the foundation disbursed 205 grants and scholarships totaling $957,954 across several program categories. This is a broader reported total than the 25 itemized grants above.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
JEFSC states that it supports Jewish life, education, social issues, healthcare, and community resilience across South Carolina and beyond. In the 2025 itemized grant data, 94% of grant dollars went to recipients in South Carolina; the remaining shares went to Tennessee (3%), Mississippi (1%), New York (1%), and Washington, DC (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 25 itemized grants.
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $573K (2021) to $882K (2025). In 2025 it made 25 grants totaling $882K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Addlestone Hebrew Academy ($285K). Together the top 10 received $734K.
Grant Size Distribution
106 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 83 grants of 106 (78%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Addlestone Hebrew Academy Charleston, SC | General Support | $285,487 |
| Synagogue Emanu-El Charleston, SC | General Support | $101,921 |
| Charleston Jewish Community Center Foundation Charleston, SC | General Support | $85,491 |
| Jewish Federation of Greater Charleston Charleston, SC | General Support | $77,654 |
| Jewish Family Services of Greater Charleston Charleston, SC | General Support | $46,607 |
| Chabad of Charleston Inc Mount Pleasant, SC | General Support | $30,271 |
| Brith Sholom Beth Israel Synagogue Charleston, SC | General Support | $29,474 |
| Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim Charleston, SC | General Support | $27,801 |
| Lowcountry Food Bank Inc Charleston, SC | General Support | $26,400 |
| West End Synagogue - the Congregation Khal Kodesh Adath Nashville, TN | General Support | $22,950 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grant sum in filing data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $31,903,308 | $4,311,038 | $1,827,069 | $882,211 |
| 2024 | $26,179,940 | $3,961,239 | $1,396,706 | $640,888 |
| 2023 | $21,571,666 | $2,612,552 | $1,127,929 | $609,385 |
The filing data lists 25 grants for 2025, 20 for 2024, and 19 for 2023.
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $31,903,308 | $26,179,940 | $21,571,666 |
| Revenue | $4,311,038 | $3,961,239 | $2,612,552 |
| Expenses | $1,827,069 | $1,396,706 | $1,127,929 |
| Net Investment Income | $1,293,156 | $879,246 | $346,346 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS September 22, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 5, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 30, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 28, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists the following officers and directors:
- Steven Goldberg — President
- Richard Star — Vice President
- Jerry Kaynard — Treasurer
- Eileen Chepenik — Secretary
- Mike Mills — Director
- Ilene Turbow — Director
- Mark Pinosky — Director
- Ed Kronsberg — Director
- Natalie Bluestein — Director
- Phyllis Martin — Executive Director
Jewish Endowment Foundation of South Carolina is led by Steven Goldberg, President since 2025 (on filings since 2020); none of the 12 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Steven Goldberg
President
Director → Vice President, 2024
Vice President → President, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Phyllis Martin
Executive Director
Director → Executive Director, 2023
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mike Mills
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Natalie Bluestein
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ed Kronsberg
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ilene Turbow
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mark Pinosky
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jane Litz
CFO
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Richard Star
Vice President
Director → Treasurer, 2024
Treasurer → Vice President, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jerry Kaynard
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Eileen Chepenik
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Chris Ballad
CFO
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (7)
- Former: Ben Chase (2020–2024) — Secretary
- Former: Terry Fisher (2020–2024) — President
- Former: Ellis Regenbogen (2021–2024) — Director
- Former: Edward Kronsberg (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Jan Lipov (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Mallary Scheer (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Tina Johnson Brebner (2020) — Executive Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Contact
Mailing address: 1691 Turnbull Ave, N Charleston, SC 29405
Phone: (843) 723-3635
Website: https://jefsc.org
Frequently asked questions about Jewish Endowment Foundation of South Carolina
How much does Jewish Endowment Foundation of South Carolina give each year?
Jewish Endowment Foundation of South Carolina gave $882K across 25 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $641K across 20 grants.
What is Jewish Endowment Foundation of South Carolina's typical grant size?
Jewish Endowment Foundation of South Carolina's median grant in 2025 was $12,500, and its average grant was $35,288, across 25 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Jewish Endowment Foundation of South Carolina that year got $22K on average.
Where does Jewish Endowment Foundation of South Carolina give grants?
Jewish Endowment Foundation of South Carolina gives mostly in South Carolina: 94% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Charleston, SC (17 grants).
Does Jewish Endowment Foundation of South Carolina give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Jewish Endowment Foundation of South Carolina's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (25 of 25) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Who are Jewish Endowment Foundation of South Carolina's largest grantees?
Jewish Endowment Foundation of South Carolina's largest 2025 grantees include Addlestone Hebrew Academy ($285,487), Synagogue Emanu-El ($101,921) and Charleston Jewish Community Center Foundation ($85,491), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 54% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Jewish Endowment Foundation of South Carolina?
Jewish Endowment Foundation of South Carolina reported $31.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $4.3M.
What does Jewish Endowment Foundation of South Carolina fund?
JEFSC’s stated mission is to educate, strengthen, and support South Carolina’s Jewish community by uniting people and investing resources, and to foster philanthropy and shared investment among donors and community leaders to sustain Jewish communities and values across the state. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Jewish Endowment Foundation of South Carolina?
Jewish Endowment Foundation of South Carolina has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check jefsc.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Jewish Endowment Foundation of South Carolina's EIN?
Jewish Endowment Foundation of South Carolina's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 57-1042419. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
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