The Jewish Fund
The Jewish Fund is a public charity based in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Established in 1997 from proceeds of the sale of Sinai Hospital to the Detroit Medical Center, it awards grants to help vulnerable people improve their health and well-being in metropolitan Detroit.
The Jewish Fund at a glance
In short: The Jewish Fund gave $2.2M across 38 grants in 2025 (avg $58K), mostly in Michigan. 32% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $2,209,202
- -42.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 38
- -22.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $58,137
- -25.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $65,703,892
- +5.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 32% first-time grantees (12 of 38, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Michigan (97% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Jewish Fund
- How to Apply
-
The Fund’s process begins with a pre-request, followed by a meeting with staff, a full request, and possible site visits or requests for supplemental information. Applicants must be recognized as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3), and proposed programs or services must impact residents of Wayne, Oakland, or Macomb counties. The Fund lists grants to individuals, loans, religious activities or sectarian education, overseas projects, capital projects or equipment purchases, endowments, annual fund drives, fundraising events, and past operating deficits among the items it does not fund. The Fund’s website says that submission dates for the May 2027 cycle will be posted shortly.
- Contact
Mailing address: 6735 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301
Phone: (248) 642-4260
Website: https://thejewishfund.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
6 open opportunities from The Jewish Fund
A Healthy Start
The Jewish Fund
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
A Shared Life in Detroit
The Jewish Fund
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
A Thriving Community (Health and Welfare of the Jewish Community)
The Jewish Fund
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Who The Jewish Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Jewish Family Service of Metropolitan Detroit ($644K). Together the top 10 received $1.6M.
Grant Size Distribution
188 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 119 grants of 188 (63%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Fund states that its grantmaking is focused solely on programs and services impacting residents of metropolitan Detroit’s Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties. In 2025, 97% of grant dollars went to recipients in Michigan; the remainder was reported in Georgia, New York, North Carolina, and California.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 38 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Jewish Fund open to new grantees?
32%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 12 of 38 grantees (32%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $24K; repeat grants $74K. How we count
Medians: $20K first-time, $35K repeat.
- 58% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−8%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2021–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $2.2M (2025) to $3.8M (2024). In 2025 it made 38 grants totaling $2.2M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Jewish Family Service of Metropolitan Detroit West Bloomfield, MI | Supportive programs for mental health, families and the elderly | $644,357 |
| Fresh Air Society Bloomfield Hills, MI | Improving Health and Safety at Kid's Summer Camps | $175,000 |
| Jewish Hospice & Chaplaincy Network West Bloomfield, MI | Training rabbis in end of life care for a hospice program | $165,000 |
| Gesher Human Services Southfield, MI | Support Programs for People with Mental Health Challenges | $116,987 |
| Yad Ezra Berkley, MI | Healthy Food for Food Insecure Indviduals and Families | $107,000 |
| Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue Detroit, MI | Supporting Interfaith and Interracial Relations | $85,000 |
| Jarc Bloomfield Hills, MI | Supportive Programs for People with Developmental Disabilities | $81,939 |
| Wayne County Safe Program Detroit, MI | Mental health services for victims of sexual assault and trafficking | $75,000 |
| Hillel the Foundation for Jewish Campus Life Ann Arbor, MI | Enhancing Security During Heightened Anti-Semitism | $55,000 |
| Care House Pontiac, MI | Supportive services to families to prevent child abuse and neglect | $53,500 |
Ready to take the next step with The Jewish Fund?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $65,703,892 | $4,638,788 | $2,914,609 | $2,209,202 | 38 | $4,589,688 |
| 2024 | $62,555,927 | $1,967,113 | $4,509,584 | $3,833,065 | 49 | $1,966,713 |
| 2023 | $60,251,819 | $3,794,521 | $4,031,863 | $3,374,522 | 38 | $3,794,521 |
| 2022 | $63,179,971 | $6,947,379 | $2,967,985 | $2,393,264 | 30 | $6,947,379 |
| 2021 | $68,108,073 | $3,265,979 | $2,893,689 | $2,337,000 | 33 | $3,264,056 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Fund’s stated mission includes supporting a Jewish health care mission in greater Detroit and Michigan, promoting relations within the Jewish community and with the broader community, and contributing to the welfare of society and the betterment of the human condition. Its website describes its work as continuing Sinai Hospital’s tradition of providing quality, compassionate care.
Its priorities encompass Jewish community well-being; health and wellness for vulnerable and underserved metropolitan Detroit residents, including children; and opportunities that strengthen Jewish life in Detroit. The Fund also supports professional development intended to help nonprofit organizations build skilled, informed staff.
Examples of supported organizations illustrate the range of grantees. Jewish Hospice & Chaplaincy Network says it helps ensure that no Jewish patient or family faces terminal illness alone, providing care navigation, spiritual care, grief support, and other resources. Gesher Human Services describes its work in workforce development, behavioral health, and inclusion for Metro Detroiters, while also meeting the needs of the Jewish community. Yad Ezra says it provides supplemental kosher food and other necessities to needy Jewish families. JARC describes supporting people with disabilities through relationships, community engagement, and support aligned with Jewish values.
Grantmaking
The Fund’s 2025 filing reports 38 grants totaling $2,209,202. Grant amounts ranged from $5,750 to $644,357, with a median of $25,000.
The largest reported 2025 grants included $644,357 to Jewish Family Service of Metropolitan Detroit for supportive programs for mental health, families, and the elderly; $175,000 to Fresh Air Society for health and safety improvements at children’s summer camps; $165,000 to Jewish Hospice & Chaplaincy Network for training rabbis in end-of-life care; $116,987 to Gesher Human Services for programs for people with mental health challenges; and $107,000 to Yad Ezra for healthy food for food-insecure individuals and families. Other grants included $85,000 to Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue for interfaith and interracial relations, $81,939 to JARC for supportive programs for people with developmental disabilities, and $75,000 to Wayne County SAFE Program for mental health services for victims of sexual assault and trafficking.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Margo Pernick as executive director. It lists Jeff Schlussel as chair, Mark Kowalsky as vice chair, and Dorothy Benyas as secretary/treasurer. Other listed board members are Steven Ingber, Peter Alter, Carolyn Bellinson, Michael Berger, Roz Blanck, and Penny Blumenstein.
The Jewish Fund is led by Margo Pernick, Executive Director on every filing since 2021; none of the 42 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Margo Pernick
Executive Director
On filings since 2021
35.9 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jeff Schlussel
Chair
Vice Chair → Chair, 2024
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Beverly Liss
Board Member
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Dorothy Benyas
Secretary & Treasuer
Secretary & Treasurer → Secretary & Treasuer, 2023
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ilana Liss
Board Member
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jay Hack
Board Member
Board Member - Partial Year → Board Member, 2022
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jennifer Friedman
Board Member
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Karen Sosnick Schoenberg
Board Member
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lawrence Wolfe
Board Member
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Leah Trosch
Board Member
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lynda Giles
Board Member
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Marcie Orley
Board Member - Partial Year
Board Member → Board Member - Partial Year, 2025
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mark Kowalsky
Vice Chair
Board Member → Vice Chair, 2024
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mark Schlussel
Board Member
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Marta Rosenthal
Board Member
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Berger
Board Member
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Eizelman
Board Member
Chair → Board Member, 2024
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michael Maddin
Board Member
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nancy Grosfeld
Board Member
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Penny Blumenstein
Board Member
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Peter Alter
Board Member
Board Member - Partial Year → Board Member, 2022
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Richard Krugel
Board Member
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Robert Naftaly
Board Member - Partial Year
Board Member → Board Member - Partial Year, 2025
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sherri Ketai
Board Member
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Steven Ingber
Board Member
Board Member - Partial Year → Board Member, 2023
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Susie Pappas
Board Member
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Candace Johnson Kimpson
Board Member
Board Member - Partial Year → Board Member, 2023
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Gilda Jacobs
Board Member
Board Member - Partial Year → Board Member, 2023
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jeffrey Devries
Board Member
Board Member - Partial Year → Board Member, 2023
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Steve Schanes
Board Member
Board Member - Partial Year → Board Member, 2023
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Erika Bocknek
Board Member
Board Member - Partial Year → Board Member, 2024
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Justin Klamerus
Board Member
Board Member - Partial Year → Board Member, 2024
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Matt Lester
Board Member
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Monica Woodson
Board Member
Board Member - Partial Year → Board Member, 2024
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Rabbi Harold Loss
Board Member
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Roz Blanck
Board Member
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sharlonda Buckman-Davis
Board Member
Board Member - Partial Year → Board Member, 2024
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Andy Doctoroff
Board Member
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Carolyn Bellinson
Board Member
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Gary Torgow
Board Member
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
George Roberts
Board Member
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jody Boorstein
Board Member
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (17)
- Former: Dennis Bernard (2021–2024) — Board Member - Partial Year
- Former: Helene White (2021–2024) — Board Member - Partial Year
- Former: Paula Glazier (2021–2024) — Board Member - Partial Year
- Former: Jeffrey Davidson (2021–2023) — Board Member - Partial Year
- Former: Michael Tyson (2021–2023) — Board Member - Partial Year
- Former: Ronald Klein (2021–2023) — Board Member - Partial Year
- Former: Alexis Schostak (2021–2022) — Board Member - Partial Year
- Former: Harold Loss (2021–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Laura Hughes (2021–2022) — Board Member - Partial Year
- Former: Matthew Lester (2021–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Renee Handelsman (2021–2022) — Board Member - Partial Year
- Former: Roselyn Blanck (2021–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Susan Pappas (2022) — Board Member
- Former: Alan Kaufman (2021) — Board Member - Partial Year
- Former: Anessa Kramer (2021) — Board Member - Partial Year
- Former: Lawrence Lax (2021) — Board Member - Partial Year
- Former: Susie Schechter (2021) — Board Member
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about The Jewish Fund
How much does The Jewish Fund give each year?
The Jewish Fund gave $2.2M across 38 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $3.8M across 49 grants.
What is The Jewish Fund's typical grant size?
The Jewish Fund's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $58,137, across 38 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Jewish Fund that year got $24K on average.
Where does The Jewish Fund give grants?
The Jewish Fund gives mostly in Michigan: 97% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Detroit, MI (14 grants), West Bloomfield, MI (6 grants), Southfield, MI (4 grants) and Pontiac, MI (3 grants).
Does The Jewish Fund give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 38 grants with a stated purpose on The Jewish Fund's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support.
Who are The Jewish Fund's largest grantees?
The Jewish Fund's largest 2025 grantees include Jewish Family Service of Metropolitan Detroit ($644,357), Fresh Air Society ($175,000) and Jewish Hospice & Chaplaincy Network ($165,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 45% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Jewish Fund?
The Jewish Fund reported $65.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $4.6M.
What does The Jewish Fund fund?
The Fund’s stated mission includes supporting a Jewish health care mission in greater Detroit and Michigan, promoting relations within the Jewish community and with the broader community, and contributing to the welfare of society and the betterment of the human condition. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Jewish Fund?
The Fund’s process begins with a pre-request, followed by a meeting with staff, a full request, and possible site visits or requests for supplemental information. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Jewish Fund's EIN?
The Jewish Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 38-3323875. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS October 14, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS October 12, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS December 19, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS December 5, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 3, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Jewish Fund's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Jewish Fund funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-jewish-fund-morg_ce1fafc8c030452ba4731f7fd133cc83
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_383323875_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Jewish Fund funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-jewish-fund-morg_ce1fafc8c030452ba4731f7fd133cc83},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from The Jewish Fund's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
The Jewish Fund down — hundreds of funders to go?