By Jacob Berkman , JTA News & Features
NEW YORK (JTA) — When a group of young philanthropists decided to put together a short Zagat’s-style directory of innovative programs four years ago, the goal was to identify cutting-edge Jewish causes for their peers to invest in.
The result was Slingshot, an annual directory of 50 hot nonprofits that has helped put several upstarts on the philanthropic map and offered a yearly snapshot of giving trends in the Jewish foundation world.
Among the groups named in the first edition: JDub, a Jewish record label that produces artists whose music is an expression of their heritage; Storahtelling, a drama troupe that retells biblical stories through modern avant-garde theatrical works; and Jewish Funds for Justice, an organization that uses Jewish charitable resources for supporting nonsectarian social action projects.
Since landing on the initial list — it emerged out of Grand Street, a project of the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies that convenes Jews aged 18-28 who have seats on their families’ charitable foundations — these organizations have attracted additional support and moved toward financial stability.
This year’s edition of Slingshot, released Sept. 15, lists all three of the above groups, as well as other repeat choices with similar reputations for innovative programming. But in what organizers describe as a significant shift, the new edition also includes decades-old organizations (the Jewish Book Council and the Foundation for Jewish Culture) and seemingly conventional ones (JCC of Manhattan).
“One of the things we noticed this year is that while many skeptics worry that innovation signifies hip or young Jewish life, we found that many of the organizations out there are making the old new,” Sharna Goldseker, the Bronfman foundation’s vice president, said. “Many are focused on Jewish history and language and heritage, and we see a number of organizations that really build on tradition in an innovative way.”
Overall, even with the inclusion of some longstanding organizations and groups focused on more traditional issues, this year’s edition — chosen by the young representatives of more than 20 foundations — shows that the social entrepreneur movement is taking root among Jewish nonprofits.
For the second year in a row, a Seattle-based organization has made the list. Last year, the Kavana Cooperative was included, though it did not make the book this year. But Jconnect, the program for young adults run by Hillel at the University of Washington, did.
Moishe House, a Santa Barbara, Calif.-based organization that provides support to 25 home-based centers around the world that offer Jewish-themed programming to young adults, also received a place in this year’s Slingshot. The Ravenna Kibbutz, located in Seattle’s Northend, is a part of the program but the inclusion in the guidebook has no direct effect on them, according to its organizers.
For Rabbi Will Berkovitz, Hillel at the UW’s executive director, being a part of Slingshot, is, among other things, recognition that innovation exists outside the major centers of Jewish life in the United States.
“There’s a lot of innovative stuff happening outside of the East Coast and Southern California,” Berkovitz said. “We’re doing some things that are starting to get national recognition of this approach of reaching out to the young Jewish community, and we’re succeeding at it.”
The cornerstone of the program, which has evolved over more than a decade, is what Berkovitz refers to as “big-tent Judaism” — the idea that Jews come from a diverse array of opinion and belief, and that anyone Jewish should be a welcome part of their organization.
“We want to say your voice is welcome here,” he said. “We want people not to feel judged or not to feel alienated because their position is not the one that’s touted as, ‘You have to look like this.’”
One result of the recognition in Slingshot — as well as from other awards and grants — is that Hillel at the UW now gets calls from Hillels and other Jewish organizations across the country to find out how they’re engaging young adults. But Berkovitz also said there’s still work to be done.
“We’re doing some really, really great things, [and] we’ve still got a long, long way to go. There’s still a lot of people not feeling connected to the Jewish community,” he said. “I don’t think we’ve even hit our stride yet.”
The Jewish nonprofit sector has experienced a similar groundswell of innovative Jewish nonprofits in the past decade. As the trend picks up steam, longstanding Jewish organizations are starting to contemplate their role in supporting such initiatives: The United Jewish Communities, the umbrella organization of the Jewish federation system, recently partnered with two other organizations to hold a daylong symposium for social entrepreneurs and potential funders.
Still, those behind Slingshot say, support from the Jewish communal establishment has been slow to arrive.
“If you compare the amount of money spent on funding dedicated to continuity and renewal and renaissance, it towers over the money that has gone to the social entrepreneur movement,” Roger Bennett, the Bronfman foundation’s senior vice president, said. “What is crucial now is to look at the series of actions that have occurred and to see that social entrepreneurship and the organizations in the Slingshot book are alive and well — and to close the gap in terms of philanthropic dollars.”
According to research commissioned by the Bronfman foundation, organizations listed in past editions of Slingshot say they have benefited from being included: Ninety-three percent say the book has been a useful tool for them; 86 percent have collaborated with other organizations listed in the book; and 62 percent have been able to enlist new board members because of the book.
Ultimately, though, those included say that the real benefit is not in the immediate donations that come in, but securing a stamp of approval that will help them gain support and respect in the philanthropic community.
For a hard copy of the book, send an e-mail request to info@slingshotfund.org. Starting Sept. 19, a PDF version of the book can be downloaded from www.slingshotfund.org. JTNews editor Joel Magalnick contributed to this report.