Pho tos by Brett Moun ta in

metro

A Legacy of
Support

Jewish Fund continues
Sinai Hospital's tradition of care
and dedication to the community.

Elizabeth Applebaum

port for programs that advocate for health
and welfare, to continue Sinai's relation-
ship with the entire Metro community, to
n 1997, a large, brick-red building that provide for Jews in need and to enhance
was the birthplace of many of Detroit's relations between the Jewish and general
happiest memories was closed, but
communities.
it soon gave birth to another agency that
Those are the objectives. The real story,
has sustained and developed some of the
though, is how it all works out.
areas most vital lifesaving organizations.
It usually begins with a phone call.
With its founding in 1953, Sinai
Margo Pernick is executive director
Hospital became an intrinsic part of the
of the Jewish Fund. The former assis-
Jewish community. Thousands of Jewish
tant executive director of the Jewish
children were born there. Jewish nurses
Community Center of Metropolitan
and physicians studied and practiced
Detroit and program officer with the
there. It was an institution. And then it
Kresge Foundation, Pernick came to
was gone.
the job with the perfect combination:
But unlike so many other things that
expertise in nonprofits and philanthropy.
come and go and are forgotten, Sinai was
Almost every day, she receives a call or an
reborn. It was sold, and the resulting prof- email from an organization that asks for
its were used to create the Jewish Fund.
funding.
Today, the Jewish Fund is a Jewish
The first question: Does it fall within
agency, but not the typical Jewish agency.
the guidelines of the Jewish Fund's goals?
Because it is completely sustained with
Pernick listens. A lot. She considers: Is this
money from the sale of Sinai Hospital, it is a good fit? Will it be the best use of the
one of the few Jewish organizations in the
Jewish Fund's money?
world that operates without raising funds.
If the answers are yes, there is a review
There's no campaign, no phone solicita-
process of about six months. Pernick,
tions, no letters asking you to dig deep
and often members of the Jewish Fund
and give generously.
board, will go to the requesting organiza-
What the Jewish Fund does have is an
tion's location to see for themselves how
extraordinary story of benevolence, orga-
it works. They'll need a budget, look into
nization and vision.
other possible partners, consider how the
It begins in 1996, when Sinai Hospital
group will function in the long term. Then
was sold to the Detroit Medical Center,
the entire Jewish Fund board meets.
leaving more than $69 million in assets,
The words "board meeting" may sound
with about 5 percent, or between $2.5
like a synonym for "sedative but Pernick
million and $3.5 million, for the Jewish
describes these gatherings as "dynamic!'
Fund to distribute through grant awards
They always start at 8 a.m. With 30 mem-
each year. The sale reflected huge changes
bers comprising a diverse group of pro-
in the health-care industry and attitudes
fessionals including lawyers, physicians,
in the country itself: Jewish physicians
social workers and volunteer community
and Jewish patients no longer needed a
leaders, the board has no interest in just
specifically Jewish hospital to guarantee
giving their stamp of approval. They want
their right to practice and receive the fin-
to know everything and they discuss
est care.
everything — and they almost always
The board of Sinai then forged a unique come to a unanimous decision.
partnership — the only one of its kind in
The scope and details of requests are
the United States — that established the
complicated. Some are completely new
Jewish Fund as an independent agency
grants; some are existing programs. Some
but also an organization that works in
need start-up money for only a year; some
conjunction with the Jewish Federation
are in it for the long term (the average
of Metropolitan Detroit. The goals were
grant is three years). Some need emergen-
to continue Sinai's mission through sup-
cy support just to continue functioning.

Special to the Jewish News

I

8 January 12 • 2012

Incoming Jewish Fund Chair Penny Blumenstein with incoming Vice Chair Karen
Sosnick Schoenberg

Some request much more money than, the
board realizes, they actually need; some
don't ask for enough. Members consider:
Would there be another agency that would
be a good partner for funding?
There's no single consistent formula to
it, Pernick says. What the process does
involve is a lot of research, along with "a
lot of logic and reason!'
There was a time when requests were
focused on wellness and general health.
Today, requests are more often from
agencies that focus on at-risk families,
preventing child abuse and helping people
who are hungry, cold and homeless. So, in
many ways, the Jewish Fund is something
of a reflection of the present and a cau-
tious indicator of the future.
Pernick reports optimism on one front:
Certainly there is more money avail-
able now than a few years ago. She also
sees increased confidence. Yet, so many
requests are still coming in from agencies
trying to help families with basic needs,
like accessing basic health-care services.
And agencies such as Forgotten Harvest
are actually expanding, which means that
things are getting worse for many families
in Metro Detroit, Pernick says.
While the board — headed by Penny
Blumenstein, a past Federation president
— has authority in determining where
much of the money will be awarded, the
vast majority of funds are restricted for
use in the Jewish community. Almost
every local Jewish agency (affiliated with
the Federation or not), including JARC,
Kadima, Tamarack Camps and Yad Ezra,
has received a Jewish Fund grant, and
most might find it difficult to function
without one.
Other times, key organizations in Metro
Detroit were even created with and regu-
larly funded by Jewish Fund money, such
as Jewish Family Service's Project Chessed,

which gives the uninsured access to free
health care.
There also are plenty of requests that
are enough to shatter the heart, like one
from a group seeking to train new par-
ents in an effort to prevent Shaken Baby
Syndrome. (It was awarded.)
So the grant is approved. This is no time
to relax. Pernick and the board carefully
monitor every organization they agree to
support. Each receives a letter outlining its
responsibilities. There are site visits. The
group receives half the amount of the annu-
al funding they've been awarded and will
get the second check once they've secured a
solid track record. Progress reports must be
submitted every six months.
"Even if they're groups we've funded
for years, they're monitored:' Pernick says.
"Most grantees are accomplishing exactly
what they set out to do"
But because many grants are for new
and innovative services, reality doesn't
always reflect the plan, and changes are
frequently made in a project during the
grant term. If there are significant chal-
lenges that lead the Jewish Fund board
to conclude that the project is unable to
accomplish its goals, or if major organiza-
tion problems mean that the project will
not be effective, the grant can be canceled.
"We are so proud of the way we have
carried on the legacy of Sinai Hospital
by filling the void for health and social
welfare that Sinai assumed for so many
years:' Penny Blumenstein says. "By being
the connection to the Jewish and general
community, we are upholding our Jewish
values of tikkun olam."

❑

To learn more about the Jewish Fund, and view
a complete list of all grantees and amounts

awarded, visit www.thejewishfund.org .

See Blumenstein on page 10