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being finalized, a group of local Jewish leaders 
considered the best way to use the $63 million in 
sale proceeds for the community’s benefit. This 
group included members of the Sinai Hospital 
Board, the Sinai Health Care Foundation Board, 
and Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit 
staff and board.
Mark Schlussel, a past president of the Sinai 
Health Care Foundation, was one of two founding 
co-chairs of the new Jewish Fund, 
along with the late Robert Sosnick. 
According to Mark Davidoff, then 
CFO of Jewish Federation, the group 
developed a mission statement, 
bylaws and other requirements for 
the new foundation. He served as 
the initial treasurer/secretary of the 
Jewish Fund. 
“The goal was to continue the good 
works of Sinai Hospital and the North 
End Clinic. We took an asset that had 
a declining value and turned it into a 
separate organization to benefit the 
general and Jewish communities. It 
has been a singular achievement for 
the Jewish community — a remarkable outcome 
of the sale of the hospital,” Schlussel believes.

25 YEARS LATER
Twenty-five years after its establishment, the 
Jewish Fund has distributed more than $70 mil-

The Jewish Fund 
helps the general 
community 
as well, with 
grants for 
organization such 
as Development 
Centers.

The Jewish Fund has 
provided grants for teen 
mental health programs 
for Jewish youth.

lion in grants, says Margo Pernick, executive direc-
tor for the past 13 years. Most grants were used for 
programs in three priority areas — improving the 
health and well-being of vulnerable local Jewish 
residents; early health intervention for babies and 
young children; and expanding health care access 
for underserved Detroit-area residents.
The Jewish Fund has helped provide health care 
for uninsured low-income Jewish community members, paid 
for glasses for immigrant children attending Hamtramck public 
schools, and funded mental health counseling for Jewish teens. 
Pernick says that about 80 percent of the Fund’s annual grants 
benefit the Jewish community and 20 percent are designated for 
the general community.
“The Jewish Fund is a great example of the value and impor-
tance of endowments. It’s a good balance between Jewish and 
general community needs,” says Nancy Grosfeld, 
board member and former chair.
The Jewish Fund also supports collaboration 
among Jewish and Detroit-based organizations 
focused on quality of life in the region. In addition, 
grants provide professional development for non-
profit service agencies, and some funds are used 
for emergency assistance for families and nonprofit 
organizations. The Jewish Fund also manages two 
restricted funds — one for medical research and one for low-vi-
sion services for children.
According to Pernick, grant applicants may hear about 
the Jewish Fund from a board member or another agency. 
Sometimes Pernick learns about an organization with a mission 
that fits with the Jewish Fund and she reaches out to them. 
The grant application process begins with a conversation with 
Pernick, then a proposal, site visit and review by the 
full board of the Jewish Fund. She says that about 
45 applications are received annually and about 40 
are approved through a consensus process.
“Visits to programs are a way to engage the 
board. The Jewish Fund is a great connector 
between the Jewish and general communities,” says 
Bob Aronson, who was CEO of Jewish Federation 
and among the leadership group that set up the Jewish Fund.
One of the grants that benefited the general community was 
awarded to Authority Health, a nonprofit organization based 

“THE GOAL WAS TO CONTINUE THE 
GOOD WORKS OF SINAI HOSPITAL 

AND THE NORTH END CLINIC. ”

— MARK SCHLUSSEL

Mark 
Schlussel
Margo 
Pernick

Bob 
Aronson

Nancy 
Grosfeld 

Mark 
Davidoff

