More than 100 years ago, a handful of Jewish settlers in the Bay Area gathered to establish their own organization to aid the sick and needy, assist in the resettlement of Jewish immigrants and bury the departed. In 1910, the Federation of Jewish Charities was formed to conduct a unified fundraising effort and to distribute the proceeds among programs serving the community.

The Federation helped Jews and non-Jews alike through Jewish-sponsored service agencies providing shelter, clothing, food, medicine, and job training.

The Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties continues as the central fundraising and planning organization, assisting diverse beneficiary agencies in bringing social services, educational opportunities, and cultural and recreational events to the Bay Area. To help ensure the continuity and vitality of the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish community, the Jewish Community Endowment fund was established.

The Endowment Fund began as a small community fund to receive the bequests of donors, many of whom were assisted by the Federation’s beneficiary agencies. Today, the Endowment Fund has more than $2 billion in total managed assets. These funds have become a critical source of financial support for projects throughout the Bay Area Jewish and general community. The Endowment Fund provides support for emergency needs and seed-funds new projects posing creative, thoughtful solutions to communal problems locally, nationally, in Israel and around the world.

Individual donors and families can easily partner with JCEF through the many planned giving options it offers. Together with JCEF, these philanthropically minded individuals can join in the effort to address today’s most pressing needs while preparing for tomorrow’s challenges.