Agencies & Organizations

Federations

Based on the Jewish traditions of tzedakah (righteous behavior) and communal responsibility, the federations are volunteer-based, nonprofit organizations that raise funds from Jewish individuals to support social services, culture and education. As umbrella agencies, the federations allocate dollars in their geographic areas, Israel and elsewhere around the world. Federations play an important role in community planning and leadership development. In addition, federation endowment funds help to ensure the financial security of the Jewish community.

Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties*
The Jewish Community Federation was founded just after the turn of the century to ensure that San Francisco’s growing Jewish population could provide its members with funds for food, shelter and burial. Today, with offices in San Francisco, Marin and Sonoma Counties and the North and South Peninsula, as well as an office in Jerusalem, the Federation is a central organization supporting a wide variety of agencies, programs and services for the Jewish and general communities. The Federation facilitates comprehensive planning efforts by convening volunteers and professionals to assess needs and implement high-impact solutions to our most pressing issues locally and around the globe, and is committed to providing avenues for donors and volunteers to come together in the practice of tikkun olam - repairing the world. The Federation is governed by a volunteer board of directors and includes three commissions that collaborate with Federation staff, local community agencies, congregation leadership, academic researchers & professional planners for program development and funding. Affinity groups, which bring together individuals with similar interests, provide opportunities for like-minded Jews to interact, participate in specialized programs, and facilitate further outreach. Examples include the Business Leadership Council, the Young Adults Division, the Women’s Alliance, the Russian Division and the LGBT Alliance. Each year, dedicated donors and volunteers raise millions of dollars from the local community in order to fund ongoing operations of community organizations as well as strategic initiatives. In 2007-2008, the total Jewish Community Federation’s annual campaign raised $27.7 million and invested approximately $8.9 million in operating support to some 59 local and national beneficiary agencies; $ 6 million to Israeli and other international agencies and programs; and more than $14.2 million in programmatic grants that support social services, education and cultural programs in the Bay Area, the U.S., Israel and elsewhere in the world. The Federation’s Jewish Community Endowment Fund serves as the community’s reserve to respond to emergencies and provide seed monies for new and innovative programs that ensure a Jewish future. It consists of unrestricted, restricted and designated funds, over 900 donor-advised funds, and 74 supporting foundations. Donors to the Endowment Fund express their commitment to the endurance of a strong and vibrant Jewish people through outright gifts, lifetime planned gifts or bequests. With more than $2.8 billion in assets, the Endowment Fund is a vital community resource and is one of the country’s most successful Jewish foundations. To learn more about the Jewish Community Federation, visit www.sfjcf.org or contact the main office at (415) 777-0411 or info@sfjcf.org.
Israel Office, JDC-Israel, P.O. Box 3489, Jerusalem, 91034 Israel
011-972-2-655-7176
011-972-2-655-7233
Fax: 011-972-2-566-6132
E-mail: gilan@jdc.org.il

East Bay

Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay*
The Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay is dedicated to building Jewish community, nurturing the quality of Jewish life and securing a Jewish future in the East Bay, Israel and around the world. The federation is the central fundraising organization for programs and activities throughout the region. The federation embodies a primary commitment to klal Yisrael, the mutual respect and inclusion of diversity within Jewish life; to tzedakah, the obligation of caring for one another; to tikkun olam, the opportunity to engage in perfecting the society in which we live; and to the centrality of Israel to the Jewish people. In its commitment to Jewish continuity, the federation strives for the creative transmission of Jewish learning and culture, those values, practices and traditions that enrich Jewish life and Jewish identity and that sustain Judaism and the Jewish people. The major activities of the federation are conducted under the auspices of several departments and divisions: the Center for Jewish Living and Learning, the Jewish Community Relations Council and the Israel Center. The Center for Jewish Living and Learning (CJLL) is the coordinating body for Jewish education and continuity programs in the East Bay. It serves as a resource for synagogue and community institutions, coordinates community-wide collaborative efforts, and focuses on short- and long-term strategies and programs to increase the involvement of East Bay Jews in community life. The Israel center provides information and guidance to Jews seeking travel, study or work opportunities in Israel. The center also promotes experiences in Israel by sponsoring travel programs for high school and college students. The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) is the body through which the organized Jewish community educates, informs and involves itself in important policy matters, and acts as the public and civic affairs arm of the community. In support of these programs and activities, the federation conducts an annual community-wide fundraising campaign for local and overseas beneficiaries through its campaign department. In addition, an independent, but affiliated endowment, The Jewish Community Foundation, seeks to ensure the future of the East Bay Jewish community by developing and managing funds in perpetuity for both general and specific purposes.
Regional Office - Contra Costa, Tri-Valley & Fremont, 2071 Tice Valley Blvd., Walnut Creek, CA 94595
(925) 943-5238
Fax: (925) 943-7928
E-mail: valerie@jfed.org

300 Grand Ave., Oakland, CA 94610
(510) 839-2900
Fax: (510) 839-3996

North Bay

Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties*
Sonoma County Office, 521 College Ave., Ste. 121, Santa Rosa, CA 95404
(707) 568-6207
Fax: (707) 578-0982

Marin County Office, 200 North San Pedro Rd., Ste A, 220, San Rafael, CA 94903
(415) 499-1223
Fax: (415) 499-0308
E-mail: Marin@sfjcf.org

North Peninsula

North Peninsula Office, 800 Foster City Blvd., Foster City, CA 94404
(650) 349-1523
Fax: (650) 572-0949
E-mail: northpen@sfjcf.org

San Francisco

121 Steuart St., San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 777-0411
Fax: (415) 495-6635
E-mail: info@sfjcf.org

South Bay

Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley*
Serves approximately 65,000 Jewish people in Santa Clara County through its support of programs to meet Jewish needs locally, overseas and in Israel. The federation's mission is to develop leadership; raise and allocate funds needed to maintain and strengthen Jewish identity, Jewish community and Jewish life; and to work toward meeting the needs and concerns of the Jewish community in the South Bay, the United States, Israel and the rest of the world.
14855 Oka Rd., Ste. 200, Los Gatos, CA 95032
(408) 358-3033
Fax: (408) 356-0733

South Peninsula

Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties*
South Peninsula Office, 3921 Fabian Way, Suite A-017, Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 852-9020
Fax: (650) 968-1389
E-mail: southpen@sfjcf.org