A YEAR LIKE NO OTHER The ability to respond in a time of crisis is our reason Highlights include: $31,364,372 through the Jewish for being. Put simply, we were made for this. Federation of Chicago to fund local human services and $53,832,393 to fund Jewish education, con- In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year the tinuity, identity-building, outreach and advocacy Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Chicago programs; $29,789,025 through the Jewish United and our family of agencies instantly became a lifeline Fund devoted to help millions of Jews in Israel and for tens of thousands of people who suddenly, des- 70 countries worldwide; $5,189,199 of COVID-19 re- perately needed assistance. lief grants, and $90,871,487 allocated to charitable When hungry children could no longer get subsidized ventures worldwide in partnership with our 1,000+ school lunches, we pivoted and delivered thousands Donor Advised Funds and Supporting Foundations. of meals to feed them. When the year began, JUF brought people together When professionals were laid off and needed cash to to build community—and that never stopped. In the provide necessities for their families, we swiftly pro- face of the pandemic, we found new ways to connect vided millions of dollars in emergency financial aid to through virtual hubs, such as JCC Chicago’s Chan- help them. nel J, CJE SeniorLife’s Cyber Club and BBYO On De- mand. JUF Young Families offered a robust lineup of When health care workers required vast quantities fun virtual PJ Library programs. Keshet hosted virtual of personal protective equipment and other support meetups for people with disabilities, their families to safely care for the elderly, vulnerable and sick, we and caregivers. quickly supplied it. Across the community, Jewish schools, agencies, When Jewish schools, camps and agencies struggled, camps and synagogues built a sense of virtual com- we sent them emergency operating support. munity that speaks to Jewish Chicago’s strength, re- silience and unity. That’s the power of collective action. Today, we are more grateful than ever The strength of the JUF Annual Campaign—our community’s collective effort to do good—is what to come together for good. enabled us to marshal the means to help so many so swiftly. It is the foundation of JUF/Federation’s multi- faceted financial resource development efforts. Donations to the Annual Campaign from individuals and corporate partners are complemented by grants from foundations, the government and United Way, plus distributions from Donor Advised Funds and Supporting Foundations and generous bequests and endowment gifts, which further strengthen the foun- dation on which future generations will build. This incredible collective communal generosity fu- Andrew S. Hochberg Lonnie Nasatir CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD PRESIDENT eled the allocation of $243,958,785 during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2020. 2 2020 HIGHLIGHTS JUF COVID-19 INITIATIVE Some 25,000 people in crisis benefited from emer- To further help Jewish communal organizations navi- gency financial aid for housing, food, medical care gate the crisis, JUF/Federation also created a technical and other essentials, provided by JUF/Federation assistance program, in partnership with several lead- through our partner agencies and local synagogues’ ing funders. Through the program, JUF/Federation rabbinic discretionary funds. has lent professional expertise to 80 institutions—in- Over 19,000 Chicagoans received food assistance, cluding synagogues—in areas ranging from human thanks to expanded JUF/Federation funding for food resources, financial modeling and employment law to pantries, grocery gift cards and meal programs. fundraising, technology and communications. With these same foundation partners, JUF/Federation conducted a series of surveys of hundreds of service providers across the metropolitan area to identify emerging needs and pinpoint where increased emer- gency resources would have the greatest impact. A committee of lay leaders at the helm of the commu- nity’s main planning and allocation efforts met regu- larly to review the findings, identify emerging needs, and provide emergency grants to address them. The JUF TOV Volunteer Network launched a data- base to actively match community members with volunteer opportunities. Over 325 community volun- teers participated in the Nourish Our Neighborhoods meal drive, just one example of the many ways TOV JUF food pantries deliver to at-risk clients. volunteers performed acts of lovingkindness in recent months and throughout the year. Tens of thousands of people benefited from JUF/ Federation-funded health and safety improvements at Jewish schools, preschools, camps and human service agencies. These ranged from investments in technology, personal protective equipment and other facility enhancements to augmented staffing and PPE for Mount Sinai Hospital and caregivers serving seniors and people with disabilities. In addition, JUF/ Federation launched a website to enable Chicago area Jewish organizations to purchase PPE items at a significantly discounted rate. The entire community benefited from JUF/ Federation-funded emergency operating support for local Jewish human service agencies, preschools, schools and camps—especially those operating on JUF provides PPE to help protect narrower margins—to ensure Jewish Chicago’s con- healthcare heroes. tinued vitality. 3 OUTREACH & INNOVATION JUF’s Jewish Community Relations Council facili- tated 18 Dinner & Dialogue programs that brought together groups of Jews with partners in Chicago’s Black, Latinx, Christian and Muslim communities for meaningful discussions and actions on critical issues. To support vulnerable families and unaccompanied minors, JUF launched the Asylum Seekers’ Relief Fund, which raised close to $150,000 for Jewish Family Service of San Diego, RAICES and Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights. JUF’s Youth Initiatives department established multiple Social Justice Philanthropy Programs throughout the community, in partnership with an in- Teens participate in a JUF Voices pop-up dividual funder, collaborating with TOV Teens, Tivnu, giving circle to fund COVID-19 relief. Springboard and six local synagogues. JCRC led a delegation of 10 Latinx leaders on a pow- Special funding from JUF enabled CJE SeniorLife to erful trip to Israel and took a delegation of Christian increase its capacity to provide counseling and com- leaders on a moving journey to Poland. munity programming to older adults who are hard of hearing, and helped JCFS Chicago build a new JUF’s Hillels of Illinois continue to innovate in engag- Disabilities Case Management Program to improve ing college students and young adults in Jewish life service integration for individuals with disabilities and community and—partnering with JUF’s Israel and their families. Education Center—simultaneously addressed the significant uptick in antisemitism on campuses this JUF hosted a Disabilities Inclusion Workshop for year, including at the flagship University of Illinois local organizations serving young Jewish adults to Urbana-Champaign. help them create inclusive spaces and programs enabling young adults with disabilities to readily par- ticipate in Jewish life and community. To support community members facing infertility, JUF launched a three-year initiative providing finan- cial grants for medical treatments for infertility or assisted reproductive support due to other medical challenges. Now parents of young children can access one-stop shopping for local Jewish preschool options through JUF’s new Chicago Jewish Preschool Finder—along with a Preschool Concierge to provide personalized support to families. Before the pandemic outbreak, Jewish and Black volunteers served people in need on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. 4 BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE The Jewish Federation’s Centennial Campaign, the capital and endowment initiative which has forever transformed Jewish Chicago’s landscape, has been extended for another five years. The newest Centennial Campaign project is the devel- opment of JCFS Chicago’s Seigle Campus in Skokie, a hub of human service programs assisting 20,000 people annually. Launched with a $3.5 million lead gift from Harry J. Seigle, the campus will include the renovated Goldie Bachman Luftig building and a new Seigle Building housing Response for Teens. Distributions from the Jewish Day School Guaranty Trust Fund surpassed the $20 million mark in 2019. Adding yet another facet to JUF’s support of day schools, the Day School Innovation Fund made its inaugural grants to four pioneering initiatives. Seigle Campus construction kicks off with JCFS Chicago President Stacey Shor and Board Chair Neil Posner; Harry Seigle; and JUF President Lonnie Nasatir and Board Chair Andrew Hochberg. A $6 million gift from the Estate of Evelyn Greene served to expand JUF Community Legal Services, which provides people in need with free legal as- sistance in civil cases. Now renamed JUF Evelyn R. Greene Legal Services, the program also perpetuates support for expanding the role of SHALVA’s Legal REACH enables day schools to better Liaison to include direct client advocacy and legal serve children with learning differences. representation. The Greene gift also provides multi- faceted support for the Jewish Women’s Foundation. This year, the Northwest Home for the Aged/Park Through Create a Jewish Legacy, JUF also has helped Plaza Senior Living Community made an $11 million 39 other local Jewish organizations, from syna- gift through