On March 23, 1911, two women and eight men met at Zion House, located at 456 Jefferson Avenue between William Street and Peckham in East Buffalo. At this meeting Henry Weill, August Keiser, Mrs. Marcus Spiegel, Jacob G. Joseph, Emanuel Boasberg, Solomon Ginsburg, Isaac E. Harris, Theodore Hofeller, Solomon Morrison and Mrs. Edward Warner formed a structure to raise permanent funding for the Jewish community. Distinguishing between the role of the United Jewish Federation of Buffalo, (which in 1903 had consolidated multiple small philanthropic societies under one umbrella as a federated charities structure and whose function was to raise annual funds and allocate accordingly), the trustees of the nascent Foundation (then known as the Jewish Federation of Buffalo), set out to manage the long-term permanent funds of the community, including bequests and trusts, scholarship and building funds, and use the income from these funds for the benefit of community organizations as determined by their specific fund creators. Working through a Board of Trustees, the Sinking Fund Commissioners, as they were known, eventually widened the range of fund oversight to include property donation, life insurance, stocks, bonds and other assets. The early Foundation began its work with independent funds like the Hayman Fund and the Waterman Fund. Other individuals followed their examples, establishing funds that supported specific organizations as well as specific causes. Increasingly in the 1950s and 1960s, it was these bequest style funds from the estates of Jewish community members that enabled a significant proportion of community expansion. As fundraising was the remit of the United Jewish Fund, bequests style funds were the sole source of accumulating monies by the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropy at this juncture, and these funds enabled the community to address capital funding and long range needs that annual operating funds, the work of the United Jewish Fund, could not support. During this era, demand for both significant operating funds and capital funds rose. This development led community leaders to determine ways to expand the work of the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies, and a series of changes from 1961, initiated by Sidney S. Abzug while still Executive Director of the Jewish Federation began. A first set of steps was confirmation of charitable status, extension of purpose, and name changes. The effects of the Tax Reform Act of 1969, spurred further changes, and in 1975, Sydney S. Abzug, after retiring as Executive Director of the Jewish Federation, began work as a part-time consultant to the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies (FJP). An Adhoc Review Committee in 1979 concluded that the purpose, and use of the funds of the FJP were underdeveloped and new committees were formed over the next two years to expand the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies. A “Declaration of Intent” program, headed by Ruth Kahn [Stovroff] enabled community members to include the FJP in their wills. During his tenure as President, J. Milton Zeckhauser, encouraged an endowment development program that expanded considerably with the hiring of a full time Director and CEO, Peter Fleischmann in 1982. From 1982 a range of other changes were also initiated. The Board of Trustees was expanded and the Foundation's by-laws were revised and updated. Existing committees were revitalized and new committees were formed with the aim of creating a full service community foundation. Prior to 1982, two types of fund categories existed as “restricted” and “unrestricted.” After 1982, and the move to professionalization and a fully staffed organization began, new fund areas and methods of investment expanded the services of the FJP significantly. The first of these new fund areas were Custodial Funds for affiliated agencies. This grouping eventually included organizations ranging in size from Temple Beth Zion to the Hebrew Benevolent Loan Association. Affiliated agencies include synagogues, schools, agencies and other cultural, educational and religious organizations, and service expansion included development consulting, campaign management, marketing, fund administration and financial reporting. Donor Advised Funds, and Charitable Remainder Trust Funds were another addition, and have grown to over 500 separately advised funds. In addition to fund development, new types of financial services to individuals in the community, and the Jewish community itself, have expanded into significant areas. As the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies increased its range of affiliates and fund areas, aiding with capital financing at critical junctures has become an ongoing part of FJP work. Capital projects that have benefitted from Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies stewardship for their fruition through targeted and planned giving include multiple expansions at the Weinberg Campus, and building campaigns at synagogues, summer camps, the two Jewish Community Centers, as well as organizational merger management. Cooperative individualized asset management to facilitate personal charitable choices has continued, however, as a central focus of Foundation activity with Planned Giving a significant strategic growth area through the Legacy Program. As of 2016, the FJP manages endowments, bequests, legacies, restricted funds, life insurance, and supports capital projects through financing, as well as being a significant grant distributor as recommended and designated by its donors. Grants and loans are made for new initiatives, innovative programs and special community projects, academic scholarships and financial aid to individuals and families in need. The Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies role in community building, through its multi-million distribution of donor directed grants to over a thousand Jewish and non-Jewish organizations worldwide, continues to expand each year. Virtually every Jewish organization in Buffalo and many non-Jewish organizations in Buffalo and beyond, have been aided by funds managed under the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies. Local arts, cultural, music and medical charities and organizations have also benefitted from the monies distributed by donor direction through the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies. From under $1million in assets in 1982, the assets of the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies have grown to over $165 million. As of December 31, 2015, a total of 1,058 charitable trust and endowment funds were held in the form of Donor Advised Funds, Custodial Funds, Charitable Trust Funds, Unrestricted Funds and total assets of $165,286,335.

1911

Certificate of Incorporation filed as The Jewish Federation of Buffalo

1949

Certificate of Amendment filed changing name to the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies, Inc.

1965

Certificate of Amendment filed changing name to the Buffalo Federation for Jewish Philanthropies, Inc.

1982

Certificate of Amendment filed changing name to the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies, Inc.