In the heart of Music City, where culture, community, and compassion converge, the Foundation of Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville stands as a pillar of strength and generosity for the Jewish community. For more than three decades, this foundation has been a driving force in securing the future of Jewish life in Nashville and Middle Tennessee. But its story begins not just with money or endowments—it begins with vision, leadership, and an enduring belief in collective responsibility. Every day I learn more about the history of Jewish Nashville, and I am always reminded of the importance of our work.
Origins Rooted in Purpose
The origins of The Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville’s Foundation began in 1980, a time when Jewish communities across the United States were beginning to think more strategically about long-term sustainability. Here in Nashville, several visionary leaders stepped forward to ensure that the Jewish community would have a stable and secure future for generations to come.
Among those instrumental in founding the Nashville Endowment fund were Bernard Werthan, Sr., Charlotte Seloff, Dr. Herman Kaplan, Gerald Averbuch, Joel Gordon, Eugene Pargh, and so many more. These community leaders recognized the need for a central philanthropic entity that could steward endowments, donor-advised funds, and bequests in a way that aligned with Jewish values.
With the support of the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville, the Foundation began its work with a simple yet powerful mission: to build a permanent financial resource that would support Jewish institutions, agencies, and individuals in perpetuity. While there were many community-based philanthropic funds, there was only one that was a part of our Jewish community.
Impact Across Generations
What started with 12 family funds of $1.6 million in 1980 has grown in impact through the years. Today, the Nashville Jewish Foundation manages over 150 charitable funds and assets in excess of $44 million. It is administered by SEI Investments Company, which holds more than a trillion dollars in assets and manages community foundations all over the world. The true value of the Foundation lies not in its numbers, but in its impact.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, the Foundation responded swiftly and generously. Through its Emergency Relief Fund, it helped keep the doors open at local synagogues, day schools, and social service agencies. Individuals who had lost jobs or faced food insecurity found assistance through Federation-supported programs. This lifeline was only possible because donors had the foresight to invest in the community’s future.
Long before the pandemic, the Foundation played a critical role in helping Jewish institutions plan for the long term. Through endowment grants, it has supported everything from scholarships for the Akiva School and many summer camps, to adult education at the Jewish Community Center and synagogues, to programs serving the elderly at Jewish Family Service, to supporting emerging groups and needs.
Empowering Personal Philanthropy
One of the most powerful tools the Foundation offers is the Donor-Advised Fund (DAF)—a flexible giving account that allows individuals and families to make charitable contributions over time. It is philanthropy tailored to the donor but guided by Jewish values. I like to think of it as a “charitable giving checkbook” and with as little as $5000 to begin, anyone can begin writing those checks.
Another popular type of fund in our Foundation are the ACE (Annual Campaign Endowment) and PACE (Perpetual Annual Campaign Endowment). These are funds that are set up to donate to the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville’s Annual Campaigns. These funds allow our donors to automatically give to Federation currently and into the future, trusting that the community will make the best decisions to fund the needs of the Jewish community in perpetuity, and adapt to whatever is best decided in the future.
And the best part is that the funds are housed within our community, while allowing our donors to give to the charities and organizations they care about all over the world both Jewish and non-Jewish, while still enriching the work of our community. Many of our community partners have made the decision to trust the Foundation of Jewish Federation to house their agency endowments, a duty that his both important and humbling.
A Bridge to the Future
Looking ahead, the Nashville Jewish Foundation is focused not only on preserving tradition but on fostering innovation. Initiatives like the Life and Legacy program have encouraged more than 360 community members to include the Jewish institutions in their estate plans, ensuring that their values live on even after they are gone; so far over $26 million has been pledged to support our community partners and over $1.7 million has been realized in giving through this program.
The Foundation is also actively working with young people to train them to be philanthropists; The B’nai Tzedek program encourages young people to set up a philanthropic fund at the time of their B’nai Mitzvah and is also matched by funds that were started in our foundation to encourage and educate young people to be life-long learners. The goal is to keep contributing to that fund until it reaches $5000, which allows it to convert to a Donor Advised Fund and we have had dozens of the funds set up in our Foundation achieve this goal.
Conclusion
In a rapidly changing world, the Foundation is more than a financial institution—it is a source of continuity, compassion, and hope. It reminds us that Jewish values are not just preserved through prayer or ritual, but through action: by helping one another, lifting up the vulnerable, and planning for the future, and ensuring that Jewish Nashville will thrive for decades to come.
As the old proverb says, a society grows when old men plant trees under whose shade they will never sit. I think about that a lot and it’s why I do what I do every day.
Thanks to the Nashville Jewish Foundation, the shade of those trees is already sheltering a thriving, resilient Jewish community.
For more information on how to get involved with the Nashville Jewish Foundation or start your own legacy of giving, visit JewishNashville.org/Foundation.
The Jewish Observer is published by The Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville and made possible by funds raised in the Jewish Federation Annual Campaign. Become a supporter today.
