One more year has passed for Nashville’s LIFE & LEGACY™ program. On July 1st, we began year nine of the program. When year nine ends on June 30, 2026, our participation in the program will continue, but with a few changes.
To understand those changes, it is helpful to look back at what this program has meant for Nashville. The Nashville Jewish community joined the LIFE & LEGACY program in 2017. During the initial four years of the program, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation provided substantial training and financial support to implement the program. Participating organizations have shared incentive grants totaling $290,650 based on the achievements of their volunteers.
Teams of volunteers representing each participating organization have spent the past eight years meeting with community members to discuss securing the future of Jewish Nashville. During this time, over 400 individuals have pledged gifts to local Jewish organizations with an estimated value exceeding $26.5 million. More than $2 million has been realized, meaning received, by the participating organizations. The money received increases the financial sustainability of the recipient organizations, ensuring they can continue to serve the community.
The LIFE & LEGACY program was created by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation to support Jewish organizations across North America through partnerships with local Jewish Federations and Foundations to promote after-lifetime giving. After-lifetime giving allows donors to use their money during their lifetime while confirming they will leave a gift to the organizations of their choice. After-lifetime giving enables donors to continue their impact far into the future.
Becoming a LIFE & LEGACY™ donor is an easy, straightforward process. A donor must sign a letter of intent (LOI), pledging a gift to one or more participating organizations. Donors in our community promise to leave a gift to an average of 2.2 organizations. Donors may then take up to a year to formalize their LOI’s by amending their will to add a bequest or adding their chosen organizations as beneficiaries to a retirement account or life insurance policy.
More than 80 volunteers have participated in this program since 2017, representing 14 Jewish organizations in our community. Their hard work and dedication have ensured the success of the LIFE & LEGACY program in our community. Volunteers will remain the primary support for each participating organization as our participation in the LIFE & LEGACY program transitions at the end of year nine.
At the end of year nine, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation will wind down its remaining financial support and transition to being a resource for our community. The Nashville Jewish community will continue participating in the LIFE & LEGACY program while relying on local resources. The primary local resources are the wonderful volunteers who will implement each participating organization’s sustainability plan, which is a blueprint for continuing their legacy-giving efforts into the future. Ensuring a sustainable future for the Nashville Jewish community has never been easier.
If you would like more information about the LIFE & LEGACY program, please contact one of the participating organizations or Norma Shirk, L&L Community Coordinator at norma@jewishnashville.org.
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.
