The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life (Steinhardt Foundation) is a

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

based

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

foundation, created in 1994, which funds projects and programs aimed at improving

Jewish education Jewish education ( he, חינוך, ''Chinuch'') is the transmission of the tenets, principles, and religious laws of Judaism. Known as the "people of the book", Jews value education, and the value of education is strongly embedded in Jewish cu ...

and identity for American Jews. , Rabbi David Gedzelman is the President and CEO of the Steinhardt Foundation. The Steinhardt Foundation was created as the Jewish Life Network by former

hedge fund A hedge fund is a pooled investment fund that trades in relatively liquid assets and is able to make extensive use of more complex trading, portfolio-construction, and risk management techniques in an attempt to improve performance, such as s ...

manager

Michael Steinhardt Michael H. Steinhardt (born December 7, 1940) is an American billionaire hedge fund manager, philanthropist, and former antiquities collector. In 1967, he founded a hedge fund, Steinhardt Partners which he ran until he closed it in 1995. After a ...

, who disbanded his financial practice to focus on philanthropy. A founding initiative, co-sponsored with the Israeli government, private donors, and Jewish communities around the world, is the

Birthright Israel Taglit-Birthright Israel ( he, תגלית), also known as Birthright Israel or simply Birthright, is a not-for-profit educational organization that sponsors free ten-day heritage trips to Israel, Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights for young adult ...

program, to provide young Jews, age 18 to 26 years old, the opportunity to tour Israel for the first time. As of April 2005, the foundation had disbursed over $100 million to various educational, cultural and service causes, including starting and/or funding: the PEJE in 1997; programs at the 92nd Street Y; the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

; and the

Steinhardt Social Research Institute , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , pro ...

Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , ...

. From 2000 to 2013, the Steinhardt Foundation co-sponsored the annual Harold Grinspoon Foundation Awards for Excellence in Jewish Education, renamed the Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards for Excellence in Jewish Education during that period. From 1998 to 2018, the Steinhardt Foundation published the quarterly magazine ''Contact''.

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References

Jewish charities based in the United States Jewish educational organizations Charities based in New York (state) {{charity-org-stub