Donald and Carole Chaiken Foundation

OVERVIEW: The Donald and Carole Chaiken Foundation primarily supports Jewish Causes, but it has an interest in various other programs and organizations across the United States.

IP TAKE: Chaiken offers funding for specific projects and for general operating expenses. This funder does not award many grants to disease organizations each year and is not accessible, making it tough to crack.

PROFILE: The Donald and Carole Chaiken Foundation was founded in 1998 to “[s]upport the aims and purpose of Jewish life through social, cultural, and human needs programs.” The foundation maintains a low public profile, does not operate a website and employs just one formal staff member. While the primary focus of Chaiken’s grantmaking is Jewish causes, its tax filings indicate an interest in supporting other causes as well. 

Grants for Jewish Causes

The foundation primarily supports Jewish Causes throughout the United States. Without a website, it’s unclear what the foundation’s giving strategy is in this space; however, it appears that the Chaikens support Jewish education, and progressive Jewish causes. Past grantees include Berkeley Hillel, American Israel Education Foundation, Jewish Community Relations Council of San Francisco, World Union for Progressive Judaism, Bend the Arc, A Jewish Partnership for Justice, and American Jewish World Service.

Grants for Diseases

While the primary focus of Chaiken’s grantmaking is Jewish causes, its tax filings indicate an interest in supporting disease-related causes as well. The foundation’s grants related to diseases focus on well-known causes and established organizations, so grassroots efforts will not find funding here. According to tax filings, past disease-related grantees include the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and the Children’s Hospital & Research Center.

Grants for LGBTQ

While the primary focus of Chaiken’s grantmaking is Jewish causes, its tax filings indicate an interest in supporting LGBTQ causes as well. While the foundation has not indicated a grantmaking strategy in this focus area, LGBTQ grants appear to focus on marriage equality and violence prevention. Past LGBTQ grantees include the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), which received a general operating support grant; and the Freedom to Marry Foundation, which also received a general operating support grant from Chaiken.

Grants for Women and Girls

Chaiken primarily invests in Jewish causes, but tax filings also indicate an interest in funding causes related to girls and women. Examples of girls and women’s organizations supported by the foundation in the past include the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which received funding for its project involving women’s reproductive rights; and the Global Fund for Women, which received a grant for general operating support.

Important Grant Details:

Chaiken grants can range anywhere from $5,000 to over $1 million. The foundation does not appear to accept unsolicited grant applications or requests for funding. Its tax filings also indicated that it tends to offer long-term support to its current grantees.

PEOPLE:

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CONTACT:

Donald and Carole Chaiken Foundation

2121 Allston Way, Suite 200

Berkeley, California 94270

(510) 839-2900