Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation
/OVERVIEW: Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation works to strengthen the State of Israel and its special ties with the United States of America, and to ensure the special affinity to the State of Israel of the young and future Jewish generations.
IP TAKE: This is a fairly transparent funder that makes clear its commitment to its singular cause. It restricts transparency in that its website does not outline clear funding priorities, which makes it difficult for grantseekers focused on areas other than Israel to receive funding. The foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals or requests for funding. Neither approachable nor accessible, this is a tough funder to crack. This may require networking with their previous grantees or staff. This is a more conservative funder, so progressive grant seekers should look elsewhere.
PROFILE: The Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation (MFF) was established in 2000 by Adam and Gila Milstein. Adam Milstein is a managing partner at Hager Pacific Properties, a private commercial real estate investment firm. Born in Israel, he served in the Israel Defense Forces during the Yom Kippur War and graduated from the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology in 1978. He came to the U.S. in the early 1980s and earned an MBA from the University of Southern California.
Based in Encino, California, the Milstein Family Foundation seeks to “strengthen American values, support the U.S.-Israel alliance, and combat bigotry and hatred in all forms.” Additionally, it “works to strengthen the Jewish people and their affinity to the State of Israel – the homeland of the Jewish people, by instilling pride in their Jewish identity and fostering the courage to stand up and combat our detractors.” The foundation primarily supports Israel and Jewish causes. It makes more modest grants in other areas as well, including health, public policy, and conservative issues.
Grants for Jewish Causes
Support for Israel and Jewish causes is paramount at MFF. The foundation focuses on a range of Jewish-community centered issues including combating antisemitism on college campuses; connecting non-Israeli Americans with Israel; Jewish community services; and Jewish and Israel education. It steadily supports the Israeli-American Council, which Milstein co-founded and which works to "build an engaged and united Israeli-American community that strengthens the Israeli and Jewish identity of our next generation, the American Jewish community, and the bond between the peoples of the United States and the State of Israel."
Amongst its grantmaking opportunities, MFF also funds grants that build coalitions between pro-Israel college students and other organizations on campus. It collaborates with Hasbara Fellowships, a leading pro-Israel campus activism organization working with universities across North America. Gila is the President of MERONA Campus Leadership Foundation, an organization that nurtures leadership among pro-Israel students on college campuses.
Past grantees include Santa Barbara Hillel, Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME), National Jewish Fund, Israeli-American Council, American Israel Education Foundation, American Friends of IDF, Heschel Day School, Adelson Education Campus, and Central Fund of Israel. Grantseekers can get a more complete sense of the types of organizations MFF supports by looking over its grantees list here.
Grants for Public Health and Diseases
MFF does not have clearly defined grantmaking programs, and, consequently, it is difficult to get a sense of the foundation’s funding priorities beyond support for Israel. However, tax records reveal that it has made grants to health organizations in the recent past. Additionally, Gila is president of Stand By Me, which provides emotional and physical support to Jewish-Israeli-American cancer patients in Los Angeles. Gila lost her own mother to the disease.
Previous grantees in the health space include Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, United Breast Cancer Foundation, American Cancer Society, Multiple Sclerosis Society, and City of Hope.
Grants for Democracy and Civic Engagement
The Milstein Family Foundation’s website no longer outlines its funding interests with regard to public policy; however, its previously stated interests include "media accuracy and NGO monitoring" and "policy research and democratic think-tanks." MFF has supported Hudson Institute, a right-leaning think tank, and Prager University, a conservative digital media organization.
Important Grant Details:
Grants typically range from $400 to $100,000, although they can occasionally exceed this amount. In one fiscal year, the foundation made grants of around $870,400. MFF does not accept unsolicited grant applications. Prior to making contact, MFF encourages grantseekers to review the foundation's mission statement and read its Newsroom tab. There are two application deadlines every year: December 31st and June 30th.
PEOPLE:
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