Swartz Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Swartz Foundation supports Jewish causes in the U.S. and Israel. Areas of interest include health, human services, community, education and religion.
IP TAKE: This low-profile funder does not accept unsolicited proposals and does not provide a direct avenue for getting in touch. This is not a transparent or accessible funder. It keeps its grant strategy cards close and limits information about its grantmaking. It will be difficult to secure funding from Swartz without a personal connection to the family, so consider who could make an introduction if you have access.
PROFILE: The Swartz Foundation was established in 1994 in Boston by Sydney and Judith Swartz. Sydney Swartz is the former chairman Timberland, the outdoor shoe and clothing company. The Swartz Foundation does not maintain a website, limiting information about its philanthropic practices. Tax filings, however, suggest that this funder mainly supports Jewish causes in the areas of health, religion, education and culture in the U.S. and Israel. U.S. grantmaking appears to prioritize the Boston area, where the Swartz family is based.
Grants for Jewish Causes
In the U.S., the Swartz Foundation’s largest grantee is the Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston, which has received between $1.5 and $5 million from the foundation in recent years, and which supports a broad range of Jewish and non-Jewish causes globally. Other Boston area grantees include Jewish Family and Children’s Services of Waltham, Chabad Lubavitch of the North Shore, Temple Emmanuel of Newton and Camera, which monitors news coverage of Middle Eastern issues. The foundation also appears to support a corps of grantees in Florida, including the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County and the Ruth and Normal Rales Jewish Family Services of Boca Raton. National organizations that have received recent support include the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, the Birthright Foundation and the Jewish Federations of North America.
About half of the Swartz Foundation’s grantmaking supports Israeli organizations or U.S. organizations supporting Israeli causes. The Hadassah Medical Organization of Jerusalem and the American Israel Education Foundation each received over $1 million in a recent year. Other recipients include the Friends of Israel Defense Forces, the American Friends of Leket Israel and the American Friends of Meir Panim, which works to end poverty in Israel. Swartz also gave $2.8 million to American Friends of Maoz-Seal in 2021.
Important Grant Details
In a recent year, the Swartz Foundation made about $7.3 million in grants ranging from $500 to $1.5 million. The foundation’s average grant size is about $20,000. With very few exceptions, this funder sticks to Jewish causes in the U.S. and Israel. U.S. grantmaking goes to large national organizations, as well as local groups in the Boston area and South Florida. For additional information about the Swartz Foundation’s grantmaking, see its recent tax filings.
The Swartz Foundation supports preselected organizations and does not accept unsolicited proposals for funding. An address and phone number for the foundation are provided below.
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CONTACT:
Swartz Foundation
800 Boylston St,
Boston, MA 02199-3600
(617) 951-7000
