Samis Foundation
/OVERVIEW: This funder primarily gives to Jewish K-12 education in Seattle, but has also supported social services, wildlife preservation, and archaeology.
IP TAKE: Jewish day schools and overnight camps are top interests, here. But Samis is showing increasing interest in Seattle neighborhoods. Keep an eye on this for potential opportunities.
PROFILE: The Samis Foundation was established in 1994 to reinvest the profits of Samuel Israel’s real estate business. It seeks to support “Jewish education locally, and other program areas in Israel.” During his lifetime, the founder made many gifts to Jewish and secular causes in Washington State. He appointed 16 trustees to lead the foundation upon his death.
In the Seattle area and throughout Washington, Samis focuses on K-12 Jewish education. It regularly supports Jewish day schools, scholarships and camping experiences for teenagers. In addition to these Jewish causes, Samis also funds social services organizations, wildlife preservation and archaeology. The foundation has also assisted with disaster relief efforts. Total grantmaking since inception exceeds $76 million toward Seattle’s Jewish community and causes in Israel.
Samis has recently given to seven Seattle area Jewish day schools and three overnight camps. These camps are designed to provide intensive and immersive Jewish education in Seattle. Samis supports tuition assistance at the local day schools, but administration of those funds is handled by the schools themselves. The funder also provides need-based scholarships to young adults and grants for travel to Israel. For camp experiences, Samis makes grants to Seattle-area children for sports, art, religion, and fun. It works with the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle to award scholarships.
Unfortunately for grant seekers, grants are invitation-only; unsolicited requests are not accepted. A new interest area for this funder is Seattle’s Jewish neighborhoods, so this is an emerging funding interest to watch locally.
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