The Jewish Community Foundation has really changed the fabric of Phoenix. The foundation offers a variety of funding opportunities through which donors can provide money for organizations, agencies, synagogues and causes of choice. One such fund is a donor-advised or philanthropic fund. Such funds are charitable bank accounts created in the donor's name into which a person can make a donation to the foundation and retain the right to make recommendations as to what qualified charities should receive the money.
Unrestricted funds benefit innovative programs within the Jewish community.
They can also be used in the event of an emergency. The foundation's grants committee makes annual distributions from these funds - usually to programs that are not funded by the annual campaign of the federation. The funds are in the name of the donor or someone else whom the donor has chosen. Agency endowment funds are housed within the foundation, and can be perpetually created to support agencies of the federation. The foundation makes an annual distribution according to what the donor has specified.