In recent months, Inside Philanthropy has been reporting on funders from within and outside the Jewish community stepping up to combat antisemitism.
I connected with Jared Armstrong, for example, a Black basketball player in Israel, who started a basketball camp bringing together Black and Jewish youth, as well as billionaire Bernie Marcus and other signatories of the Jewish Future Pledge about making a significant commitment to supporting the Jewish community in Israel and beyond. At the time, Marcus said that one of the reasons Jewish philanthropy is critical now is because of an uptick in antisemitism since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, but also during years prior. In April of 2023, Robert Kraft’s Foundation to Combat Antisemitism announced its #StandUpToJewishHate campaign, with a $25 million commitment from the donor.
Another funder on the case these days is the Tepper Foundation, the charity of hedge fund billionaire David Tepper and his family. Late last year, the foundation seeded a new $2 million Security Fund that will go toward increased security at colleges, community centers, synagogues, Jewish Federations and other Jewish communal organizations. The fund was launched on the heels of an initial $3.25 million in donations the foundation made to organizations working to support victims of the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel.
“The Tepper Foundation has long been committed to combating hate and antisemitism. In recent months, we’ve seen an alarming rise in antisemitic incidents, including on college campuses, where it’s critical that students feel safe. In response to this urgent situation, the Tepper Foundation is working quickly to get money out the door,” said Tepper Foundation CEO Randi Tepper in a statement.
In order to understand this funder, how the latest gift came about, and the rise in philanthropy to combat antisemitism, I recently connected with Marian Stern, portfolio manager at the Tepper Foundation, who oversees grantmaking to Jewish community organizations.
Tepper’s Jewish grantmaking
The Tepper Foundation works across several key interest areas, with a significant increase in grantmaking of late. In 2023, Tepper distributed $65 million, nearly tripling its grantmaking since 2021. And at 65 years old, David Tepper, worth some $20 billion as of this writing, could well make an even bigger mark in philanthropy. Grantmaking portfolios include food, housing and health; crisis response and climate resilience; and pro-democracy and anti-hate initiatives.
Marian Stern ran the philanthropy program of a large bank in the 1980s and has been involved in the nonprofit sector for four decades. At Tepper, she says that the foundation has two specific buckets when it comes to its Jewish giving. One is around combatting antisemitism, which is part of Tepper’s broader work to combat identity-based hate.
The other half of the foundation’s Jewish giving is around the concept of Jewish identity and continuity, specifically working on programs for preschool and young school-aged children to enrich their Jewish lives. Tepper supports day camps, JCC and an outreach program for families, among other work for youth.
“David Tepper and the board really believe strongly that when you provide enriched Jewish experiences for young families with young children… it really creates a loving atmosphere in the home and then sets the family on a Jewish journey so that they can really benefit from all that Jewish life can bring them,” Stern said.
Through its antisemitism work, the foundation has been a big backer of Hillel International. And when the October 7 attack happened, she says Tepper immediately mobilized to support U.S.-based organizations that support Israel. This ended up with $3.25 million going out of the door, including to three hospitals, two emergency relief organizations, and organizations conducting humanitarian and human services work. Located in the south, near the attack itself, Barzilai Medical Center was one grantee of these vital funds.
A growing Security Fund
But the foundation also understood that it was important to provide aid on the ground in the United States related to to this issue. “This has been a very tragic and sad trigger point for increased antisemitism. I will say in my lifetime, I’ve never seen antisemitism of this kind in the United States,” she said.
While many Jewish organizations have done a good job at beefing up their security since the Tree of Life terrorist attack, this represented a new chapter in anti-Jewish hate, she said, which prompted them to reach out to their partners. “Our concern was that they would have to draw funds from programmatic lines.”
It was out of this thinking and urgency that Tepper Foundation decided to seed its $2 million Security Fund, aimed at assisting current grantees so that they have sufficient security funding such that it doesn’t impact their missions. While she says the fund so far is solely supported by Tepper, that may change in time. Stern said she is constantly speaking with other foundations and nonprofits, adding that she’s proud that there is a strong network of organizations she can collaborate with.
A few months ago, the Security Fund announced its first grant to Hillel International, the world’s largest Jewish student organization. Hillel will match the grant for a total of $1 million toward support for Jewish students on college campuses around the country.
“This generous gift from the Tepper Foundation will help us provide timely funding to add critical security features and safety upgrades to campus Hillels across North America,” said said Adam Lehman, CEO and president of Hillel International in a statement. Since the October 7 attack on Israel, Hillel has reported that antisemitic incidents on campus have increased more than 700% over the same period last year.
At the top of the year, Tepper’s Security Fund also made a $1 million grant to underwrite the cost of security personnel at 23 synagogues and JCC early childhood centers in the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest New Jersey region. The Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest New Jersey has been a longtime grantee of other prominent Jewish philanthropists in the New York City area, including billionaire Leon Cooperman.
