Chapter I: The Ruderman Family Foundation

Chapter I: Meeting the Ruderman Family Foundation

Who We Are

The Ruderman Family Foundation is a private, strategic family foundation established in the United States by the Ruderman family in 2002. Until then, like many private philanthropists, the Ruderman family had engaged in several areas of activity concurrently, and their resource allocations lacked focus and a predetermined order of priorities. Motivated by passion and dedication, the family had supported worthy goals such as Jewish education in the United States, hospitals and universities, but without a structured plan of action.

Like many “traditional philanthropists”, the family regarded philanthropy as a secondary pursuit, combining a moral and ethical obligation with the great privilege of giving. In 2002, when the younger generation became involved, an in-depth learning process was launched. As a result, the family decided to change their patterns of activity, striving to build the Foundation as a strategic, engaged philanthropic foundation guided by a clear vision, and operating in a focused manner that would yield significant results in Israel and in American Jewish communities.

Over the years, The Foundation adapted itself, to global trends and changes that characterized the new philanthropy of the twenty-first century (Schmid, 2011). It adopted dynamic approaches, seeking to spearhead proactive processes by means of project initiatives, partnership in decision-making and action to expedite problem-solving (Fleishman, 2007). The Foundation regarded itself as an entrepreneur and investor, actively engaged in ensuring maximum social return on its investments. The Foundation’s perception of its mission was broadened: instead of merely providing isolated contributions to organizations or programs, it now considered itself responsible for bringing about significant systemic change with a broad social impact.

As part of the Foundation’s professionalization process, it developed a theory of change that included axes of impact and several main activities. The Foundation’s operational structure was expanded, as professional staff members who are not members of the family were brought in. Nevertheless, the family has remained deeply involved. Family members

make up most of the board of trustees and hold most of the professional management positions in the Foundation. At present, the Foundation operates by means of two branches, in the United States and in Israel. It is headed by Jay Ruderman, president of the Foundation since 2008, Sharon Shapiro, community liaison and trustee, and Shira Ruderman, executive director. The Foundation’s two offices, in Boston and Israel, are fully synchronized, cross-fertilizing, and complement each other.

An important milestone in the Foundation’s development occurred in 2010, when Foundation president Jay Ruderman decided to take more intensive steps to ensure the rights of people with disabilities. To effect valuable change, it is necessary to act publicly, and to voice ethical and social positions, in addition to engaging in actual activity. This constitutive moment turned the Ruderman Family Foundation into an activist foundation, spearheading groundbreaking processes by means of awareness campaigns in the media and social networks. This approach was considered radical at the time and was not entirely welcomed by others in the philanthropic community. Faithful to its path, however, the Foundation earned a solid reputation in the struggle for human rights and justice, not only in Israel and the Jewish world, but throughout the secular world.

Why We Chose to Focus on the Field of Inclusion of People with Disabilities

The Foundation's entry into the realm of inclusion stemmed from a rational and value decision and not from a personal connection to someone with a disability. The family saw injustice and noted a lack of infrastructure and effective solutions for the inclusion of special families - those with children or other members with disabilities - in the daily life of the Boston Jewish community. In 2002, the Foundation, together with Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) of Boston, established the Gateways organization to include children with disabilities in Jewish settings in the United States. This project, the Foundation’s first in this field, introduced the family to the world of inclusion and disabilities. It began as a pilot program in six local schools and expanded over the years to include approximately 100 schools that had an impact on thousands of students and their families.

The Foundation saw valuable data attesting to the need to invest in the world of

people with disabilities:

People with disabilities are the largest minority group in the world, 20 percent of the population, i.e., almost a billion people; People with disabilities encounter a lot of prejudice and stereotypes, and they are underrepresented in all areas of life, including education, employment, housing and community life, even compared to other excluded populations; Inclusion is not perceived as a social justice and human rights issue, but rather as a matter of charity and compassion. The voices of people with disabilities are rarely heard and their needs are marginalized; Decision-makers, professionals and the public are swayed by preconceived notions regarding people with disabilities. This manifests itself in the quality of services they received, attempts to meet their needs and available resources; Because the issue of inclusion encompasses many populations, people with disabilities are liable to face obstacles and serious discrimination, as they may belong to several excluded groups based on gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, etc.. The issue of inclusion is a wide scope issue and touches upon all areas of life and all types of population.

Considering all these factors, the Foundation decided to focus on inclusion and expanded its activity in this area. A few years later, a grandchild with a disability was born into the Ruderman family. This was a sign for the family to continue working diligently to further the rights of people with disabilities and to ensure that our society became more just and fairer to all its members. At first, the Foundation was active only within the Jewish community but, with time, it realized that inclusion has to do with the intrinsic rights of all human beings, and that the mission was a critical one that could not wait. It, therefore, adopted a global perspective, expanding its activity to include other countries and audiences.

Global

Jewish and Non Jewish

National

Jewish Public

Local

Jewish Society

Jewish to Non Jewish

The Foundation Charts a New Course

For almost two decades, the Ruderman Family Foundation has, courageously and with determination, coordinated efforts to further the rights of people with disabilities and their inclusion in society. In recent years, we have witnessed positive changes in this regard: an increase in the number of people working in the field; a change in discourse; investments by more philanthropists; and maturation of projects and infrastructure in the social and governmental sectors. Considering these encouraging signs, the Ruderman family decided to conclude its involvement in this field and turn its energy and resources

Thus, this is the time to tell our story, to derive knowledge and insights from our years of fascinating activity, and to ensure the transmission of a valuable heritage to activists and organizations working in this field. In this document, we sum up our years of experience, the knowledge we have accumulated, our conclusions, and our recommendations in the hope that these will help us and our partners to plan and improve social and philanthropic activities. It is important to us to encourage social action organizations and foundations to wear “inclusion glasses”. We believe the working model we have developed offers key principles for success that can be implemented in various areas of activity, and that we are duty bound to pass it on to the professional community.

The Foundation’s decision to adopt activist working methods achieved results in which we take pride and are happy to share, but also challenges that are by no means simple. In this document, we present our story in full, focusing on the journey we undertook. While this journey was sometimes circuitous and complex, we believe that it led to good results and achievements. We are pleased with the road we have traversed and know that we did all we could to make our world better and fairer. It is important to us to share our story because the path is not always simple and easy, but if we choose a precise goal and work consistently and fearlessly with constant review, we can change the world. This, we believe, is the task of philanthropy in the twenty-first century. If we can innovate and enrich, as well as encourage other foundations to adopt an engaged, active model of activity, we will have achieved our goal.

Methodology for Writing this Summary

This summary is based on an analysis of information from various sources: external assessments; an impact survey; in-depth interviews with stakeholders and the Foundation staff; and internal organizational materials. We will first present our motivation for focusing on inclusion of people with disabilities, as well as our vision, values and working assumptions. Then, we will explain the Foundation’s theory of change, giving concrete examples of its application.

Ruderman Family Foundation: Timeline

Establishment of the Foundation Impact Axis Solutions Development of Services and Programs Focusing on the Field of Inclusion Selection of Major Arenas for Action

2002 2003 2005 2006

Connecting the Field of Inclusion as an Issue of Human Rights Adding a Complementary Impact Axis - Advocacy

Expansion of the Foundation's Activities for the Non-Jewish Public Changing Perception Through Hollywood and the Film and Television Industry

2007 2010

Changing Perception Through Hollywood and the Film and Television Industry Exit from the Field of Inclusion

2015

Selection of a New Area of Activity