The Schusterman Family Foundation

The Schusterman Family Foundation
Name	Schusterman Family Foundation
Type	Philanthropic foundation
Founded	1987
Founder	Charles and Lynn Schusterman
Headquarters	Tulsa, Oklahoma
Area served	United States, Israel, Jewish communities worldwide
Focus	Jewish continuity, education, Israel-Diaspora relations, social entrepreneurship

The Schusterman Family Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation established by Charles and Lynn Schusterman that has funded initiatives across United States, Israel, and Jewish communities worldwide. The foundation is known for supporting Jewish education, leadership development, community building, and social innovation through grants, strategic investments, and partnerships with secular and faith-based institutions. Over decades the foundation has partnered with major organizations, universities, think tanks, and communal networks to scale programs in civic engagement, identity, and organizational capacity.

History

The foundation was created in 1987 by philanthropists Charles Schusterman and Lynn Schusterman, building on charitable activities associated with the Schusterman family and linked enterprises such as Skelly Oil and regional business interests in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In the 1990s the foundation expanded grantmaking to align with emerging trends in Jewish communal life, collaborating with institutions like Jewish Federations of North America, Hillel International, and Birthright Israel during formative years. The 2000s saw strategic shifts toward leadership pipelines and cross-border initiatives with partners including Brandeis University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv University. In the 2010s the foundation embraced venture-philanthropy practices, aligning with networks such as Ashoka and The Rockefeller Foundation to support social entrepreneurship, and engaged with public policy actors including Brookings Institution and RAND Corporation on research-driven philanthropy. Leadership transitions and family governance decisions shaped new programmatic priorities in the 2020s as the foundation continued collaborations with community organizations like Moishe House, Reconstructing Judaism, and Jewish Federations.

Mission and Focus Areas

The foundation’s mission emphasizes Jewish continuity, leadership development, Israel–Diaspora relations, and pluralistic community life, coordinating efforts with actors such as Jewish Agency for Israel, American Jewish Committee, and Anti-Defamation League. It has prioritized investments in informal learning through partnerships with Hillel International and P2G (Partnership2Gether), youth engagement via networks like BBYO and Habonim Dror, and clergy and rabbinic training linked to institutions such as Hebrew Union College and Yeshiva University. Complementary secular collaborations have included grants to universities like University of Oklahoma and research bodies including Pew Research Center to study identity and demographics. The foundation also targets civic leadership and social innovation, co-investing with accelerators and intermediaries like Echoing Green and New Profit to scale programs that intersect with community resilience and pluralist values.

Programs and Grants

Grantmaking mechanisms include multi-year grants, challenge grants, and program-related investments to organizations such as Birthright Israel Foundation, Moment Magazine, and Jewish LearningWorks. The foundation has incubated initiatives for Jewish professional development—partnering with organizations like Bend the Arc and Keshet—and supported arts and culture through collaborations with institutions such as Museum of Jewish Heritage and performing-arts organizations in Tel Aviv and New York City. Educational models supported include pluralistic day schools and summer programs connected to Prizmah and Foundation for Jewish Camp. The foundation has also provided capacity-building grants to intermediaries such as The Jewish Education Project and research partnerships with centers like Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society to evaluate outcomes. Project examples include seed funding for community incubators, multi-year leadership cohorts for mid-career professionals, and targeted support for civic engagement campaigns tied to municipal and national elections in collaboration with local partners.

Governance and Leadership

Governance has featured family trustees and a professional staff model typical of family foundations, with board members drawn from the Schusterman family and advisors with experience at institutions such as Harvard Kennedy School, Columbia University, and leading nonprofits. Executive leadership has included CEOs and program directors who previously worked with organizations like Jewish Federations, United Jewish Communities, and philanthropic networks including Council on Foundations. The foundation has relied on external advisory councils and peer reviewers from academic institutions such as Oxford University and Tel Aviv University to inform strategy and impact measurement. Board decisions have been aligned with legal and regulatory frameworks overseeing private foundations in the United States and with best practices advocated by networks like National Council of Nonprofits.

Funding and Financials

Funded primarily through family endowment assets accumulated from family business activities and investments, the foundation operates using an annual grant budget calibrated to meet minimum distribution requirements under United States tax law. Financial reporting and Form 990-PF disclosures have tracked grants to dozens of domestic and international organizations, and the foundation has engaged in program-related investments and quasi-equity deals aligning with social-enterprise partners such as T12 Ventures and mission-driven funds. Asset allocation strategies have balanced philanthropic commitments with long-term endowment preservation, using financial advisors and fiduciaries from firms with experience advising family offices.

Impact and Controversies

Supporters credit the foundation with measurable growth in leadership pipelines, expanded access to Jewish learning, and innovations in communal infrastructure demonstrated in partnership evaluations with organizations like Brandeis Center and Pew Research Center. Critics and watchdogs have at times questioned grant selections, prioritization between Israel-related programming and local community needs, and transparency in funding to politically active groups, with debates reflected in coverage by outlets such as The New York Times and discussions within networks like ProPublica. The foundation has responded by adopting more rigorous monitoring and evaluation frameworks and by increasing stakeholder engagement with communal partners including Federation system entities and grassroots groups across diverse Jewish denominational movements.

Category:Foundations based in the United States Category:Jewish philanthropy