Slingshot Fund:
October, 23 2008 - The Slingshot Fund is now accepting nominations for the 2009 / 2010 edition of Slingshot, an annual guidebook that celebrates Jewish innovation by highlighting 50 North American organizations that take innovative approaches to addressing age-old concerns of identity and community in Jewish life. Organizations that are selected for the guidebook gain significant exposure to a diverse funding community and become eligible for a capacity building grant from the Slingshot Fund.
The nomination form can be downloaded at this Web link:
http://slingshotfund.org/news/09-10_Nominations_Form.doc
In order to be considered for Slingshot '09-'10, completed nomination forms must be emailed to Barbara Taylor at [email protected] and received by December 1, 2008.
At a time when the Nation's economy faces recession and when funders are scaling back on their giving, Slingshot Fund leaders -- comprised of young philanthropists in their 20s and 30s -- are urging members of the Jewish funding community to "double down" on their efforts to fuel Jewish innovation.
Questions for Funders and Advisors: Is giving a luxury to be budgeted for only after all other wants and needs are met, or is it duty or a privilige to be funded come what may? Here is how a young Slingshot funder has answered that question, in the spirit of tzedaka:
According to Jessica Warren, a founding board member of the Slingshot Fund, "Funding innovation cannot be looked upon as a luxury, only applicable in times of prosperity. Innovation is the Jewish community's R&D department. To cut off funding for these innovative programs now would be destroying a bridge that connects our communal past to a vibrant future. It's in these challenging times of decreased giving when fledgling organizations are most vulnerable, that we must view Jewish innovation as a funding imperative."
