Joyce & Irving Goldman Family Foundation Inc.

The Joyce & Irving Goldman Family Foundation (JIGFF) operates as a relationship-driven, invitation-only funder with $229 million in assets and annual giving of $12-16 million. Despite its scale, the foundation maintains a lean professional team — Executive Director Benjamin Binswanger (compensation: $286,855-$346,538 annually), one Grants Manager, and one Program Officer — making selectivity essential to every intake decision.

JIGFF concentrates giving across three program areas: Jewish Life, Health, and Sustainable Agriculture. Within Jewish Life, the focus centers on young adult engagement and innovative programming, with a 2025 expansion toward interfaith family inclusion. Health grants support breast cancer eradication (National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund has received $1.65M), medical education in Israel's Negev, and NYC community health. Sustainable Agriculture funding is anchored to two geographic pillars: increasing local farm food in NYC institutions and preserving working farms and farmland across New York State.

The foundation's giving philosophy centers on "measurable difference, of lasting value" — language that should appear explicitly in any outreach. Grantee patterns confirm this clearly: multi-year partnerships are the norm, with top grantees averaging 4+ grant cycles. Congregation B'Nai Jeshurun received 9 grants totaling $1.03M; American Associates of Ben-Gurion University received 7 grants totaling $2.19M; IJS received 7 grants totaling $770K. JIGFF cultivates long-term partners, not one-time grantees.

The Goldman family — Dorian Goldman (President), Lloyd Goldman (Treasurer), and Katja Goldman (Secretary) — remain actively involved as unpaid board members. Grant purposes frequently reference galas, annual events, and named endowments (e.g., "Joyce & Irving Goldman Medical School" at Ben-Gurion University), signaling that personal relationships drive the largest gifts. Family foundations of this structure reward relationship investment.

First-time applicants must understand that the GrantInterface LOI portal is the only accepted pathway. Phone calls, emails, and unsolicited meeting requests are explicitly prohibited. Your LOI is your sole first impression. Organizations based in New York State hold a geographic advantage — 339 of ~480 tracked grants (roughly 70%) go to NY-based grantees. A warm introduction through an existing grantee such as Moishe House, Reboot, FoodCorps, ADL, or Amber Waves Farm can meaningfully improve responsiveness from this collegial, network-oriented funder.

JIGFF's annual giving has been remarkably stable over six tracked fiscal years. Total giving ranged from $12.8M (2020) to $15.7M (2022), with grants paid to grantees specifically ranging from $7.6M (2020) to $9.8M (2022). The five-year average total giving is approximately $13.8 million annually. Foundation assets grew from $135.9M (2015) to $229.1M (2024), a 69% increase, though annual giving has not tracked proportionally — the effective payout rate is approximately 6-7% of assets, modestly above the 5% private foundation minimum.

Across 174 tracked individual grants, the median grant is $25,000, with an average of $47,735. The documented range spans from $500 (minor event contributions) to $500,000 for individual annual grants. Multi-year cumulative commitments far exceed these figures: Ben-Gurion University's "Vision 2020" campaign committed approximately $11M across 7 grants; Whitney Museum received $1.75M across 8 grants; National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund received $1.65M across 5 grants ($330K per grant average).

Program area breakdown by grantee analysis: - Jewish Life (approx. 55-60% of grants by count): Per-grant average $40,000-$65,000. Key recipients include AJC ($1.13M cumulative), ADL ($1.07M), UJA-Federation of NY ($957K), IJS ($770K), Reboot ($470K), OneTable ($325K), Moishe House ($280K). General operating support is the dominant grant type in this area. - Health (approx. 15-20% by count): Larger individual grants; National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund averaged ~$330K per grant; Northwell Health Foundation averaged ~$417K per grant. Medical school and research support typically falls $100K-$250K per grant. - Sustainable Agriculture (approx. 20-25% by count): Typically $50K-$150K per grant. FoodCorps ($425K/3 grants = $142K avg), Peconic Land Trust ($365K/7 grants = $52K avg), Amber Waves Farm ($305K/6 grants = $51K avg). Both multi-year operating support and specific project grants are common.

Geographic concentration is pronounced: New York accounts for 339 grants versus 36 for DC and 27 each for California and Massachusetts. For agriculture, Suffolk County and Hudson Valley dominate. National organizations typically receive support through their NYC offices.

JIGFF occupies a distinctive niche among Jewish family foundations of similar size, uniquely combining Jewish communal life, health philanthropy (breast cancer, medical education), and sustainable agriculture — a portfolio not replicated by most comparable foundations.

Note: Peer foundation figures are approximations based on publicly available Form 990 data.

JIGFF is the only foundation in this comparison set meaningfully funding sustainable agriculture alongside Jewish life, making it uniquely valuable for mission-aligned organizations at the food-Jewish values intersection (e.g., Adamah, Jewish Farmer Network, Hazon). Compared to the larger Jim Joseph Foundation, JIGFF awards more moderate grants but maintains deeper, more personal relationships with a narrower grantee pool. Unlike the Dorot Foundation's Israel-heavy emphasis, JIGFF's domestic programs — especially NYC food access and young adult Jewish engagement — give it broader domestic applicability. For NY-based organizations, JIGFF's geographic concentration makes it a higher-probability funder than nationally distributed peers.

JIGFF has maintained active grantmaking through late 2025 and early 2026. The most significant recent announcement was an October 2025 $2 million matching grant to the Joyce and Irving Goldman Medical School at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, made at a New York City gala. This continues a multi-decade relationship that has included dormitory housing ($5M), research ($5M), MSIH scholarships, and the IARC endowment — suggesting the Ben-Gurion relationship will remain a centerpiece of JIGFF's Health and Israel-connected giving for years to come.

In November 2025, JIGFF featured content on "Making Interfaith Families a Valued Part of Jewish Communities," and in January 2026 highlighted the Institute for Jewish Spirituality's "Who Knows?" program. Both developments are consistent with the foundation's multi-year IJS investment ($770K across 7 grants) and signal a broadening stance on Jewish communal inclusivity within the Jewish Life program.

On the organizational side, Executive Director Benjamin Binswanger's compensation rose from $286,855 (2021) to $346,538 (2024), a 20.6% increase over three years, reflecting both leadership stability and an enhanced professional role in day-to-day grantmaking. The 2024 990 also identifies a dedicated Grants Manager (Phuong Lan R. Tonthat, $106,302) and Program Officer (Kit Man G. Chan, $102,516), confirming an operational team capable of actively managing a multi-program, $13M+ portfolio. Total assets reached $229.1 million in fiscal 2024, up 11.5% from $205.5M in 2023, expanding future giving capacity.

Applying to JIGFF requires precision, patience, and genuine mission alignment. The foundation's explicit prohibition on all contact outside the LOI portal means every word of your Letter of Inquiry must carry maximum weight.

Use the GrantInterface portal exclusively. The LOI submission form is at https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=jigff. Do not email jigff@jigff.org with a pitch, do not call (212) 624-4910 to discuss eligibility, and do not request a meeting without an invitation. These actions violate the foundation's stated process and will not help your case.

Mirror the foundation's mission language. JIGFF describes their purpose as making "a measurable difference, of lasting value, on important issues affecting the fundamental quality of human lives." Your LOI should demonstrate measurable outcomes with long-term durability — not awareness campaigns or one-time events. Show longitudinal data, enrollment trends, farm acreage preserved, or young adults engaged over multiple years.

Position clearly within one program area. Jewish Life applications should emphasize the 20s-30s age cohort, innovative engagement models, and (increasingly) interfaith family inclusion. Health applications should link to breast cancer eradication, Negev-region medical education, or NYC community health. Sustainable Agriculture applications must anchor to either NYC institutional food access or NY State farmland preservation — national agricultural policy work will not fit.

Signal multi-year partnership potential. Given JIGFF's strong preference for sustained relationships (median top grantee has 4+ grant cycles), describe your organization's multi-year trajectory. Include a 3-year funding ask or tiered request structure that implies ongoing collaboration.

Timing strategy. JIGFF does not publish grant cycles or deadlines. With a three-person professional staff managing ~$13M annually, reviews likely follow semi-annual schedules. Target LOI submissions in September-October (fall cycle) or February-March (spring cycle) to align with typical private foundation board review calendars.

Avoid superficial fit. JIGFF's staff has deep expertise in a tight grantee network. Do not reframe your organization's mission to appear eligible — program officers will recognize mission drift immediately. Only apply if the alignment is genuine and demonstrable through existing programs.