Our Purpose

To contribute to the flourishing of the United States and Israel as just, inclusive, compassionate and democratic societies, and to improve the quality of life of all citizens in both countries.

Mandel Foundation

1000 Lakeside Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44114

(216) 875-6539

Share this Page

Our Mission

The mission of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation is to contribute to the flourishing of the United States and Israel as just, inclusive, compassionate, and democratic societies, and to improve the quality of life of all citizens in both countries.

 

The video below demonstrates "Who We Are" through the perspective of our founders, Jack, Joe and Morton Mandel. 

 

Who We Are

Core Values

  • Our programs and institutions should reflect professional cultures
    of mutual respect, caring and moral integrity.

  • Pluralism should be expressed in our goals, programs and practices.

  • Our institutions should be places where people like to work and where
    effort is expended out of pride, a spirit of collegiality, and a serious
    commitment to the organization and its success.

  • Our programs and institutions should commit to pursuing excellence
    and always strive to “raise the bar.”

Core Beliefs

WE BELIEVE THAT

  • Outstanding leadership is an indispensable aspect of great institutions.

  • Outstanding leaders are guided by profound and imaginative visions
    of the possible, and equipped with cutting-edge knowledge and skills.

  • The capacity of leaders and all citizens to envision and build a better
    future can be greatly enhanced through engagement with the humanities.

  • Education is a critical vehicle through which we develop and train leaders
    who will change the world.

Operating Principles

The Mandel Foundation is primarily an operating foundation. We prefer to
pursue our philanthropic purposes through our own institutions and programs.

  • We conduct regular, rigorous evaluations of our programs and make
    changes necessary for continuous improvement.

  • Our programs are open to all who support our basic values, including
    people of various faiths, political outlooks and backgrounds.

  • We operate through long-term investments in particular fields where
    we have the experience, knowledge and capacity to make a difference.

  • We initiate grants to select organizations in our areas of
    engagement. Our grants seek to test new approaches and/or
    bring successful programs to scale.

Click here to review our Areas of Engagement.

Our Grant Making Philosophy

We operate in carefully selected fields where we have the experience,
knowledge, and desire to make a difference. These Areas of Engagement
have been chosen by the Founders and represent the areas that emerged
over time as being the most important to the brothers and worthy of the
investment of our time, energy, and financial support.

In new grant partnerships, we generally start with a small pilot program
that can be scaled and/or replicated elsewhere, following Mort’s philosophy
of “think big, start small.”

To be approved, grants must meet the following standards:

  • We believe the quality of the program is driven mainly by the quality
    of the organization's leadership, so we must have high confidence in
    leaders' ability to perform to our expectations.

  • The grantee should be financially stable with strong internal controls
    and sound accounting practices.

  • We evaluate projects that we fund annually to determine whether
    support should be continued. We also perform regular site visits
    and review annual reports to ensure the organization is continuing
    to meet our expectations.

Share This Page