News
The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation is pleased to announce a three-year, $2.5 million grant to the CANVAS Collaborative Fund, representing the largest gift in CANVAS’ history, to support the growth and impact the national funding and field-building collaborative dedicated to advancing the Jewish arts and culture ecosystem.
This new investment builds on the Mandel Foundation’s long-standing commitment to the field and brings its total support of CANVAS to $3.55 million since 2020. “Jewish arts and culture are essential to strengthening Jewish life, identity, and cross-cultural understanding,” said Jehuda Reinharz, President & CEO of the Mandel Foundation. “CANVAS has quickly become the leading collaborative force supporting this sector, and we are proud to deepen our investment in its work.”
Since launching in 2020, CANVAS has emerged as the central coordinating body for Jewish arts and culture philanthropy in North America.
In just five years, CANVAS has:
- Committed more than $5 million in direct grants to Jewish arts networks, distribution channels, and media coverage
- Supported artist networks that include more than 3,000 Jewish contemporary creatives across North America
- Launched a sector-first Leadership Development Program that now serves more than 150 arts professionals annually across North America
- Built a North American community of practice that connects arts leaders, funders, and cultural institutions.
The Mandel Foundation’s new multi-year commitment will strengthen three core priorities of the CANVAS Collaborative Fund: expanding internal capacity to meet surging demand, pooled grantmaking, and leadership development.
“The Mandel Foundation has demonstrated an unshakeable commitment to the humanities, both in its grantmaking and through its own Cultural Leadership Program for artists,” said Lou Cove, Founder and President of CANVAS. “We are living through a moment of extraordinary challenge and possibility for Jewish creativity – a moment we see as a renaissance. With the Mandel Foundation’s remarkable pledge to CANVAS, we are that much closer to ensuring that this renaissance isn’t just a moment, but a movement.”
The Mandel Foundation is part of a growing coalition of institutional partners who are working with CANVAS to build a more visible, vibrant, and resilient Jewish cultural ecosystem.
About the Organization
CANVAS is a funding and field-building collaborative that supports and amplifies the 21st century Jewish cultural renaissance. Our goal is a well-supported, flourishing, and equitable sector of Jewish arts and culture in North America. Each year, CANVAS distributes at least $1 million in grants to North American–based nonprofit organizations. We support Jewish arts and culture networks that serve as hubs for 3,000+ artists and creative professionals; media outlets that cover their work, and the sector at large; and distribution channels that give audiences access to this new, vibrant, and relevant work.
