The Impact of the Mitzvah Endowment
The Mitzvah Endowment has disbursed nearly $25,000 in grants over its history to organizations like The Boys & Girls Club Pasadena and College Access Plan, among others. When asked if he understood at age 13 what kind of impact his fund would eventually have, Bobby says “I think it’s difficult as a 13 year old to conceptualize the notion that markets compound. I very loosely grasped the notion that this was going to be a vehicle that lasted a long time, but it is really cool to look back and think ‘wow’ that what we did has continued to pay real dividends.”
Young Bobby chose to support afterschool programs because even then he recognized how lucky he was to have the gift of a family that could support his own education. He remembers that he understood that “there was a significant gap in educational opportunities when you looked across Pasadena. As a kid, you can better empathize with those struggles than maybe someone else at a different point in their life. It felt very authentic to me at that point – it still does. We’ve been able to support organizations that help level the playing field, and that is incredibly cool.”
Another Community Investment
Bobby shares that the Mitzvah Endowment had another impact in his life more recently. As Bobby and his fiancée prepared for their wedding in 2022, they decided they didn’t need wedding gifts. Instead, they asked their guests to contribute to a fund that was very important to them, much like Bobby had done for his Bar Mitzvah.
“My grandmother, with whom I was incredibly close, passed in 2021. Upon her death, my family established a fund to support nurses in St. Louis, which is where she lived. She cared about health care deeply. I don’t think we would have done this if we hadn’t had the example of the Mitzvah fund and knowing what PCF did with it. We celebrated an important event in our lives, but also used it as a forum to give back after we‘ve received so much. The fund shaped the way I think about gifts and investing in our communities over a long period.”
Grantmaking Impact
Through this fund, PCF has been able to
- Support flexibility
- Allows PCF to direct resources when and where they are needed most, respond quickly to emerging needs, and fill funding gaps that restricted gifts can’t cover.
- Provide sustained funding
Offer consistent financial support for local nonprofits addressing academic achievement and youth development.
- Enhance community programs
- Empower organizations to expand their services and reach more individuals in need.
- Promote long-term solutions
- Invest in programs that not only provide immediate relief but also work towards sustainable solutions for education access and youth success.
Contact Us
For more information about PCF giving opportunities, please contact
Pasadena Community Foundation
301 E. Colorado Blvd., Suite 810
Pasadena, CA., 91101
626.796.2097
pcfstaff@pasadenacf.org
