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July 26, 2002/Av 17 5762, Vol. 54, No. 45
Agency allocations set
Emergency fund created; schools, JCC get more
BARRY COHEN
Editor
The agencies of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix are beginning to come to terms not only with the decreased funds available for allocations, but how these funds were distributed.
The federation board voted last month to increase allocations to three local Jewish day schools and the Tri-City Jewish Community Center, while maintaining status quo or decreasing funding to its seven other constituent agencies.
Federation allocated $1,544,650 to the 11 agencies - $30,198 less for fiscal year 2002-2003 than the prior year - a nearly 2-percent decrease.
The King David School will receive $88,730, an increase of $1,838 from last year; The Pardes Jewish Day School will receive $34,100, an increase of $3,600; and Phoenix Hebrew Academy will be allocated $116,110, an increase of $1,838.
Rabbi Harris Cooperman, principal of Phoenix Hebrew Academy, views the increased funding as "a message and a commitment from federation to work on education." He also said the increase to the academy will not cover the cost of inflation and fees for supplies.
Bonnie Morris, head of The Pardes Jewish Day School, said she was pleased with the increase and hopes to receive further increases in the future.
"Federation needs to expedite the timetable to get The Pardes School on par with the other day schools, in terms of funding," she noted.
The federation "identified day-school education as a pressing need of the community in the coming year," explained George Cohen, outgoing chairman of the federation's Commission on Jewish Continuity and Community, the committee that recommended base allocation dollar amounts.
To determine allocations for the July 1-June 30 fiscal year, the commission started with annual campaign totals from the previous campaign year, 2001-2002, said Cohen.
United Jewish Campaign results of $5,110,229 for 2001-2002 were nearly unchanged from the prior year's $5,074,353 - a modest $35,876 increase. Federation applied this increase toward an emergency reserve equal to 1 percent of the 2001-2002 annual campaign, reducing the amount of money available for allocations, said Ted Zinman, federation treasurer.
The emergency reserve is intended to respond to local, national and international emergencies, said Art Paikowsky, federation executive vice president.
One such emergency was the "extraordinary circumstances" the Tri-City JCC faced in moving to a new location, said Cohen.
A one-time grant of $50,000 assisted the Tri-City JCC move to a new location at South Indian Bend Road in Tempe, said Zinman.
"We had a crisis with the move," noted Ilene Blau, executive director of the Tri-City JCC. Rent at the new 23,500-square foot facility is 2.5 times greater than the previous location, she explained. "Then you have to factor in moving expenses," she said.
Blau said she is grateful to the constituent agencies that absorbed reduced funding in behalf of the Tri-City JCC, and "for cooperating and realizing that this is our time of need."
The Tri-City JCC's 2002-2003 allocation of $116,305 is an increase of $7,196 from the prior year.
Federation allocations are just one funding source for most agencies. Many agencies will dip into surpluses to offset decreased allocations, Cohen noted.
The allocations decreases could have been worse, said Mark Shore, executive director of the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center. "I have been hearing from other JCCs across the country, where there were 10 percent to 15 percent cuts in allocations."
The VOSJCC received $318,540, a decrease of $16,765, or 5 percent.
Meanwhile, Becca Horn-stein, executive director of Council for Jews with Special Needs, said that sacrificing funds for the good of the Tri-City JCC will benefit the community in the long run.
"We understand the greater needs of the Tri-City JCC and the day schools," she said. "We're comfortable giving up some of our funds in a difficult year to help them accomplish their mission."
Federation reduced the CJSN allocation by $3,448 to $12,000.
Despite the cut, Hornstein said her agency does not plan to eliminate any existing programs or services but will draw from savings.
Gail Parin, president and CEO of Jewish Family and Children's Service, disagreed with how federation determined allocations for the current fiscal year.
"Last year, when allocations were down, every (agency) was decreased the same percentage across the board," said Parin. "We found that fair and equitable."
Nevertheless, the decreased funding will not affect JFCS services, she said.
"We will be using all available resources to serve the Jewish community," she noted. JFCS will apply for grants to fund general programs addressing child abuse and domestic violence, said Parin.
The federation campaign will also fund $43,954 to national agencies and $1,631,267 to overseas agencies.
Contact the writer at barry _cohen@jewishaz.com.
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