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January 9, 2004/Tevet 15 5764, Vol. 56, No. 16
Much-needed funds restored
Agencies of federation receive full allocations
BETH OLSON
Staff Writer
The board of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix has voted to award its constituent agencies their full 2003-2004 allocations.
In June, the board approved a measure that paid the agencies 1/12 of 90 percent of the 2003-2004 allocations recommended by the Commission on Jewish Continuity and Community each month for six months, pending changes in the allocations process.
A volunteer work group - headed by Shelley Cohn and made up of members of the federation board and executive committee, plus representatives of the agencies - was given the task of revamping the allocations process in an effort to increase agency accountability for the funds.
However, in December, the federation board decided to distribute the funds according to the original recommendations of the commission, including a full payment in January of funds held back during the previous six months. The work group will continue to meet and plans to have a recommendation for the revamping of the process in time for the 2004-2005 allocations.
"We are making significant progress toward designing a new way of allocating dollars in the system," explained Adam Schwartz, executive vice president of the federation. "The community would be best served by allowing us to continue to de-velop that new way of allocating dollars and not tie up (funds) ... in the reallo-cation of a limited number of dollars from last year."
There are 11 constituent agencies of the federation: Bureau of Jewish Education, Council for Jews With Special Needs, Hillel Jewish Student Center, Jewish Family & Children's Service, Tri-City Jewish Community Center, Greater Phoenix Vaad Hakashruth, Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center, Kivel Campus of Care, The King David School, Pardes Jewish Day School and Phoenix Hebrew Academy.
The agencies reported being hurt not only by the money that was held out of their allocations, but also by cuts in the allocations overall caused by a budget shortfall of more than $200,000 in federation's 2002 Annual Campaign.
Agency spokesmen said they had budgeted for the initial allocation cuts but were not informed of the additional holdback until after they had completed their 2003-2004 budgets.
Rabbi Barton Lee, executive director of Hillel, said that the cuts in allocations have caused Hillel to reduce its staff by two, eliminate a High Holiday dinner and limit the number of guest speakers, among other reductions. However, receiving the full allocation will prevent Hillel from having to make more cuts.
"It is going to help us avoid catastrophe. The cuts remain, but receiving the holdback money will help protect us against further slashes this semester," he said. "We were looking at having to make other cuts and I'm hoping that this will stabilize things."
Ilene Blau, executive director of the Tri-City JCC, said she's relieved that the money is being returned.
"It has affected our operating funds these last many months ... because we budgeted based on receiving the full amount, and this will certainly take some pressure off of our cash flow and our ability to provide the quality services that we're used to providing for our community," she said.
Dick Geasland, interim CEO of JFCS, said his organization used other grant money to temporarily replace the money that was withheld from the allocation, but that if the money had not been returned by this month, cuts would have had to been made.
Mark Shore, president of the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center, said the hold back of the money, along with other factors, exacerbated the budget deficit of the Valley of the Sun Senior Center.
"Holding the money back really put a strain on the JCC, and I know it did on the other agencies," said Shore.
Despite the challenges, the agencies reported optimism about the revamping of the allocations process. For the first time, the agencies have re-presentatives who will be part of the decision-making process.
"The agencies have provided tremendous in-volvement, input (and) support, and it has been very exciting for me to watch how they have engaged in this process, balancing their own in-dividual agency needs over the needs of the com-munity as a whole," said Schwartz.
Lee said he's hopeful that the inclusion of the agencies in the allocations process will strengthen the com-munity.
"What encourages me is for the first time the agencies have a seat at the table, a voice at the table, while plans are being made and procedures are being crafted, and that represents a new approach to the idea of community building. We are all in this together."
Contact the writer at beth_olson@jewishaz.com.
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