Partner Spotlight: Rose Community Foundation
Partnerships play a significant role in the work that we do and the success of the organization. Whether it be through grants; donations of funds, food, and supplies; or volunteering their time—partners make a lasting impact.
Rose Community Foundation has supported JFS for many years, expanding their initial funding of programs for older adults to all areas of the organization. They have not only supported client-based programs, but also awarded a capacity-building grant to improve client database software, IT security, the staffing necessary to comply with HIPAA, and to purchase a refrigerated Weinberg Food Pantry delivery truck to increase access to fresh, high-quality food for low-income individuals.
This type of support strengthens our operations and enables us to better serve our clients. When the pandemic started, Rose Community Foundation awarded JFS with a COVID-19 Rapid Response grant to address increased demand for services related to the food pantry, meal delivery, mental health services, and emergency financial assistance.
In addition to grant funding, they work to strengthen the Greater Denver/Boulder Jewish communities by encouraging endowment building and legacy giving thorough Live On: Build Your Jewish Legacy, an initiative of Rose Community Foundation, and LIFE & LEGACY, a partnership program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.
“Rose Community Foundation recognizes that the COVID-19 pandemic has placed enormous burdens on local Jewish nonprofits and those they serve,” says Vanessa Bernier, Program Officer for Jewish Life. “Jewish Family Service quickly and effectively pivoted its programs and services to provide adapted, online, and virtual services, enabling them to serve a growing number of people who desperately need them. As JFS saw an increased demand for nearly every service it provided in 2020, we were committed to helping sustain the essential services JFS provides—both as a means to directly support Jewish neighbors in need and to buoy the Jewish community’s response to our community at large.”