When my parents started the David and Janet Polak Foundation, they made official a longstanding commitment to giving back and strengthening the community. Philanthropy has always been essential to our family’s core values—a recognition of our obligation to share good fortune with others and to increase access to opportunity today and for decades to come.
In doing so, we took a hard look at the philanthropic landscape to determine what fresh perspective we might bring. Staying true to our roots in finance, we focused on strategic funding that could yield exponential benefits for people everywhere. The idea was simple: advancing key objectives by underwriting specific projects and putting a premium on results.
Since our founding in 2012 those projects have crossed boundaries and set new standards for measuring meaningful—and lasting—change. Our charitable endeavors have helped guard the security of the State of Israel, bolstered opposition to the deeply partisan boycott, divest, and sanctions (BDS) movement, and broadened the horizon of scientific and medical discovery. Whether we are supporting cutting-edge research at Technion- Israel Institute of Technology, honoring seniors through the Los Angeles Jewish Home or accelerating the development of new treatments and cures in collaboration with Cedars-Sinai, we are utilizing resources to move the needle and achieve impact over the long term.
If strategic investment is the means by which we seek to make a difference, our Jewish heritage is the motivation. Ours is an incredibly rich tradition of pursuing justice and repairing the world- enabling people to self-advocate and empowering them to succeed. This tradition has been passed down in our family as a call to action, and we are dedicated to doing the work that will help all of us live healthier, fuller, richer lives.
In this country and beyond its borders, systemic social and political issues present a challenge to widespread prosperity. At the David and Janet Polak Foundation, we are eager to reshape this narrative. By harnessing creativity, vibrancy and dynamic energy across the private and non-profit sectors, we can accomplish our goal: helping people maximize their potential and thrive.
Jeff Polak
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