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=The Natan Fund= Natan is a giving circle. Very simply, this means that members pool their charitable contributions and make grants to non-profits out of the combined pool of money.

=Mission & Vision= Natan inspires young philanthropists to engage actively in Jewish giving by funding innovative projects that shape the Jewish future. Natan believes that educated, engaged, and entrepreneurial philanthropy can transform both givers and nonprofit organizations. Through unique educational events and experiences, and through a rigorous,hands-on grantmaking process, Natan is creating an influential community of philanthropists dedicated to strengthening the Jewish world.

=History & Background= Giving circles are also a tremendously powerful tool for building community – for strengthening members’ personal, professional, and philanthropic networks. Through their consensus-based decision-making, they also model the importance of philanthropic partnership and collective impact, reinforcing the truism that no funder, no matter how large or influential, can solve social problems on his or her own.

In a Jewish context, giving circles provide an excellent access point to Jewish life and a way of exploring and strengthening members’ Jewish identities. They bring people together around the Jewish values of tzedakah (philanthropy) and tikkun olam (repairing the world), creating caring, generous communities of people who think deeply and act strategically about the challenges facing the Jewish world.

In the fall of 2002, a group of young professionals came together in New York City to imagine a new approach to Jewish philanthropy: a thoughtful, engaging experience of strategic philanthropy, where they could use both their minds and their money to support new ideas and transform the Jewish world and Israel. They wanted to give together, in a community of like-minded peers, brought together by their generosity and their commitment to Jewish philanthropy. They wanted control over where their money was going and transparency about how it was being used by those who received it. And they wanted to have real impact - to support new ideas with the potential to make systemic change.

=What Natan Supports= Natan supports entrepreneurial organizations that demonstrate an innovative approach to addressing the challenges facing Jews around the world. With the exception of Core Grantees (longtime Natan grantees that are past the startup stage), Natan will only support organizations with annual operating budgets of less than US$1.5 million. Natan has 8 different areas of funding; Board Discretionary Grants, Core Grants, Economic Development in Israel, Emerging Models of Jewish Connection, Jewish Peoplehood, Natan Book Award, Natan Grants for ROI Entrepreneurs, and Natan/NEXT Grants for Social Entrepreneurs.

=References= More Giving Together

The Impact of Giving Together

Giving Circles

The Importance of Philanthropy, by Lynn Schusterman

One Approach to Greater Impact: Giving Circles

Connected to Give, National Study of American Jewish Giving

Expanding the Boundaries of Philanthropy through Giving Circles

The Natan Fund Announces 2013 Grants

Natan Fund Names Winner of Inaugural Natan Book Award

Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers Natan Fund Profile

Philanthropic Network: 'A Giving Circle on Steroids'

The Natan Book Award

Bringing Their Money to the Table

Three Foundations Will Leave Huge Gap

Natan Fund Launches Book Award

UPDATE: Philanthropy Watch: Jewish Start-ups Continue to Grow

Natan Fund Launches New Media Grant Area with Experiment in Crowdsourcing

The Jewish Innovation Economy

Funding Innovation

Seeding the Ecosystem of the Jewish Future

The Lean Years, videos about how Jewish non-profits can weather economic downturn

=External Links=