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Mission and Values

The mission of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation is to contribute to the flourishing of the United States and Israel as just, inclusive, compassionate and democratic societies, and to improve the quality of life of all citizens in both countries.

Core Beliefs

We believe that:

Outstanding leadership is an indispensable aspect of great institutions.
Outstanding leaders are guided by profound and imaginative visions of the possible and equipped with cutting-edge knowledge and skills.
The capacity of leaders and all citizens to envision and build a better future can be greatly enhanced through engagement with the humanities.
Education is a critical vehicle through which we develop and train leaders who will change the world.

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Core Values

We believe that:

Our programs and institutions should reflect professional cultures of mutual respect, caring and moral integrity.
Pluralism should be expressed in our goals, programs and practices.
Our institutions should be places where people like to work and where effort is expended out of pride, a spirit of collegiality, and a serious commitment to the organization and its success.
Our programs and institutions should commit to the pursuit of excellence and always strive to “raise the bar.”

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Operating Principles

The Mandel Foundation is primarily an operating foundation. We prefer to pursue our philanthropic purposes through our own institutions and programs.
We conduct regular, rigorous evaluations of our programs and make changes necessary for continuous improvement.
Our programs are open to all who support our basic values, including people of various faiths, political outlooks, and backgrounds.
We operate through long-term investments in particular fields where we have the experience, knowledge, and capacity to make a difference (see below, “Areas of Engagement”).
We occasionally initiate grants to select organizations in our areas of engagement. Our grants seek primarily to test new approaches and/or bring successful programs to scale.

Three women, fellows in the Mandel Youth Leadership Program, sitting at a table and studying together

Areas of Engagement

Leadership Development
Investing in leaders of educational, nonprofit and public sector institutions with the aim of deepening their impact on the larger society.
Management of Nonprofits
Fostering excellence in the management of nonprofit and public sector institutions.
Humanities
Promoting the humanities as the foundation of human aspiration and human experience.
Jewish Life
Helping successive generations discover the meaning and significance of Judaism and Jewish culture, and contributing to the vibrancy of Jewish communities.
Urban Engagement
Supporting neighborhood and community development as an expression of our commitment to just, inclusive, and democratic societies.

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Founders' Vision

The Board will strive to preserve the Areas of Engagement chosen by the Founders.
The Board and Foundation leadership will be guided by the basic values and principles outlined by the Founders in various videos, policy manuals, the Mission Statement and Morton L. Mandel’s book, “It’s All About Who.”
The Foundation should remain deeply committed to improving American society and Israeli society through grants and programs within our areas of engagement.
The Foundation should remain committed to a vision of Israel as a nation state of the Jewish people with equal rights for all of its citizens.
There will be on-going programs to help our Board members fully understand and implement our program guidelines and our grant-making guidelines.
Mandel family members will not serve on the board of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation. Separate philanthropic funds outside the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation have been established for second and third generation Mandel family members. These funds are meant to empower future generations of Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel to support programs and projects of their own choosing, within the broad guidelines established by each Founder.
Foundation headquarters will remain in Cleveland, Ohio, where the Mandel family’s historic roots are firmly established.

About the Mandel Foundation–Israel

The Mandel Foundation–Israel aims to advance Israel as a Jewish and democratic state that is inclusive, just and pluralistic, by training visionary leaders in the fields of education, society and culture in Israel.