The Josephine Cohen Charitable Foundation concentrates its giving on Jewish and Israel-oriented causes, supporting humanitarian emergency response, medical and therapeutic services, and Jewish communal welfare. Grants show a mix of international institutional partners (large gifts to Israel-focused organizations and university research) and local Jewish social service providers in Philadelphia. The foundation favors specific program support (emergency response, pharmacy stipends, therapeutic centers) and higher-dollar gifts rather than many small donations.
A $50,000 grant to the Jewish Agency for Israel in 2024 stands out as the largest recent award from Josephine Cohen Charitable Foundation c/o Bruce A Rosenfield. That gift sits alongside support for emergency medical response, therapeutic services, research, and Jewish communal welfare, showing a pattern of targeted giving rather than broad-based philanthropy. Recent grants also include $25,127 through PEF Israel Endowment Funds Inc for Jerusalem Hills Therapeutic Centers and $25,000 to American Friends of Magen David Adom, indicating a strong preference for named institutions working in health, crisis response, and Israel-oriented services. The foundation’s giving profile combines direct service support with capacity-building and research funding. Smaller awards appear as program-specific support for pharmacy stipends, emergency response, and blood center equipment, which suggests attention to both immediate needs and the systems that deliver care. Across the recent grant list, the foundation favors discrete grants to established intermediaries and service organizations rather than a wide spread of small unrestricted gifts.
In humanitarian and emergency response, the foundation gave $25,000 to American Friends of Magen David Adom for general support and $12,500 to the same organization for blood center equipment. That pairing points to interest in both frontline response and the infrastructure behind transfusion services. In therapeutic and rehabilitative services, it awarded $25,127 through PEF Israel Endowment Funds Inc for Jerusalem Hills Therapeutic Centers, aligning with care for clients and patients in a Jerusalem-area setting. The foundation also supported academic medical research with a $20,000 grant to Tel Aviv University American Friends for Professor Sigal Portney research. Local Jewish social welfare appears in a $20,000 gift to Female Hebrew Benevolent Society for its pharmacy stipend program and emergency response program, linking workforce support with community assistance.
Typical awards cluster tightly around the $20,000 to $25,000 range, with a p25 of $20,000, a median of $20,000, and a p75 of $25,064. The recent record shows several repeat grantees across different years, including PEF Israel Endowment Funds Inc and American Friends of Magen David Adom, which suggests ongoing relationships rather than one-time gifts. The foundation is not a DAF or program-related-investment vehicle; it gives directly through a charitable foundation structure. It also funds individuals, which fits the presence of stipend and research support in the grant list.
$0
$7K
$432
$7K
Most grants fall between $20K and $25K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$20K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$25K
About 14% of grants go to recipients in NY.
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Concentrated, high-dollar grants to a small set of Israel-focused and Jewish communal organizations; several repeat grantees indicate preference for established institutional partners rather than many small or grassroots grants.
Notable grantees: Jewish Agency for Israel, PEF Israel Endowment Funds (Jerusalem Hills therapeutic centers), American Friends of Magen David Adom (AFMDA), Female Hebrew Benevolent Society (Philadelphia), Tel Aviv University American Friends
Grant recipients are concentrated in New York-based intermediaries, while Pennsylvania receives a smaller share through a Philadelphia grantee. The top state by grant count is New York, and 14% of grants went to recipients in Pennsylvania. In the recent list, New York, NY appears repeatedly for Jewish Agency for Israel, PEF Israel Endowment Funds Inc, American Friends of Magen David Adom, and Tel Aviv University American Friends. Philadelphia, PA appears with Female Hebrew Benevolent Society. All recent grants in the dataset went to U.S. recipients.
Its recent grants focus on Jewish and Israel-oriented causes, especially humanitarian emergency response, therapeutic and rehabilitative services, academic medical research, and Jewish communal welfare. Named grantees include the Jewish Agency for Israel, American Friends of Magen David Adom, Jerusalem Hills Therapeutic Centers, Tel Aviv University American Friends, and Female Hebrew Benevolent Society.
The grant-size distribution is tightly grouped: p25 is $20,000, median is $20,000, and p75 is $25,064. Recent awards include amounts at $20,000, $25,000, $25,127, and $50,000.
Yes. PEF Israel Endowment Funds Inc appears in multiple years, with grants of $25,127 in 2023 and $20,000 in 2023, and American Friends of Magen David Adom appears with $25,000 in 2024 and $12,500 in 2023. That pattern indicates recurring relationships.
New York is the top state by grant count. Pennsylvania received 14% of grants, with Philadelphia, PA represented by Female Hebrew Benevolent Society. The recent grant list is otherwise centered on New York, NY recipients.
Yes. The foundation’s profile indicates it funds individuals, and the recent grant list includes support tied to Professor Sigal Portney research as well as a pharmacy stipend program.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GRATZ COLLEGE | MELROSE PARK, PA | $350,000 | 2025 | PROPOSAL A TO ACQUIRE NAMING RIGHTS |
| AMERICAN FRIENDS OF MAGEN DAVID ADOM (AFMDA) | New York, NY | $65,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| JEWISH AGENCY FOR ISRAEL | New York, NY | $65,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| FEMALE HEBREW BENEVOLENT SOCIETY | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $50,000 | 2025 | PHARMACY STIPEND PROGRAM & EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROGRAM |
| EINSTEIN HEALTHCARE NETWORK | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $20,000 | 2025 | WOMEN IN NEED |
| JEWISH AGENCY FOR ISRAEL | New York, NY | $50,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| AMERICAN FRIENDS OF MAGEN DAVID ADOM (AFMDA) | New York, NY | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL |
| PEF ISRAEL ENDOWMENT FUNDS INC | NEW YORK, NY | $25,127 | 2023 | JERUSALEM HILLS THERAPEUTIC CENTERS |
| TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY AMERICAN FRIENDS | NEW YORK, NY | $20,000 | 2023 | PROFESSOR SIGAL PORTNEY RESEARCH |
| FEMALE HEBREW BENEVOLENT SOCIETY | PHILADELPHIA, PA | $20,000 | 2023 | PHARMACY STIPEND PROGRAM AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROGRAM |
| PEF ISRAEL ENDOWMENT FUNDS INC | NEW YORK, NY | $20,000 | 2023 | MAHAPACH |
| AMERICAN FRIENDS OF MAGEN DAVID ADOM (AFMDA) | NEW YORK, NY | $12,500 | 2023 | BLODD CENTER EQUIPMENT |
JEWISH AGENCY FOR ISRAEL
$65,000GENERAL
FEMALE HEBREW BENEVOLENT SOCIETY
$50,000PHARMACY STIPEND PROGRAM & EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROGRAM
EINSTEIN HEALTHCARE NETWORK
$20,000WOMEN IN NEED
JEWISH AGENCY FOR ISRAEL
$50,000GENERAL
TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY AMERICAN FRIENDS
$20,000PROFESSOR SIGAL PORTNEY RESEARCH
FEMALE HEBREW BENEVOLENT SOCIETY
$20,000PHARMACY STIPEND PROGRAM AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROGRAM