The Nathan & Fannye Shafran Foundation concentrates its philanthropy on Jewish communal life and Jewish education, primarily supporting local Cleveland institutions but also funding Jewish day schools elsewhere. The foundation favors campaign and scholarship support, community security and philanthropic infrastructure (via the Jewish Federation), and occasional cultural giving to local civic institutions. Its grants are programmatic and capital in nature rather than broad general operating support.
The Nathan & Fannye Shafran Foundation’s largest recent grant went to the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, where $112,700 supported a campaign, philanthropic program support, the Shutafim Scholarship Program, a community security initiative, and Israel.Cleveland.Next. That single award captures the foundation’s core pattern: Jewish communal infrastructure, Jewish education, and community resilience, with a strong Cleveland orientation and a secondary stream of scholarship support for Jewish day schools. In 2023, the foundation also backed Park Synagogue with a $25,000 capital campaign grant and gave $8,500 to Leonard and Susan Fuchs Mizrachi School for scholarship support. Those grants fit a broader approach that mixes campaign funding, scholarship aid, and targeted program support rather than broad, unrestricted institutional funding. Smaller gifts also extended beyond Jewish institutions, including support for the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. The grant record shows a public charity with local giving habits and a steady emphasis on organizations that serve Jewish community life, education, and related civic needs. Recipients include Cleveland-based institutions as well as a Jewish school in Denver, showing that the foundation’s scholarship support can reach beyond Ohio while still centering Cleveland.
Jewish communal infrastructure is the clearest theme in the foundation’s recent grants. The largest award, $112,700 to the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, covered campaign support, philanthropic program support, the Shutafim Scholarship Program, a community security initiative, and Israel.Cleveland.Next. Capital support is another distinct lane. Park Synagogue received $25,000 for a capital campaign, showing that the foundation participates in facility and campaign fundraising when an institution is tied to Jewish communal life. Education appears through scholarship aid. Leonard and Susan Fuchs Mizrachi School received $8,500 for scholarship support, and Denver Academy of Torah also received $8,500 for scholarship support. The shared purpose across those grants suggests a consistent interest in helping students access Jewish day school education. The foundation also makes occasional small civic gifts, including $16,000 to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History for general support.
$158K
$4.2M
$36K
$192K
Most grants fall between $9K and $25K, with a median of $16K.
25th Percentile
$9K
Median
$16K
75th Percentile
$25K
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Concentrated giving with a small number of moderately sized grants: the majority of dollars flow to a single core grantee (Jewish Federation of Cleveland), supplemented by targeted capital and scholarship awards. Mix of large one-time campaign gifts and smaller, program-specific grants rather than many small dispersed awards.
Notable grantees: Jewish Federation of Cleveland, Park Synagogue, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Denver Academy of Torah, Leonard and Susan Fuchs Mizrachi School
Typical grant size centers on mid-sized awards: the 25th percentile is $8,500, the median is $16,000, and the 75th percentile is $25,000. The 2023 record is dominated by a single much larger grant of $112,700, with several smaller awards clustered around scholarship and campaign support. The pattern looks recurring rather than one-off: the foundation repeatedly supports Jewish communal institutions, scholarship programs, and capital efforts. It is a public charity, not a private family foundation, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. The grant descriptions point to program-specific, campaign, and scholarship support rather than open-ended operating grants.
Giving is highly concentrated in Ohio. The foundation’s top state by grant count is Ohio, and 80% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state. Cleveland is the main recipient city, with grants to the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and Leonard and Susan Fuchs Mizrachi School. Outside Ohio, the recent record includes Denver, Colorado, through Denver Academy of Torah. All recent grants in the dataset went to U.S. recipients.
The foundation focuses on Jewish communal infrastructure in Cleveland, capital campaign support, scholarship funding for Jewish day schools and yeshiva-style education, community security, and some local cultural support. The recent grant record includes campaign support, scholarship support, and a community security initiative.
The grant-size distribution centers on modest-to-mid-sized awards. The 25th percentile is $8,500, the median is $16,000, and the 75th percentile is $25,000.
Ohio is the top state by grant count, and 80% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state. Cleveland is the most visible recipient city in the recent grant list.
Yes. Recent grants include scholarship support for Leonard and Susan Fuchs Mizrachi School in Cleveland and Denver Academy of Torah in Denver, both at $8,500. The largest grant also included the Shutafim Scholarship Program within a broader award to the Jewish Federation of Cleveland.
Its recent grants include campaign support, capital campaign support, scholarship support, general support, and program support tied to community security and philanthropic infrastructure. The pattern is programmatic and capital in nature rather than broad general operating support.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEWISH FEDERATION OF CLEVELAND | CLEVELAND, OH | $125,420 | 2026 | COMMUNITY SECURITY INITATIVE, HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS INITIATIVE,2024 CAMPAIGN,NATHAN & FANNYE SHAFRAN PHILANTHROPIC FUND, SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM |
| CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY | CLEVELAND, OH | $15,000 | 2026 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| LEONARD AND SUSAN FUCHS MIZRACHI SCHOOL | CLEVELAND, OH | $8,750 | 2026 | SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT |
| DENVER ACADEMY OF TORAH | DENVER, CO | $8,750 | 2026 | SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT |
| JEWISH FEDERATION OF CLEVELAND | CLEVELAND, OH | $180,445 | 2025 | CLEVELAND STANDS WITH ISRAEL, COMMUNITY SECURITY INITATIVE, HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS INITIATIVE, ISRAEL.CLEVELAND.NEXT, PHILANTHROPIC FUND, OVERSEAS CONNECTIONS DEPT./SHUTAFIM SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM, 2023 CAMPAIGN |
| CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY | CLEVELAND, OH | $17,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT FISCAL YEAR 2023 |
| DENVER ACADEMY OF TORAH | DENVER, CO | $8,750 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT |
| LEONARD AND SUSAN FUCHS MIZRACHI SCHOOL | CLEVELAND, OH | $8,750 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT |
| JEWISH FEDERATION OF CLEVELAND | CLEVELAND, OH | $112,700 | 2023 | CAMPAIGN; PHILANTHROPIC PROGRAM SUPPORT, SHUTAFIM SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM, COMMUNITY SECURITY INITIATIVE, ISRAEL.CLEVELAND.NEXT |
| PARK SYNAGOGUE | PEPPER PIKE, OH | $25,000 | 2023 | CAPITAL CAMPAIGN |
| CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY | CLEVELAND, OH | $16,000 | 2023 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| LEONARD AND SUSAN FUCHS MIZRACHI SCHOOL | CLEVELAND, OH | $8,500 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT |
| DENVER ACADEMY OF TORAH | DENVER, CO | $8,500 | 2023 | SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT |
JEWISH FEDERATION OF CLEVELAND
$125,420COMMUNITY SECURITY INITATIVE, HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS INITIATIVE,2024 CAMPAIGN,NATHAN & FANNYE SHAFRAN PHILANTHROPIC FUND, SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
$15,000GENERAL SUPPORT
JEWISH FEDERATION OF CLEVELAND
$180,445CLEVELAND STANDS WITH ISRAEL, COMMUNITY SECURITY INITATIVE, HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS INITIATIVE, ISRAEL.CLEVELAND.NEXT, PHILANTHROPIC FUND, OVERSEAS CONNECTIONS DEPT./SHUTAFIM SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM, 2023 CAMPAIGN
CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
$17,000GENERAL SUPPORT FISCAL YEAR 2023
JEWISH FEDERATION OF CLEVELAND
$112,700CAMPAIGN; PHILANTHROPIC PROGRAM SUPPORT, SHUTAFIM SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM, COMMUNITY SECURITY INITIATIVE, ISRAEL.CLEVELAND.NEXT
PARK SYNAGOGUE
$25,000CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
$16,000GENERAL SUPPORT