Idana Goldberg
The number 40 carries profound weight in Jewish tradition. Forty days Moses spent on Mount Sinai, wrestling with divine law before descending with tablets in hand. Forty years the Israelites circled the wilderness, not lost but preparing, not aimless but purposeful. These weren't arbitrary spans but deliberate seasons of readying for what comes next.
As The Russell Berrie Foundation marks its 40th anniversary this year, I find myself reflecting on our own journey, which, like those ancient sojourns, has been a time of learning, growing, and preparing. Because we know precisely when our journey ends — in 2033, when the Foundation will sunset operations and close our doors by design. And what I've learned in my years leading this foundation is that the most important question isn't how to end well, but how to ensure what you've built continues long after you're gone.
The Education of a Foundation
When Russell Berrie created our foundation in 1985, he understood something that can take others many decades to grasp: effective giving isn’t just about writing checks. It’s about the patience to nurture ideas, the vision to see potential where others see problems, and the courage to take big bets on transformational change.
Consider our grant 20 years ago to establish the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute at the Technion. Nanotechnology was still largely theoretical then, more scientific speculation than practical application. Yet we saw an uncharted opportunity: the intersection of Israeli innovation, world-class research infrastructure, and emerging technology that could reshape entire industries. That single investment didn't just create a research institute — it helped position Israel at the forefront of a technological revolution that continues to unfold today.
SPHERE’s mobile unit enables diabetes patients in northern Israel to get checkups close to home.
Grants like these involve institutional transformation: investments that don't just support existing projects or incremental advancements but fundamentally change how institutions operate and influence their fields. The Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center at Columbia University works the same way, combining cutting-edge research with holistic patient care in ways that have set new standards for comprehensive diabetes treatment. Likewise, our investment in Bar-Ilan University’s Azrieli Faculty of Medicine to establish the Russell Berrie Galilee Diabetes SPHERE is pioneering new municipal-based models of community health and diabetes prevention to address health equity gaps in Israel’s geographic periphery.
The Art of Strategic Risk-Taking
Our 40-year evolution has taught us that meaningful philanthropy often requires bold, sometimes counterintuitive thinking. This means becoming the "first money in" — ready to pilot promising new ideas when their potential for success or scaling isn't yet clear. Experience has shown us the power of being the big fish in a small pond, investing where our resources and expertise can make a uniquely significant difference rather than spreading ourselves thin across many worthy causes.
“It’s about the patience to nurture ideas, the vision to see potential where others see problems, and the courage to take big bets on transformational change.”
Take our approach in Israel, where we’ve learned to be what we call "Nahshon" funders, named after the Biblical figure who leaped into the Red Sea before it parted. When others hesitate, we jump in first. This enabled us to seed breakthrough initiatives like Mawared, a project of the JDC, which was among the first initiatives to train Arab-Israeli municipal officials to access government funding more effectively. In our efforts to integrate the Haredi community, the Foundation has launched numerous pilot initiatives such as JBH, which combines Torah study with skills training in software development, Start-Up Nation Central’s bootcamps for Haredi women in hi-tech, and an initiative that invests in Haredi state schools that teach core subjects such as math and English. None of these were safe bets when we began, but being open to taking strategic risks created models that other funders have helped to spread and scale and that the government of Israel has invested in directly.
Spotting and investing in talent
Making a Difference Award honoree Pino Rodriguez led neighbors in reclaiming their streets from violence, block by block.
Russ understood that investing in the right leaders drives innovation and success. That same philosophy shaped his philanthropy and remains a core tenet of our work. When Rabbi Jack Bemporad approached us with a groundbreaking vision — establishing a center of interfaith dialogue at a Vatican pontifical university — we recognized his exceptional leadership as a driver of lasting impact. For 15 years, the John Paul II Center for Interreligious Dialogue educated more than 140 fellows worldwide, creating a network of religious leaders equipped to bridge divides. This commitment to spotting and rewarding talent extends to our Making a Difference Award, which for nearly 30 years has identified and supported 440 changemakers across New Jersey — ordinary people taking extraordinary action to solve problems in their communities. From environmental advocates to youth mentors, these unsung heroes demonstrate that meaningful change often begins with one person's courage to act.
Connecting the Dots
We’ve learned that achieving significant change requires connecting the dots — investing in programs and approaches that interweave to form a broader ecosystem. For example, guided by research on what drives Jewish engagement, we’re strengthening rabbis’ leadership capacity, developing the next generation of lay leaders through immersive Jewish education, creating a Teen Engagement Center designed by and for young people, and funding microgrants that let individuals design their own pathways to Jewish connection. Each investment stands alone, but together they're reshaping Jewish life throughout Northern New Jersey.
Preparing for Sunrise: The Vision Ahead
As we enter our final eight years, everything we've learned is coming into focus. We're not winding down...we're gearing up for what we call our "sunrise” strategy. The goal isn’t closure but creating sunrises for the organizations and causes that we care about, ensuring that our impact continues long after our foundation closes.
“We’re not winding down...we’re gearing up for what we call our “sunrise” strategy. The goal isn’t closure but creating sunrises for the organizations and causes that we care about, ensuring that our impact continues long after our foundation closes.”
There's profound wisdom in planned endings. They force clarity about what truly matters. When you know you have limited time, every decision becomes more intentional. Every grant gets filtered through a single question: Will this create lasting change?
Over the coming years, we'll be documenting and sharing our lessons more systematically — not just for others in the field who might learn from our experience, but to ensure our partners understand and leverage the full scope and impact of what we've built together. The approaches we've sketched here represent just the beginning of that knowledge-sharing process.
The Promise of the Promised Land
Sometimes I think about Moses descending from Mount Sinai after 40 days of preparation. What he carried down wasn't just stone tablets but a vision of what his people could become. The 40 days weren't time lost, but time invested in understanding the magnitude of transformation ahead. Similarly, I wonder what those Israelites in the wilderness saw when they finally reached the promised land. Was it what they expected after four decades of preparation? Probably not entirely. But they were ready for whatever they found because the journey itself had transformed them.
As we look toward 2033, we carry forward our lessons: the importance of strategic risk-taking, the power of being catalytic on top of being supportive, and the art of spotting exceptional talent. We've learned that the most meaningful giving requires patience, courage, and a willingness to invest in visions that others may not yet see.
The sun will set on The Russell Berrie Foundation in 2033. But if we do our work well in these remaining eight years, it will continue to rise on countless organizations, communities, and causes that are stronger, more sustainable, and better equipped to create the change our world desperately needs.
That's not an ending. That's a sunrise worthy of more than 40 years of preparation.