As COVID-19 and all of the systemic challenges being highlighted unfold, philanthropy has a critical role to play by being “fast, nimble and catalytic,” Ruth Salzman, RBF’s Chief Executive Officer, says in an interview with The Philanthropic Initiative. The interview, which kicked off TPI’s “Adaptable Funders” blog series, came as RBF’s COVID-19 emergency relief grants topped $5 million. “If philanthropy can help get the right people around the table, help them generate solutions and then catalyze action by funding innovative ideas as R&D, we will have made a significant contribution,” Salzman tells TPI. “And we are the sector that can ensure that inclusion, diversity, and equity are consistently incorporated.”

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The Russell Berrie Foundation was recently featured in Inside Philanthropy, in an article titled “How a Private Foundation Backed Trusted Partners When Crisis Struck its Home Region.” The piece describes how RBF responded to the pandemic by issuing $4.48 million in emergency grants, to support organizations in the U.S. and Israel that were providing COVID-19 relief efforts. “The funder’s approach is an illustrative case study of a relatively modest private foundation responding to a global crisis—by moving new funds, but also relying on longstanding relationships and knowledge about its existing areas of giving,” the article notes.

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In two Bergen County cities with high rates of diabetes, fresh produce is now delivered regularly to those in need—an illustration of how The Russell Berrie Foundation and our partners have pivoted quickly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to address newly urgent priorities, writes CEO Ruth Salzman. “To make lasting change, we must build the close relationships that enable us to adjust our responses when the landscape abruptly shifts,” Salzman writes. “If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it’s that change is the only constant.”

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“As Americans, we share the profound sorrow and shame at the death of George Floyd and many others before him,” writes Angelica Berrie. “‘I can’t breathe’ are words that call out to all of us, a powerful reminder of the moral responsibility to address the injustice of inequality in our country. As philanthropists, the deep pain of our fellow human beings forces us to re-examine our work, to ask ourselves if we have failed to see the extent of their suffering and if we can do more to allow our communities of color to breathe freely.”

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“Blood Sugar Rising,” a documentary that puts a human face on the country’s diabetes epidemic, premiered on PBS in April. RBF was proud to support the making of this film, alongside our other investments in diabetes treatment and prevention. Diabetes and pre-diabetes affect over 100 million people in the U.S., costing more than $325 billion yearly. The issue is more urgent now than ever, as those with diabetes are at risk for severe forms of COVID-19 and face additional challenges managing their disease in the current environment.

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The Russell Berrie Foundation is pleased to announce that Joseph “Yossi” Bachar, whose distinguished career in business, public service and academia includes nine years as chairman of Israel Discount Bank and three years as director general of its Finance Ministry, has been elected to the Board of Trustees. The first Israeli to join the board, “Yossi’s experience and extensive network in Israel are important assets that will enrich the work of The Russell Berrie Foundation," said Angelica Berrie, President of the Board of Trustees. “It is a pleasure to welcome him to the board.”

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