OUR MISSION

The Shapira Foundation invests energy and financial capital in ideas, organizations, programs and people that demonstrate strong returns on social impact. The Foundation is passionate about building an enduring commitment to Jewish life, Jewish learning and Israel for large numbers of young Jews.

The Foundation also applies the same investment principals to social benefit projects outside of the Jewish non-profit sector, and continues the legacy of the Shapira family which has for generations expressed Jewish values as stewards and champions for the Pittsburgh’s Jewish and general community.

OUR APPROACH

We maintain a small portfolio of signature projects characterized by:

Great people guiding and doing the work.
Ambition for scaled impact.
Clear organizational and project goals that align with our own.
Measurement system for tracking success against goals.
Defined by assertive risk-taking and innovation.
Culture of continual learning and improvement.
Our intellectual contribution is relevant and valued.

SIGNATURE PROJECTS AND PARTNERS

ONWARD ISRAEL

Onward Israel gives college-age Jews the springboard to live vibrant Jewish lives and to succeed professionally through a two month professional internship and living experience in Israel. Having enabled more than 12,000 young people to start-up their future since 2012, Onward Israel is one of the fastest-growing and impactful programs in the Jewish world.

SPRINGBOARD FELLOWSHIP

The Springboard Fellowship is a prestigious, paid, two-year fellowship that brings together the best, brightest and most diverse Jewish talent through a transformative early career experience in the Hillel movement.

JEWISH LEARNING COLLABORATIVE

The Jewish Learning Collaborative brings accessible, scalable, customized 1:1 Jewish learning to professional and board leadership of Jewish organizations in North America.

FOOD RESCUE HERO

Focusing on the logistical challenges of retail food recovery, Food Rescue Hero addresses both problems through technology-coordinated, community-powered networks. Through the app, volunteer drivers are alerted when surplus food is available to be picked up near them. Since its launch in 2016, the app has redirected more than 73 million pounds of perfectly good food from landfills to the people who need it.

HILLEL INTERNATIONAL

Hillel is the largest Jewish campus organization in the world, connecting with students at more than 550 colleges and universities across North America and around the world. Hillel enriches the lives of Jewish students so that they may enrich the Jewish people and the world.

PARDES

The Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies is an open, inclusive, diverse and intellectually challenging Jewish learning community based in Jerusalem with programs worldwide. Pardes cultivates a life-long love of Jewish learning, the Jewish people and Israel. Pardes inspires engagement in Jewish life — as communal and spiritual leaders, educators and active participants.

COLLABORATORY AGAINST HATE

An applied research center bringing together the collective expertise of leading experts from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh - including computer science, data science, social sciences, psychology, psychiatry and the law - to develop effective interventions to inhibit every stage in the creation and growth of extremist hate groups and to minimize their destructive consequences.

POWERED BY ONETABLE

Using OneTable’s successful peer to peer engagement model and customized technology, Powered By OneTable empowers other organizations to exponentially expand their reach in a sustainable way. Powered By OneTable turns gatherings into growth.

ERADICATE HATE GLOBAL SUMMIT

The most comprehensive anti-hate conference in the world, The Eradicate Hate Global Summit unites experts and leaders from around the globe, who are dedicated to eradicating all forms of hate-fueled violence. The mission of the Summit is to identify and implement effective solutions for collective change.