Jack Joseph And Morton Mandel Supporting Foundation

Quick Stats

Annual Giving: Varies significantly (major transformational grants in millions)
Grant Range: $5,000 - $50,000,000+
Geographic Focus: Primarily Cleveland, Ohio and Northeast Ohio
Application Method: Invitation only / No public application process
Foundation Type: Supporting foundation of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland

Contact Details

Address: 1000 Lakeside Avenue East, Cleveland, OH 44114
Phone: (216) 875-6523
Website: www.mandelfoundation.org
EIN: 34-1350566

Overview

The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Supporting Foundation is a supporting foundation of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, established in 1988 by the families of brothers Jack N. Mandel (1911-2011), Joseph C. Mandel (1913-2016), and Morton L. Mandel (1921-2019). The foundation is organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational, and religious purposes by conducting or supporting activities for the benefit of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland and to meet identified needs of the Jewish and general communities. The three Mandel brothers built Premier Automotive from a $900 investment in 1939 into one of the world's leading industrial parts distributors and donated approximately $1 billion for charitable and cultural causes during their lifetimes. The foundation focuses on five strategic areas: leadership development, management of nonprofits, humanities, Jewish life, and urban engagement, with a particular emphasis on transformational, large-scale investments in Cleveland-area institutions.

Funding Priorities

Priority Areas

Leadership Development: Investing in educational, nonprofit, and public sector leaders. The foundation operates eight leadership development programs and believes that "it's not a crazy idea to think you can change the world by changing the leaders."

Management of Nonprofits: Fostering excellence in nonprofit operations and organizational capacity building.

Humanities: Promoting humanities as foundational to human experience, including support for cultural institutions and historical societies.

Jewish Life: Supporting Jewish communities, Jewish education, and cultural discovery. Recent major focus on Jewish day school transformation.

Urban Engagement: Neighborhood and community development initiatives, particularly in Cleveland, including digital equity, lakefront development, and community services.

Recent Major Grants

$90 million to Jewish Federation of Cleveland for Jewish Day School Transformation Initiative (2025)
$50 million to The Cleveland Orchestra (2021)
$30 million to Cleveland Clinic for Leadership and Innovation (2022)
$24 million for Cleveland's Lakefront Parks development (2023)
$18 million to DigitalC for broadband connectivity infrastructure (2021)
$10 million to United Way of Greater Cleveland (2022)
$5 million to Case Western Reserve University Mandel School for scholarships and workforce development
$4 million to Cleveland Public Theatre's capital campaign (2025)
$3 million to Western Reserve Historical Society (2021)

Grant Range

Grants generally range from a few thousand dollars to $500,000 for standard programs, with many grants in the $5,000 to $10,000 range. However, the foundation is known for transformational grants in the millions to tens of millions of dollars for strategic, high-impact initiatives.

Governance and Leadership

Board of Trustees

Stephen H. Hoffman - Chairman of the Board (elected October 2019). Former President of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, he became the Foundation's first non-family Board Chair following Morton Mandel's passing.

Dr. Jehuda Reinharz - President and Chief Executive Officer (appointed 2011, CEO title added 2019). President Emeritus of Brandeis University.

Amira Ahronoviz - Trustee (joined March 2025). Former CEO and Director General of The Jewish Agency for Israel.

Scott S. Cowen - Trustee. President Emeritus, Tulane University.

Additional trustees include community and business leaders committed to the foundation's mission.

Foundation Philosophy

The foundation's approach reflects the Mandel brothers' core belief: "The hallmark of our philanthropy is our commitment to invest in people with the values, ability and passion to change the world."

Morton Mandel stated: "I'm convinced that it's not a crazy idea to think you can change the world by changing the leaders. The fact is: You can. The great ones stand out. And those who stand out are the ones who change the world."

Jack Mandel said: "I will not die unhappy because as a result of my having been here some people are better off."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a public application process. The foundation operates primarily through invitation-only grant-making and strategic partnerships identified by the board and leadership.

As a supporting foundation of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, grants are made to conduct or support activities for the benefit of the Federation and to meet identified needs of the Jewish and general communities. While some sources indicate the foundation accepts unsolicited proposals, there are no published application forms, deadlines, or detailed submission procedures available.

Organizations interested in funding should contact the foundation via telephone at (216) 875-6523 or at the mailing address to inquire about potential funding opportunities.

Decision Timeline

Not publicly available. Given the foundation's invitation-only approach and the scale of many grants (transformational, multi-million dollar commitments), decision timelines likely vary significantly by project and involve extensive due diligence and board deliberation.

Success Rates

Success rate data is not publicly available due to the invitation-only nature of the grant-making process.

Application Success Factors

Given the foundation's invitation-only approach, the following factors appear critical based on funded projects:

Transformational Impact: The foundation prioritizes grants that create lasting, systemic change rather than incremental improvements. Recent grants demonstrate a preference for multi-million dollar investments that fundamentally transform organizations or communities.

Leadership Focus: Alignment with the foundation's core belief in developing and supporting exceptional leaders. Dr. Tom Mihaljevic of Cleveland Clinic, recipient of a $50,000 Mandel Accelerator Grant, noted: "The Mandel Accelerator Grant has truly accelerated the adoption and evaluation of AI to reduce caregiver burden." The foundation values leaders who can multiply impact through innovation.

Cleveland/Northeast Ohio Connection: Strong geographic preference for organizations serving the Cleveland area and Northeast Ohio. Nearly all major grants benefit local institutions.

Catalytic Potential: The DigitalC grant demonstrated this principle—the $18 million Mandel Foundation investment catalyzed an additional $10 million from BroadbandOhio and $20 million from the city of Cleveland, tripling the impact.

Alignment with Five Strategic Areas: Projects must clearly align with leadership development, nonprofit management, humanities, Jewish life, or urban engagement.

Sustainability and Endowment Building: The United Way grant established an endowed fund specifically designed for long-term sustainability, which was then matched by other donors to double the impact.

Organizational Excellence: The foundation supports well-managed, high-performing institutions with proven track records and capacity to execute at scale.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

This is an invitation-only funder - there is no public application process to pursue. Organizations cannot submit unsolicited applications in the traditional sense.
Focus on relationship-building with the Jewish Federation of Cleveland and other Cleveland-area networks, as the foundation operates as a supporting foundation of the Federation.
Think transformationally, not incrementally - the foundation makes both small grants ($5,000-$10,000) and massive transformational investments ($10-90 million), but even smaller grants should demonstrate potential for significant impact.
Leadership matters most - the foundation's core philosophy centers on "investing in people with the values, ability and passion to change the world." Demonstrate exceptional leadership capacity.
Cleveland focus - virtually all major grants benefit Cleveland and Northeast Ohio organizations and communities.
Be prepared to leverage funding - the foundation values grants that catalyze additional investment from other sources.
Align with strategic priorities - ensure your work clearly connects to leadership development, nonprofit management, humanities, Jewish life, or urban engagement.

References

Research completed December 17, 2025