The Foundation Hires Offi Zisser As On-The-Ground Resource to Bolster Grantmaking in Israel

Career Philanthropy Professional Complements Institution’s Grantmaking Team, Positions It To Extend In-Country Impact

The Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles (The Foundation) today announced that it has retained philanthropic expert Offi Zisser as a consultant on its grantmaking in Israel. Based in Caesarea, she brings on-the-ground perspective to The Foundation’s extensive giving in Israel, as well as counsel on strategy, grantmaking, and oversight.

Israel Grants and donor-advised giving are a cornerstone of The Foundation’s grantmaking. In the past decade, The Foundation and its donors have distributed over $180 million to more than 500 organizations in Israel. This includes $10 million in Foundation institutional grants focused on economic development and Jewish engagement.

Zisser’s local presence enables The Foundation to foster deeper ties with organizations in Israel, helping to maximize its in-country impact. Additionally, Zisser serves as a resource for donors to better inform their giving in Israel.

Zisser brings more than two decades of experience working in philanthropy with dozens of funders, foundations, and corporations. She began at the Joseph Drown Foundation in Los Angeles, and continued in various senior roles in Israel’s philanthropic landscape, including heading the advisory services division at Jewish Funders Network Israel and managing Azrieli Foundation Israel.

Naomi Strongin, vice president of The Foundation’s Center for Designed Philanthropy, stated: “The Foundation’s grantmaking in Israel has grown considerably over the past decade. With a seasoned nonprofit expert like Zisser to complement our Los Angeles-based team, we are well positioned to magnify our impact on these populations, leverage our dollars with other funders, and ultimately increase our impact. Our dollars are impacting myriad populations, from Haredi Jews, to Ethiopian and Russian communities, to at-risk youth living in peripheral cities throughout Israel, and many more groups.”

Zisser received her master of business administration from Pepperdine University, her bachelor’s degree in economics from UCLA, and an international baccalaureate diploma from the Armand Hammer United World College in New Mexico.

Zisser stated: “It is a privilege to be working with one of the largest, forward-thinking Jewish community foundations in America to make an even greater impact in Israel. I am honored to be in a profession which brings me in daily contact with generous people, who are committed to devoting their resources and time to their charitable passions and improving the world.”

About the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles
Established in 1954, the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles manages charitable assets of $1.5 billion entrusted to it by 1,400 families. The Foundation partners with donors to shape meaningful philanthropic strategies, magnify the impact of giving, and build enduring charitable legacies. In 2021, The Foundation and its donors distributed $120 million to more than 2,000 nonprofits that span the range of philanthropic giving. Over the past 10 years, it has distributed nearly $1 billion to thousands of nonprofits across a diverse spectrum.