New York (November 3, 2022) — You might have noticed that things look a little different around here. At our fourth annual Convening of activists, philanthropists and leaders, we were excited to announce that we have renamed ourselves, and that we are moving joyfully and fearlessly into our next chapter as elluminate.
Twenty-five years ago, our founders created the Jewish Women’s Foundation of New York to better serve the needs and aspirations of women and girls in the local Jewish community. A decade later, the organization expanded its portfolio to include women and girls in Israel and the developing world. Today, the visionary leaders in our network operate in the United States and around the globe, tackling a broad range of issues including child marriage, mass incarceration, and gun violence.
“Elluminate” is a play on the verb “illuminate” in a way that celebrates the feminine. Our integration of philanthropy, leadership, and activism in one organization is unique, so we’ve coined a unique word to describe ourselves. As elluminate, we will continue to reject the false dichotomy of donor and grantee and light a path toward a new way of pursuing social justice.
Our new name allows us to reintroduce ourselves and to retell the story of what we do and also who we are.
We believe that the key to progress on the issues we care about relies on more than the traditional “donor-beneficiary” relationship. That’s why at elluminate we will continue to facilitate opportunities for connecting those who lead the change on the ground with those who have the financial resources and social capital to support that change.
Jewish and feminist values will continue to be core pillars of our work. Elluminate will also be guided by deep-rooted beliefs in the pursuit of justice (tzedek), repairing the world (tikkun olam), treating all people with civility and humanity (derekh eretz) and providing opportunities for achievement to women and girls.
For those who missed The Convening, we hope you will spread the word on our new name and join us in looking ahead to our exciting path forward.