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Together Strong Community Fund Marks $1M in Grants Made

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The Fund, now administered by The Community Foundation, is building on its past community-wide investments

JACKSONVILLE, FL – October 18, 2024 – The Together Strong Community Fund has marked $1 million in grants made since it was established two years ago.

David Miller established the Fund in 2022 in response to a rise in the public expressions of antisemitism and hate in Jacksonville. Today, the Together Strong Community Fund works to connect the community and build bridges of understanding based on people’s strengths. Recent grants include support for field trips to an exhibit at the Museum of Science and History and seed funding to establish a Hillel at UNF. As the Fund’s impact grows, it has moved to The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida.

“Jacksonville’s greatest asset is its people,” said David Miller, who made a $1 million gift to the Together Strong Fund on behalf of the Miller Families when it was established. “The Together Strong Community Fund is investing in our people through experiences that underscore one another’s strengths, capacity, and resilience.”

The Fund has already led and supported a number of Jacksonville-area initiatives, including support for the First Coast Relief Fund and the Jacksonville Transformation Coalition in response to the racially motivated shooting in New Town in 2023. The Fund was instrumental in the launch of the ‘We Are Jacksonville’ media campaign in conjunction with OneJax, and has also supported the Sandy Miller OneYouth Education programs at OneJax. Additional investments include support for the Community Security Initiative and the creation of the Jewish Community Relations Council at the Jewish Federation & Foundation of Northeast Florida.

The Fund recently made a grant to MOSH to support community participation in the “Lives Eliminated, Dreams Illuminated” (LEDI) exhibit, in partnership with the Dr. David M. Milch Foundation. The exhibit features remarkable portraits by American painter Lauren Bergman based on archival photographs of girls and young women whose lives were senselessly lost during the Holocaust. Importantly, the support of the Fund is enabling 60 public schools and more than 1,200 students to experience the exhibit through free field trips.

“The beauty of this partnership, as part of our Cultural Passport Series, is that it enables us to share the LEDI exhibit with Jacksonville, bringing the history of the Holocaust to life through art,” said MOSH CEO Alistair Dove. “Students from all walks of life, from all over Duval County, will have the opportunity to experience this transformative exhibit, thanks to the Together Strong Community Fund.”

This fall, a Hillel opened on the University of North Florida campus for the first time, through seed funding from the Fund as well as support from other local donors. Hillel encourages students of all backgrounds to form deep, personal connections to Jewish life, learning, exploration, leadership and a sense of belonging.

“It’s critical for Jewish students to have a place on campus where they can engage meaningfully with Jewish life on campus,” said Dr. Leslie Kaplan, advisor of the Jewish Student Union, who was a pivotal partner in opening the Hillel along with the University of Florida Hillel, which provided strategic advice and administrative support. “We are thrilled to be able to offer this support to our students.”

Additional recent grants include the Jacksonville Symphony for its Violins of Hope performance and Beth El Synagogue at the Beaches for an initiative called “Spread Cream Cheese Not Hate.”

As the Fund continues to make grants in the community, it will now be administered by The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida. The Jacksonville Jewish Federation and Foundation will continue to be a close partner, providing programmatic resources and expertise to the Fund’s leadership.

The Together Strong Community Fund’s compelling mission has attracted many other individual and corporate community investors, such as Florida Blue, the Jacksonville Jaguars, VyStar Credit Union, CSX, Haskell, Deutsche Bank, and Baptist Health, among others.

To donate, please visit jaxcf.org/together-strong.

About The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida

The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida (www.jaxcf.org), Florida’s oldest and one of its largest community foundations, works to stimulate philanthropy to build a better community. The Foundation helps donors invest their philanthropic gifts wisely, helps nonprofits serve the region effectively, and helps people come together to make the community a better place. Now in its 60th year, the Foundation manages more than $650 million in assets as of 12/31/2023 and has made more than $750 million in grants since inception.

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Contact: Stephanie Garry Garfunkel
VP, Strategic Communications
904-224-7208 | sgarfunkel@jaxcf.org

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