MANDEL ASSOCIATED FOUNDATIONS - The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History

The MANDEL ASSOCIATED FOUNDATIONS is a group of three foundations, established as supporting foundations of the JEWISH COMMUNITY FEDERATION of Cleveland in 1988 by the families of Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel, founders of PREMIER INDUSTRIAL CORP. In 1995 the Mandel Associated Foundations had assets totaling $180 million. Believing that qualified personnel are fundamental to the effective implementation of any social program, Mandel family philanthropy has emphasized leadership development and education. The program of the Mandel Associated Foundations focusses on the Cleveland area, on Jewish concerns, and on Israel, and emphasizes: (1) the strengthening and promotion of the nonprofit sector, especially by helping to improve nonprofit management personnel and practices and by promoting giving and volunteering; (2) the training and education of volunteer and professional leaders in the field of communal service; (3) neighborhood renewal and community revitalization; (4) excellence in education; (5) the survival of the Jewish people and Jewish values by increasing the effectiveness of formal and informal Jewish education and by helping to preserve and transmit the cultural heritage of the Jewish people; and (6) strengthening the social fabric of Israel. Through grants and through personal leadership activities the Mandel family and its foundations have played central roles in Cleveland's UNITED WAY SERVICES, and in establishing the Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations at CWRU and constructing a new building for CWRU's Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences. They also helped create several community-based efforts to improve Cleveland neighborhoods, including CLEAN-LAND, OHIO, MidTown Corridor, Inc., and Neighborhood Progress, Inc. Among its many contributions to the Jewish community the Mandel family and its foundations helped build the Mandel JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER and develop several Jewish Community Federation programs. The family has also played important roles in national Jewish organizations, in the national United Way, and in U.S./Israel philanthropy.

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