About The Greenstein Family Foundation

The Greenstein Family Foundation is a Seattle-based charitable giving foundation that focuses on driving meaningful change in the core areas of Jewish continuity, basic community needs, health care, education, and the arts. The Greenstein Family Foundation was formed in 2010 as a continuation and formalization of the philanthropic efforts of its founders, Jeff and Judy Greenstein. Through their long-term acts of charitable giving, the founders, and subsequently the Greenstein Family Foundation, are supportive of the good deeds done by many fellow organizations. Furthermore, when opportunities present themselves, The Greenstein Family Foundation is willing to take a leadership role in unchartered territories. Besides driving important changes and improvements, the goal is to inspire others and introduce the causes that they are most passionate about.

Mission

The Greenstein Family Foundation’s core mission is to make the world a little better than it was yesterday, and to inspire others to do the same.

Guiding Principals

[fusion_accordion divider_line=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_toggle title=”Freedom of Expression” open=”no”]“Imagination is more important than knowledge.” – Albert Einstein

The Greenstein Family Foundation believes that everyone should have access to art that stimulates creative expression. When one sees and experiences the imagination, expression and boldness brought forth in others, it stimulates the same in them. [/fusion_toggle][fusion_toggle title=”With Good Fortune Comes Responsibility” open=”no”]“If life happens to bless you with talent or treasure, you have a responsibility to use those gifts as well and as wisely as you possibly can.” —Bill and Melinda Gates
The Founders embrace the core value that with good fortune comes responsibility, and our duty as local and global citizens is to help those in need. The opportunity to give back is not just a responsibility, but a privilege. Establishing the Greenstein Family Foundation was a furtherance of these views and a response to Sir Winston Churchill’s statement that, “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” [/fusion_toggle][fusion_toggle title=”Learn From Others” open=”no”]“A wise one is the one that learns from others” — Ethics of our Fathers,

Ancient Jewish Teaching
The Founders believe they and the Greenstein Family Foundation can benefit greatly by learning the lessons and best practices from other leading philanthropists. There is no pride of authorship or need to reinvent the wheel. What matters is maximizing the effectiveness of the resources dedicated. Therefore, the Greenstein Foundation allocates considerable time to evaluating what others have done successfully.[/fusion_toggle][/fusion_accordion]

[fusion_accordion divider_line=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_toggle title=”Practicing & Promoting Tikkun Olum” open=”no”]“Do things for people not because of who they are or what they do in return, but because of who you are.” – Rabbi Harold S. Kushner

The Greenstein Family Foundation supports multiple causes under the guiding principle of Tikkun Olam—a core principle of Judaism defined by acts of kindness performed to make the world a better place. The founders subscribe to Abraham Lincoln’s comment that “I feel good when I do good.” [/fusion_toggle][fusion_toggle title=”Meaningful Change Starts with Strategically Addressing the Attainable” open=”no”]“Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossible before they were done.” – Justice Louis Brandeis

The Greenstein Family Foundation believes that impactful and lasting change often requires starting on the ground floor where, change is most attainable. As such, the foundation is willing to pursue opportunities to start small on the premise they will grow to become role models for others to emulate. Additionally, the Greenstein Family Foundation operates on the belief that large and strategically placed acts of charitable giving can affect more positive exponential change than a multitude of smaller less concentrated gifts.[/fusion_toggle][/fusion_accordion]

[fusion_accordion divider_line=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_toggle title=”Taking Action and Taking Risks” open=”no”]“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena…” – President Theodore Roosevelt
The Greenstein Family Foundation encourages and supports the quest for meaningful improvement and impact. Good intentions and brilliant ideas are wonderful but they are rendered worthless without corresponding action. Actual impact is what matters. The Greenstein Family Foundation realizes that achieving lofty ambitions requires pursuing creative, unconventional and unproven but thoughtfully considered opportunities.[/fusion_toggle][fusion_toggle title=”The Basics are Needed for Hope to Flourish” open=”no”]“All I know is that the greatest achievement in life is to have been, for one other person, even for one moment, an agent of hope.” – Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sachs
The Greenstein Family Foundation believes that everyone deserves equal access to food, shelter, safety, education and good health. It is hard to envision much less pursue a bright future when solely focused on basic survival.[/fusion_toggle][/fusion_accordion]

Primary Areas of Focus

[fusion_accordion divider_line=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_toggle title=”Jewish Continuity” open=”no”]The Greenstein Family Foundation supports causes that promote the preservation of Jewish values for future generations. This objective emphasizes those organizations and activities that are cross-denominational and concentrate on children and young adults.[/fusion_toggle][fusion_toggle title=”Basic Community Needs” open=”no”]The Greenstein Family Foundation supports a number of local initiatives in the Seattle area that promote equal access to food, shelter, safety and education. The Greenstein Family Foundation supports large umbrella organizations pursuing many facets of community care as well as those focused on a very narrow audience. The Greenstein Family Foundation will selectively support international efforts, including disaster relief funds. [/fusion_toggle][fusion_toggle title=”Medical Research and Healthcare” open=”no”]Few opportunities afford the transformational and exponential impact that cutting edge medical research and healthcare delivery innovations can provide. Because of this potential to bring about huge change, the Greenstein Family and the Greenstein Family Foundation have and will continue to support world-class initiatives in the medical research and healthcare arenas. [/fusion_toggle][/fusion_accordion]

[fusion_accordion divider_line=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_toggle title=”Education” open=”no”]The Greenstein Family Foundation believes that a democracy requires an educated constituency. As our future becomes increasingly complex, we must ensure that our future generations have access to the kind of education that can solve pressing global issues, create tolerance among various beliefs, and afford the opportunity to earn a living and have a bright independent future. [/fusion_toggle][fusion_toggle title=”Arts” open=”no”]The Greenstein Family Foundation believes that art is essential for the continued creativity and tolerance of a community. All people should have equal access to artwork that defines and enriches the human experience while inspiring and provoking thought.[/fusion_toggle][/fusion_accordion]

Founders

Jeff-Greenstein-1

Jeff Greenstein is the co-founder of Greenstein Family Foundation, driving meaningful change in the foundation’s core areas of giving. After co-founding and running Quellos Group, a large alternative investment management business, Jeff now focuses his energies on a broad array of investments, building businesses and philanthropic activities. Jeff is the CEO of the private investment firm YIS Capital and co-founder of the Greenstein Lab.