Major Funding Sources 
Arie and Ida Crown Memorial
From Matches to Tzedakah
From Matches to Tzedakah
The Arie and Ida Crown Memorial is a 54-year-old foundation with an unusual name: it doesn't have Foundation or Fund as part of its title. The use of the word Memorial is indicative of the founders intent: to remember and commemorate their ancestors and their traditions.
Arie and Ida Crown were Russian Jewish immigrants who came to this country (and Chicago) around the turn of the century. Arie Crown sold matches on the street in order to support his family. From these very humble beginnings, Arie and Idas sons Henry, Irving and Edward began a business, which later thrived and became the familys first big financial success. The Material Services Corporation provided building materials, especially gravel, and operated barges on the Chicago River. Their business success provided the funds to start a family foundation eventually. The second generation of the Crown family, headed by grandson Lester and his siblings, helped Crown Memorial to grow. The Crowns philanthropy stems from the Jewish concept of "tzedakah", the Hebrew word for justice. Crown Memorial giving is grounded in the belief that it is the responsibility for those who can to give to the less fortunate. Justice is the aim of their philanthropy, not just random acts of charity.
So they set the following giving priorities:
- to help the Jewish community
- to build opportunities for people in need
- to provide access to education
- to promote democracy and freedom
The Board meets four times a year, twice to make grants, once to set policies, and once to conduct site visits with grantees. Their geographic focus is organizations that serve people in Chicago, but their focus on the Jewish community is national and international. They give over 600 grants per year of every conceivable size. The Board makes final funding decisions with input from the extended family.
In order to learn about the Arie and Ida Crown Memorial, I spoke with Jennifer Collins, Program Officer for seven years at the foundation. Collins has a B.A. in music, and studied acting in graduate school. She has always had a strong interest in non-profits, and has volunteered her time and talents in Cleveland, Washington, D.C. and here in Chicago. When she was an aspiring actress, Collins had a day job as a paraprofessional in an accounting firm to make ends meet. Her co-workers suggested that she become an accountant. Instead, Collins combined her strong interest in non-profits with her business acumen (especially small business finance), and came to work at Arie and Ida Crown Memorial.
Collins believes that running a successful non-profit calls for a combination of a really big heart and intelligent management. She observes non-profits in action on site visits, and sees the blend of mission and practicalities. She enjoys the opportunity she has in this work to be learning constantly. Im a life-long learner, she adds. And she especially thrives on helping the Crown family to make a difference in peoples lives. I am really blessed to do this kind of work, she says.
Sarahs Circle has been receiving grants from the Arie and Ida Crown Memorial for ten years. According to Collins, Sarahs has always provided a unique response to the complex needs of women who are homeless or marginally housed. She asserts that we provide stepping-stones for greater opportunities to women in need, and that is one of the Crown familys priorities.
We are very grateful for the long-term relationship we have with the Arie and Ida Crown Memorial, for their generosity to Sarahs Circle and many other organizations, and especially for their commitment to tzedakah.
THANK YOU!