HGF

The Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF) initiated its Israel-based focus of its work in 2002, launching programs that helped people from economically vulnerable sectors of society to gain financial independence, while offering extracurricular activities for children and youth. Primarily active in the Afula area and the Gilboa Regional Council, the HGF’s projects included support for HaEmek Medical Center and the Max Stern Yezreel Valley College.

The Harold Grinspoon Foundation’s primary aim is to strengthen Israel and help it grow prosperous. Seeking to enhance the lives of all members of Israeli society, the HGF is cultivating the younger generation’s positive growth by encouraging a love of reading. The HGF’s Israeli counterpart, Keren Grinspoon Israel (KGI), gifts millions of children’s books each year through its flagship programs, Sifriyat Pijama and Maktabat al-Fanoos. Through these efforts, children in both Jewish and Arab Israeli populations can all gain more opportunities for success.

Harold Grinspoon was born in Massachusetts, U.S. in 1929 to a working-class Jewish family. A natural entrepreneur, he founded Aspen Square Management, a successful real-estate business, currently managing over 100 apartment complexes across 16 states in the U.S. Grinspoon never forgot the antisemitism he had experienced while growing up, leading him to foster great commitment to the Jewish people’s continuity.

In 1993, he founded the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, which aimed to deepen Jewish education and identity among Jewish communities. Since its inception, HGF has supported dozens of educational and cultural programs across North America and Israel.

In 2005, Grinspoon launched PJ Library® in the US, gifting children’s books with Jewish stories and themes, aimed at sparking family discussions and increasing engagement in Jewish life. Today, PJ Library distributes books in seven languages to more than 650,000 children in over 40 countries every month.

The HGF’s Voices & Visions program creates powerful art posters containing the words of great Jewish thinkers, gifting framed prints and supporting educational materials to Jewish organizations. JCamp 180 is a program that invests in the long-term sustainability of more than 130 nonprofit Jewish camps across North America by equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and resources for long-term organizational excellence. The HGF’s Life & Legacy program promotes after-lifetime giving to help secure the long-term financial stability of Jewish schools, synagogues, community service programs, and other Jewish organizations. 

In the U.S., the HGF lends its support to many other impactful projects in fields as varied as education, agriculture, renewable energy, entrepreneurship, Jewish identity, and leadership.

Click here to learn more about PJ Library or here for more info on the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.