John and Marcia Goldman Foundation

John Goldman is a sixth generation San Franciscan and a descendant of Levi Strauss, the entrepreneur who started the apparel company that bore his name. For generations, philanthropy has been an important part of the Goldman family’s lives and for John and Marcia Goldman, this was no exception. John and Marcia Goldman wanted to continue the tradition of philanthropy and community service with their own children but also wanted to help other young people develop philanthropic values.

In 2003, they established the South Peninsula Jewish Community Teen Foundation as part of the Jewish Community Federation’s Imprint Endowment Fund. The program allowed Bay Area Jewish teens to learn how to run their own charitable foundation—from developing mission statements and raising money to distributing funds. By 2009, the program had expanded from one chapter in the South Peninsula to four chapters each with 23 teens participating. Over its initial five years, the South Peninsula Jewish Community Teen Foundation program had raised and distributed over $178,000, and together the four teen foundations had distributed $450,051.