JES Endowment Fund Campaign
Jefferson Educational Society and The Erie Community Foundation Announce Matching Gift to JES Endowment Fund
Beginning today, those wishing to make a charitable donation to the Jefferson Educational Society through The Erie Community Foundation can see their impact doubled.
Thanks to the pledge of Bruce Raimy, one of the JES’s co-founders and current Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees, all donations to the Jefferson Educational Society Endowment Fund at The Erie Community Foundation will be matched dollar for dollar.
“I created this endowment because I truly believe in the tremendous impact and value of both the Jefferson Educational Society and The Erie Community Foundation,” Raimy said. “I want to help ensure the longevity of the mission of the JES – to promote civic enlightenment, and to drive community progress for the Erie Region through the examination, research, and discussion of those ideas and events that have influenced the human condition while exploring central ideas that have formed the past, assisting in studying the present, and offering informed guidance to enhance the civic future of the Erie region. The community foundation, knowing its decades of commitment to and investment in the region, is the perfect steward of the fund.”
The Jefferson Educational Society Endowment Fund at The Erie Community Foundation was established in 2023.
“We are incredibly grateful to Mr. Raimy’s commitment to Erie’s community-based nonpartisan think tank,” said Dr. Ferki Ferati, President of the Jefferson Educational Society. “We truly believe in the power to continue to have an impact at the local level by working to provide world-class civic education and to drive civic engagement through events, publications, and public policy work. This opportunity helps to ensure the work we have done with the community has a bright and lasting future for not just years but decades to come. Bruce has been with us since day one and has helped us grow to where we are today. His commitment here helps ensure our growth and service to the community well into the future.”
“The middle name of Jefferson Educational Society is ‘educational’, and our middle name is ‘community,’” said Karen Bilowith, President and CEO of The Erie Community Foundation. “The matching gift from Mr. Raimy is an inspiring goal to increase educational opportunities for our community. Providing a dollar-for-dollar match engages others, which is empowering.”
Raimy has pledged the dollar-for-dollar match up to $250,000 of individual donations of up to $25,000.
To make a contribution to the Jefferson Educational Society Endowment Fund, please deliver or send a check made payable to The Erie Community Foundation (459 W. Sixth St., Erie, PA 16507) with JES Endowment Fund marked on the memo line. For questions, please contact Jacob Bartko, 814.459.8000, bartko@jeserie.org
