With the endorsement of five major Baltimore benefactors, the Board of the ICJS has launched a $5 million endowment campaign. Anne and George Bunting, Jr., the Joseph Meyerhoff Memorial Trusts, the Mercantile Foundation, and the Jacob and Annita France and Robert G. and Anne M. Merrick Foundations have each made a substantial commitment to this effort.

Organizations that depend on private donations face inherent risk and uncertainty. After careful review and consultation with local and national religious leaders, the Board of the ICJS voted unanimously to undertake this campaign. The creation of an endowment indicates institutional permanence and en-ables the ICJS to sustain its effectiveness. The ICJS Board recognizes that the firm assurance of continous operations is imperative for the Institute to continue its work on the local and national stage.

According to Board Co-chair Charles Obrecht, the decision to establish an endowment was based upon three factors: (1) the positive response of local participants and religious leaders throughout the country; (2) the continuing need for support, direction, and coordination of current and future efforts undertaken by the many ICJS participants within the various denominations; and (3) the uniqueness of the ICJS as an inde-pendent, inter-religious, and locally-based organization whose programs translate new theological and historical understand-ing into the daily life of the church and synagogue.

Members of the ICJS Board are currently meeting with major foundations in the Baltimore-Washington area. They are en-thusiastic about their reception and about the interest in the Institute expressed by the individuals they meet. The creation of an endowment does not eliminate the need for yearly fund-raising and focused requests for special projects, which will continue to provide important resources to supplement the endowment.