The PresenTense Group

www.presentense.org
Israel & Eurasia: 64 Emek Refaim Street, Jerusalem, Israel
North America: 131 West 86th Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10024, USA

Basic Stats: What we do: PresenTense engages and inspires the

 Launched in 2006
 Recognized 501c3
 Operating seven full-time
programs in six sites
 This year engaging:
o 190 steering committee
volunteers: 4,500 hrs of
volunteer time;
o 168 mentors: 2,016 hrs;
o 83 fellows: 6,500 hrs
o 240 core volunteers:
2,880 hrs
o 24 federation
professionals: 288 hrs
o 2000+ program
participants
 12 FTE’s working in four sites
in North America and Israel
 Partnerships with leading
federations, foundations,
organizations, and
philanthropists
 FY budget of $1.3m
 Second year in Slingshot
 Major funders include
Schusterman, AVI CHAI,
Morningstar Foundation,
Lippman Kanfer Family
Foundation
In search of partners:
PresenTense seeks partners to fortify
its work in next generation leadership
development, training, alumni
engagement, mentorship development,
curriculum research, and educational
programs.
most creative minds of the rising generation,
investing in their ideas and mobilizing their networks
to revitalize the Jewish community. PresenTense
fosters sustainable innovation, leadership, and
learning in Jewish communities around the world by
using local resources—through the vehicle of year-
long programs called Community Entrepreneur
Partnerships—to train and equip community
members to solve pressing challenges and help the
Jewish community be a light unto the nations.
Background: Headquartered in Jerusalem, and with
a hub in New York City, PresenTense has been a
leading provider of seed stage social venture
development and acceleration since 2007. Over the
past four years, PresenTense has helped 80 Jewish
Community innovators from around the world launch
77 new projects or ventures, 64% of them continuing
their work to date with a follow-on funding ratio of
47.7%. Most importantly, 84% of fellowship
graduates go on to work professionally or as core
volunteers within the communal or civic
organizational world – providing top-tier leadership
for community organizations. PresenTense ventures
are developed with an eye toward sustained
community impact and are aimed at building
volunteer leadership along with a specific venture.
Today, PresenTense does its work in full partnership
with established organizations in the Jewish
communal landscape, including federations.

How we’re unique: PresenTense's curriculum and methodology allow for both
community engagement and self-directed learning. All programs build a network that
includes seed-stage entrepreneurs, Jewish community members looking for substantive
engagement, successful professionals, and Jewish organizational leaders. By
connecting the founders of PresenTense-ignited programs with local talent, as well as
reaching experienced leaders and entrepreneurs who may not yet be significantly
involved in the local Jewish community, PresenTense has developed a successful
formula for engaging and empowering Jews through a common goal.

PresenTense Group, 2010-2011 1

Recent Achievements of PT-ignited ventures:
 MediaMidrash (PT ’09) wins the JFNA’s General Assembly's Jewish Future contest.
 BibleRaps Project (PT ’07) wins $100,000 for a Jewish Day School from Microsoft.
 Kol HaOt (PT ’09) awarded significant grant for their informal/art education projects
for Jewish students.
 Israel’s Knesset adopts PT-ignited venture Megafon (PT ’09) as a way to engage
citizens.
 PT Fellows take up posts at JTA, Topaz, local Hillels, Joshua Venture Group, Tel
Aviv U., NYU’s Wagner School, local Jewish Federations, Mechon Hadar, and more.
 Philanthropy model pioneered by the Lifchitz Family Foundation (PT ’08) spreads to
others family foundations.
 Tamid Israel’s (PT ’08) program for Jewish business students at U.S. universities
spreads to several more top flight campuses.
 The Jerusalem Secular Yeshiva (PT Winter ’10) launches to great acclaim, engaging
non religious Jerusalemites in Jewish cultural and learning activities.
 The Technion and Case Western Reserve University begin considering a
partnership with ICO Group (PT ’10).

Fellows are now touching hundreds of thousands, employing creative community

members across the Jewish world, and managing ventures that are collectively creating
millions of dollars worth of communal value. Beyond fellows, PresenTense’s volunteer
leadership community is learning the skills to take up positions of leadership in Jewish
organizations as board members, volunteers, and responsible citizens.

Our Team: PresenTense’s professional team is made up of young professionals drawn

from the plurality of Jewish communal life. The organization’s board includes a mixture
of business leaders, philanthropic leaders, and academic and communal professionals.
The vast majority of activities are led by a broad base of volunteer leadership which
serves as PresenTense’s engine for sustainable growth and exponential engagement.

What PresenTense Needs from Partners: PresenTense’s programs are largely

sustained through program fees paid by partners and sponsors. In 2011 PresenTense
will be well positioned to expand its programs by a minimum of four fellowships,
including one in the FSU and others in US and Israeli cities. To manage this expansion,
and the attendant opportunity to go to scale within the subsequent two years,
PresenTense seeks investment in the infrastructure that supports its programs,
including training, alumni engagement programs, mentorship development, curriculum
research, capacity building, and an online technological backbone for its various
programs and constituencies. With the right partners, PresenTense can truly become a
global platform for the next generation of Jewish Community and Israeli leaders to build
a Jewish People of the 21st century.

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