“He was the only adult who really knew me anymore and the only one who wasn’t paid to care about me,” says Tommy, a teenager in the child welfare / juvenile court system. “He helped me open my first bank account … taught me how to go grocery shopping and helped me learn about health insurance and other adult stuff.” When Paul Muratore founded Connections, Tommy’s words were exactly what he’d dreamed of.

Paul, a longtime mentor to at-risk teens, retired in 2016 and followed his dream to start a program for kids just like Tommy: kids who’ve aged out of the foster care or welfare system and are in need of guidance and friendship. Since then, more than 130 youths have established deep relationships of a year or more with their mentors, even throughout the pandemic. Together, they’ve proven that when someone cares, anything is possible.

Our funds underwrite administrative expenses.

“The personal is what mattered most.”

The greatest impact of our time as a Good People Fund grantee was the personal, heartfelt encouragement I received from Executive Director Naomi Eisenberger and board members in that first meeting to move forward in our early years, and the vote of confidence through financial support.

Not all support is equal, even when the dollar amount is the same. A corporate grant doesn’t mean nearly as much as one from GPF, which is paying such close attention to the mission, the work, and the people. I felt the attention and grant as encouraging and motivating, but the personal is what mattered most.

We live at a time of overwhelming need and deeply distressing issues confronting all living things. The GPF community consists of those who have responded by doing whatever they can with the time and talents they have, and with the supportive treasures of generous others. GPF is an antidote to despair and disempowerment, a sign of hope and a jolt of encouragement.

 — Blyth Taylor Lord, Founder and Executive Director, Courageous Parents Network

Paying for a swimsuit helps a boy enjoy summer, but also helps a mom rebuild a relationship with her son returning home from foster care. Paying for cell phone minutes helps a foster care child speak to her dad. When attorney Anne Bader-Martin’s organization makes modest payments like these, filling in where resources are lacking, they stop a cycle that usually deteriorates even further — and secure positive outcomes for vulnerable families. One attorney shares, “Twenty-five dollars [for an ID] might seem like a small way to help someone, but for my client it made all the difference. … She is now employed again for the first time in more than six months!”

Needs increased 40% during the pandemic. OCH served 3,000 children and families, providing emergency assistance in the form of supermarket cards, laptops, rent assistance and more. Our funds are used for a new computer operating system.

“GPF is a family, and the connection is forever.”

When I think of The Good People Fund, I’m reminded of the innocence and wide eyes of an entrepreneur beginning the journey of social change, and I’m filled with a great feeling of gratitude and inspiration. There is a saying that if you really want something, the universe will help you, and GPF was such a force for S.A.H.I.

The day we learned that S.A.H.I. had grown beyond GPF’s criteria for funding was bittersweet. But I realized how far we’d come and that GPF is a family, and the connection is forever. I will always feel very honored and humbled to be part of this exceptional family of good people supporting good people doing good.

I take very seriously my responsibility as a member of this family to always remember the importance of helping people at the beginning of their way. I will always make time to help new entrepreneurs and try to give them some of what GPF gave to me and to S.A.H.I., including encouragement, advice, and faith.

In 2020, when S.A.H.I. was selected to receive the Israeli Presidential Award for Volunteerism, one of the first people I called was Naomi Eisenberger at GPF. Together, we reflected on our journey together. The moment said everything.

— Avraham Hayon, CEO and Co-Founder, S.A.H.I.

“Still grateful for the enduring partnership.”

I don’t feel like a Good People Fund alum in the sense that I “graduated.” I am still a student, still learning, and still grateful for the enduring partnership.

Kaima’s partnership with GPF affirms something essential that would have helped me in my youth — people who tell you your dreams are crazy will likely remain stuck in the same place, so just keep pursuing your dreams, see the big picture, and never give up!

I am both personally and professionally more attuned now to working to identify potential in others. This is exactly what GPF does. Kaima now frequently meets with younger amutot starting-out to help identify the strengths and weaknesses of their operating model. Sometimes this is done in concert with Naomi at GPF and sometimes on our own. These are some of our lasting GPF moments.

We count ourselves fortunate to not only have benefitted from funding but also from the ongoing friendship and professional guidance which helped us develop from a single youth-run, CSA operating farm into a network of four locations in Israel and one in Tanzania! Our story would simply not be possible without the involvement of GPF.

— Yoni Yefet-Reich, Co-Founder and Director, Amutat Kaima