The Foundation for the Advancement of Sephardic Studies and Culture needs the support of the public to ensure the ongoing cultural and educational activities of the organization. For near 40 years we have developed educational programs and materials, and we plan to continue into the future. Any gift you may want to make will be designated to sponsor a specific program or it can be used for the general purposes of the institution. We strive to publish important books and manuscripts of interest to the preservation of the Sephardic legacy. Donations may be designated for a specific book project or for general use. Currently we are publishing several books. (View)

Through charitable giving, tzedakah, we pass along our tradition to future generations and define our own contribution to repairing and improving the world. Because we are focused on the future with its unlimited potential, creating endowments is important. Endowments contribute to each of us, the continuity of our heritage from generation to generation.

Endowments to the Foundation for the Advancement of Sephardic Studies and Culture ensures the ability to strengthen and enrich our our infrastructure and overhead on a long term basis. Endowments are established to provide a reservoir of funds that allows the FASSAC to effectively solve communal problems, support vital services, extend the reach of crucial programs and plan and develop resources needed for the challenges ahead.

Endowments developed in partnership with the the FASSAC ensure that our rich Sephardic culture and our proud Jewish heritage live on. They provide the means by which we can rejuvenate Sephardic Jewish education among Jewish students worldwide.

Maimonides, the great Sephardic Sage of Cordoba determined that there are eight degrees of tzedakah:

• The person gives reluctantly.
• The person gives graciously, but less than his or her means would designate.
• The person gives the appropriate amount, but only after being asked.
• The person gives before being asked.
• The person gives without knowing the recipient, but the recipient knows the identity of the donor.
• The person gives without making his or her own identity known.
• The person gives without knowing the recipient and without making his or her own identity known.
• The person helps another by enabling that person to become self-sufficient through a gift or loan, or help in gaining a skill or finding employment

Bequests

The conclusion to a life can take on different meanings depending on how we prepare for it. We can dwell on the ending and the finality, or we can accentuate the positive influences we leave for future generations. A will is a powerful estate planning device for distributing your assets. This document can also speak volumes about the compelling causes you have spent a lifetime supporting. It can teach your children and your grandchildren about charitable giving in the best of all ways --- by your example. Rachel's legacy could have defined by how she died, but was instead transformed into a testament to how she lived, as Jacob's right hand. No life is complete without a will and no will is complete without a provision for charitable giving. Please consider us in your planning.

The United States federal government recognized the value of and encourages charitable giving by providing some generous tax incentives when you make a gift to a qualified charity. These include immediate income tax deductions, avoidance of capital gains tax on donated appreciated assets, and greatly reduced estate taxes and administrative costs.