The Board of Federation of Jewish Agencies of Greater Philadelphia announced approval today of the merger of the Philadelphia Community Chest and the city’s United Fund which will result in raising the Federation to the same status as that of other major organizations affiliated directly with the United Fund.
The Federation Board action was one of the final steps paving the way for consolidation of voluntary fund-raising and welfare planning services under a new “United Fund of the Philadelphia area.”
Federation President, Abraham L. Freedman, stressed that the relation of the Federation to the United Fund will be basically the same as it has had with the Community Chest for 25 years. He said the United Fund will continue to be the main source of funds for the Federation’s 20 local health and welfare services and that the Federation will receive $1, 771, 343 from the United Fund for the coming year.
When the merger is completed, the Community Chest will end and its fund-raising and budgeting functions will be continued by the new United Fund. The Federation, as in the past, will continue to be responsible for planning and budgeting for its own agencies. For such purpose, the Federation will continue to receive a lump sum allocation from the proceeds of the annual United Fund drive.
Noting that for several years, the United Fund campaigns have been falling substantially below projected goals, Mr. Freedman said the results have affected the Philadelphia Jewish community. He added that the new United Fund was expected to halt the downtrend in campaign results.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
