The Russell Berrie Foundation is pleased to announce that Lisa Capelouto has been named Chief Program Officer, with responsibility for overseeing the Foundation’s grantmaking portfolios in the United States and Israel.
Capelouto comes to RBF with more than two decades of experience in philanthropy and Jewish communal organizations in the U.S. and U.K., most recently serving as a program officer at the Legacy Heritage Fund, a private foundation based in New York.
Capelouto was the creator and director of that foundation’s Project Accelerate, a national capacity-building fellowship aimed at high-performing Jewish organizations poised to enter a new stage in their growth and development. In this role, she partnered closely with the senior leadership of more than 60 Jewish organizations to develop their skills, strengthen organizational infrastructure and maximize each group’s impact in its respective field as well as the wider Jewish community.
“Lisa is a wonderful fit for RBF: She has a deep understanding of how Jewish communities work, an extensive familiarity with the landscape of entrepreneurial Jewish organizations and a strong commitment to the state of Israel,” said Dr. Idana Goldberg, CEO of The Russell Berrie Foundation. “She is also a thoughtful and creative philanthropy professional, and I am confident that our team and our grantees will benefit greatly from her expertise.”
Capelouto will join RBF in September. She said: “I’ve long admired The Russell Berrie Foundation for its innovative work and deep partnerships with grantees in the U.S. and Israel, and I’m honored to help lead this work at such an exciting time in RBF’s journey. I look forward to working with Idana and her stellar team to further shape the Foundation’s program strategy, as we seek to enhance its legacy in the years ahead.”
Please contact communications@rbfdtn.org for media inquiries.
About The Russell Berrie Foundation
The Russell Berrie Foundation was created by New Jersey philanthropist and sales entrepreneur Russell Berrie. The Foundation identifies and invests in visionaries, institutions and unsung heroes doing groundbreaking work, in areas that reflect Russ Berrie’s passions: advancing diabetes care and research, strengthening Israel through pluralism and regional economic development, building interfaith bridges, improving healthcare and enhancing Jewish communal life in New Jersey.
The Russell Berrie Foundation’s transformational gifts over the years include establishing the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, the John Paul II Center for Interreligious Dialogue at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum) in Rome, and the Russ Berrie Institute for Professional Sales at William Paterson University in New Jersey.