Value proposition

Jumpstart is a philanthropic research & design lab based in Los Angeles.

Jumpstart inspires & equips visionary leaders of Jewish & interreligious causes around the globe, offering them the knowledge, relationships, & hands-on support they need to achieve measurable impact, build stronger communities, & transform the world.

Four years ago, Joshua Avedon and Shawn Landres set out to change how the Jewish community thinks about and harnesses innovation, how Jewish and other faith-based innovators engage the wider world, and how innovators and institutional leaders relate to one another.

Jumpstart’s mission is to develop, strengthen, and learn from emerging organizations that build community at the nexus of spirituality, learning, social activism, and culture, in order to transform the broader Jewish community and the world.


A research & design lab for Jewish & interreligious innovation and social entrepreneurship, Jumpstart connects philanthropic and nonprofit leaders with creative approaches to community building and provide practical education & training to emerging innovators themselves.

We....
* Provide emerging organizations and leaders with the skills and resources they need to succeed.

* Connect leaders and initiatives, sparking new relationships and inspiring collaboration.

* Bridge the established and emerging, catalyzing innovation in organizations old and new.

* Gather and share knowledge to transform our communities and the broader world.

* Advocate for dynamic, diverse, and inclusive visions of community life.

Jewish, Judaism, innovation, social entrepreneurship, think tank, research, ecosystem, network, and learning