Simone Joy Friedman

As the Head of Philanthropy for EJF Philanthropies (EJFP), Simone Joy Friedman has been coordinating the grantmaking for EJFP’s foundations for more than 14 years. She is a frequent speaker about philanthropy at conferences and events, is the Founder of Otterhound Media, and Editor of The Giving Report, a newsletter for the philanthropic community written from the donor’s perspective. Her writing has also appeared in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, eJewishPhilanthropy, the Jewish Journal, and the Milken Institute’s Power of Ideas.

Specializing in using media and storytelling to catalyze change, Simone’s philanthropic giving has two current priorities. The first is increasing testing access for G6PD Deficiency, an under-recognized genetic condition that affects those with African, Asian, and Middle Eastern ancestries (both Arabs and Jews). Toward that end, she is writing a book on the condition with co-author Corey Jones-Weinert, Ph.D., grounded in an extensive review of the clinical literature, and is concurrently conducting a patient survey intended for peer-reviewed publication. Her second priority is supporting efforts to close racial wealth gaps and advance the inclusivity of the American Dream. She is the founder of the Opportunity Zone Impact Institute.

Through her philanthropic work as an impact producer, she created, funded, and managed the impact campaigns for Christopher Quinn’s film Eating Animals, which was narrated by Natalie Portman and based on Jonathan Safran Foer’s book by the same name. After the film won the Environmental Media Association’s Documentary Award, Simone turned her attention to creating an impact campaign for Jonathan Safran Foer’s 2019 book, We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast. This led Foer to write that “Simone Friedman is, as my grandmother would have said, ‘a force of nature.’ Her energy, wisdom, ambition, and optimism bring even the most idealistic visions within reach.”

Prior to her involvement with EJF Philanthropies, Simone founded and later sold an analytics company. She graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the George Washington University, which she attended as part of the school’s Presidential Honor academic scholarship program. She later earned a Master’s of Urban and Environmental Planning degree with a concentration in Policy Analysis from the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture.

Simone is a trustee of the foundations under the EJF Philanthropies umbrella.