Simone Joy Friedman

As the Head of Philanthropy for EJF Philanthropies, Simone Friedman coordinates grantmaking for the foundations under the EJF Philanthropies umbrella. She has three current priorities: 1) fighting antisemitism; 2) promoting cooperation among Abraham Accords countries on G6PD Deficiency - a genetic condition affecting those with Middle Eastern ancestry (both Arabs and Jews; and 3) supporting workforce training initiatives in U.S. communities designated as Opportunity Zones.

Simone embraces philanthropic risk and has specialized in using media and storytelling to shift narratives and catalyze change. She created, funded, and led 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, as well as for Jonathan Safran Foer’s 2019 book, We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast. The latter included a collaboration with Stella McCartney’s ‘We Are the Weather’ capsule collection.

The Eating Animals film won the Environmental Media Association Documentary Award, and the outcomes achieved by Simone’s impact campaign led the Michelson Found Animals Foundation to present Simone with a Leader in Animal Welfare Award. Foer wrote 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 with reach. The first step toward making the necessary changes in our lives is knowing what changes are needed. Because of Simone’s work…the all-important connection between climate change and animal agriculture is finally in the public consciousness.”

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 frequent speaker about philanthropy at conferences and other events, and her writing on philanthropic trends has appeared in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, eJewishPhilanthropy, and the Milken Institute’s Power of Ideas. In addition to being a trustee of the foundations under the EJF Philanthropies umbrella, Simone serves as an advisory council member for the Philanthropy center at the Milken Institute.