Design & Impact Profile: The Lipman Family

Center for

DESIGNED PHILANTHROPY

®

DESIGN & IMPACT PROFILE

DR. LEONARD M. LIPMAN

[

One donor’s vision provides the catalyst for revolutionizing diabetes treatment for low-income patients.

]

DESIGN

Retired physician Leonard M. Lipman, M.D., devoted his professional life to healing the sick. As an endocrinologist, Dr. Lipman is acutely aware of the epidemic rise in diabetes, not to mention its ravages if not properly managed: kidney disease, blindness and death.

DESIGN:

The sale of the medical group in which he was a partner provided a once-in-a-lifetime liquidity event, enabling Dr. Lipman to embark on the next stage of his life—as a philanthropist. In late 2012, he established the Leonard M. Lipman Charitable Fund at the Jewish Community Foundation to fulfill his charitable ambitions, as well as to realize significant tax benefits afforded by his windfall. “While I always had the desire to be charitable,” said Dr. Lipman, “the transaction gave me the ability for doing so in a meaningful, significant way.”

Shortly thereafter, Dr. Lipman implemented his first significant gift—a diabetes treatment and management program for low-income individuals. Through his extensive experience in the field, as well as his longtime association with fellow endocrinologist Mayer Davidson, M.D., a co-founder of the Venice Family Clinic, Dr. Lipman learned that the clinic did not have the resources to implement an effective diabetes treatment program for its low-income patient population. But its strong organizational infrastructure and quality services to the poor gave Dr. Lipman confidence that, through sufficient funding, the institution could create a viable program developed in a medical school setting. In collaboration with the clinic, he recommended funding of a treatment and management Foundation donor Dr. Leonard M. Lipman, program for patients most severely affected by diabetes.

creator of a new diabetes management program for Dr. Lipman turned to The Foundation’s Center for Designed low-income individuals at Philanthropy—which assists donors in magnifying the impact of Venice Family Clinic.

their charitable giving—to develop a grant letter of understanding and establish clear performance benchmarks for this initiative.

The result is a generous grant to create the Leonard M. Lipman Diabetes Management Program at Venice Family Clinic.

IMPACT:

The anticipated impact of Dr. Lipman’s grant is unprecedented: it will serve more than 200 of the most severe diabetes patients in the Clinic population. Specifics include an additional diabetes nurse practitioner, a patient-education specialist and resource materials, blood sugar testing strips, and computer software for case tracking.

IMPACT

“It is not every day that someone walks through our doors offering the chance to revolutionize diabetes care for our patients who struggle most with the disease,” said Dr. Davidson of his peer and friend. It also allows a program conceived in a research setting to be replicated in a community clinic for low-income patients.

Still a comparative newcomer to the power—and Close collaboration immense gratification—of between medical staff philanthropic giving, Dr. and patients is a critical component of the Lipman says his vision for Leonard M. Lipman his donor advised fund Diabetes Management continues to take root.

Program at Venice “I see myself funding nevFamily Clinic. er-before-tried initiatives—a chance to break new ground.” As he envisions future funding opportunities, Dr. Lipman cites the Center for Designed Philanthropy, with its 360-degree charitable-giving perspective, as a key partner in aiding implementation of his vision.

EFFECTIVE PHILANTHROPY DOESN’T JUST HAPPEN...

IT’S DESIGNED. The Center for Designed Philanthropy offers complimentary consultative services for Foundation donors. We are here to help donors: • Identify and fulfill their philanthropic passions and ambitions • Determine the most meaningful initiatives to support • Magnify the impact of their philanthropy • Engage their children and grandchildren in family philanthropy • Leverage their giving through collaborations with like-minded funders

Center for

DESIGNED PHILANTHROPY (323) 761-8705 • WWW.JEWISHFOUNDATIONLA.ORG/CENTER

®