Posted on 06/08/22
Baltimore, MD - June 8, 2022 - The trustees of the Charles Crane Family Foundation are pleased to announce a new development in the leadership structure of the Foundation. Beginning July 1, 2022, Lawrence Ziffer will assume the position of CEO, with Laurence Katz continuing as president of the Foundation.
As CEO, Mr. Ziffer will assume responsibility for administrative and fiduciary functions of the Crane Foundation and will work closely with the trustees to assist them in achieving the foundation’s strategic priorities. As President, Mr. Katz will continue to provide leadership in determining policies and refining the foundation’s mission, vision and values.
The Crane Foundation makes grants in the areas of Jewish education and violence prevention. With assets of approximately $100 million, the Foundation has been active for nearly 30 years as a source of support in these important areas of service.
Mr. Ziffer is a community planner who worked for 25 years in the Jewish federations of Boston, Detroit and Baltimore, and for 15 years as the CEO of Baltimore’s Center for Jewish Education Mr. Katz is a former dean of the University of Baltimore School of Law, a role he assumed after a successful career as an attorney and as associate dean at the University of Maryland School of Law.
Charles Crane was a successful Baltimore-area real estate developer. When he died in 1994, his assets created the Foundation to carry on his philanthropic vision. Since that time, the Foundation has made local grants of well over $100 million.