SketchPad founder, Irene Lehrer Sandalow, with board member in 2019
(Josefin Dolsten)
SketchPad began as the vision of Irene Lehrer Sandalow in 2015. While working from home for a national Jewish nonprofit, she found it difficult to connect with others remotely. While other co-working spaces already existed, there was no venue that could provide what she was looking for. Irene envisioned a Jewish workspace centered around community organizers and nonprofits. She convened a group of Jewish leaders who would become anchor organizations of this new initiative. It takes bold leaders to foster new ideas, and SketchPad wouldn’t be a reality without the early support of JCUA, KAHAL, Avodah, SVARA, AJWS, Worker’s Circle, Orot, and others. After many discussions developing the core values of an ideal coworking space, the group came together to create SketchPad, officially established in 2017.
The name “SketchPad” emerged early on, capturing the essence of an ideal coworking space. By embracing members’ ideas, feedback, and expertise, the space encourages innovation and collaboration.
Since day one SketchPad has been a pioneer in the Jewish nonprofit community. Intentionally setting a tone of acceptance, the space began to fill with a diverse collection of organizations, from consultant groups to LGBTQ+ advocacy programs. By allowing different groups to be in conversation with one another through career enrichment programming, networking events, and sheer proximity, SketchPad grew into a close community, centered around innovative Jewish ideas.
