Donor Spotlight: Carl and Joann Bianco

Longtime PJ Library supporters feel a duty to provide for the Jewish community’s youngest members.

By Naomi Pfefferman, Freelance Journalist

This story appeared in the summer 2026 issue of PROOF, a PJ Library magazine.

Carl and Joann Bianco.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE BIANCOS

Carl Bianco was a young boy growing up during the Holocaust. “I am still trying to comprehend what in human nature could have allowed the Holocaust to happen,” he reflects. “The end result is that I’ve come to believe that it is the responsibility of Jews and the Jewish community to take care of one another.”

That belief first translated into action during the Six-Day War, when Carl was in his late 20s. Inspired by what he saw, he made his first gift of tzedakah (charitable giving): a $100 check to the United Jewish Appeal (UJA). “I felt it was both my obligation and my duty to respond,” he says. “That is still how I feel today.”

Carl and his wife, Joann, have since supported a wide range of Jewish causes, including PJ Library. For more than a decade, they have been members of the PJ Library Alliance, a circle of its most dedicated philanthropic partners.

They were first introduced to PJ Library through the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, initially supporting the program locally. In 2012, they attended the Jewish Funders Network conference in Tel Aviv and spent a day with PJ Library’s leadership team. “That experience really deepened our commitment,” Carl recalls.

The Biancos are pictured with Winnie Sandler Grinspoon.
PHOTO COURTESY OF WINNIE SANDLER GRINSPOON

PJ Library’s mission resonates strongly with them. “These are formative years in a child’s life, especially for those not growing up in a strong Jewish community,” Carl says. “Being Jewish means understanding that you’re part of a people and a culture. PJ Library creates an accessible entry point to that connection.”

As funders, Carl and Joann also believe in using their giving to catalyze others. “We like to create or participate in challenges,” Carl explains. “They’re a win-win; our contribution can effectively be doubled for a cause we care about.”

Supporting PJ Library, he adds, has been among their most meaningful philanthropic commitments. “It’s both exceptionally well run and highly creative,” Carl says. “PJ Library represents exactly the kind of organization we want to support. It’s where we feel we belong.”