2023 Fiscal Year Allocation Summary
Jewish Community Fund (JCF) Grants totaled $2.5 million during Fiscal Year 2023, as part of more than $5.75 million being invested to connect with Israel and Global Jewry.
The Jewish Federation invested in programs to create deep connections with Israel, ensuring her safety, security, prosperity and existence as a homeland for all Jews.
Impact in the priority area of Connecting with Israel and Global Jewry is also made through Jewish Federation grant processes (including the Bernard and Etta Weinberg Family Fund, Chair’s Venture Fund, Jewish Federation Real Estate Fund, Justin P. Allman President’s Fund, and Women of Vision Endowment Fund) and special funds.
By collaborating with partner agencies, our financial resources helped achieve the following goals in Fiscal Year 2022:
- Reducing food insecurity and loneliness of vulnerable populations
- Increasing social cohesion through quality education, job training and employment opportunities
- Promoting opportunities for diverse Jewish expressions and Jewish pluralism
- Promoting resilience in areas afflicted with security threats or trauma
Fiscal Year 2022 Impact tHROUGH JCF
2,089
youth on the socio-economic periphery received specialized educational training in STEM (science, technology, engineering or mathematics)
5,736
individuals impacted by programs funded by Partnership2Gether in Netivot and Sdot Negev
84,000
provided or received physical, mental and emotional health services in Israel and around the world
2,544
Bedouins, Ethiopian Israelis, or Orthodox women received mentoring, higher education and vocational training to increase their economic opportunities
34,000
family members accessed meaningful holiday content both online and through activity kits
1,015
soldiers in the IDF with Jewish roots had the opportunity to build their religious identity
14,602
Holocaust Survivors in Israel received basic necessities
356,539
individuals in Israel received meals or food packages to supplement their diet
2,000,000
individuals served through core funding to JDC and JAFI
27,801
young university students received scholarships to complete their education in the Negev while participating in community volunteering programs
Grant Recipients For Fiscal Year 2023
Reducing Food Insecurity ($265,000)
Grantee programs that provide free or low cost meals or food packages to adults and families unable to access enough food on their own.
Latet Israeli Humanitarian Aid
Aid Life ($50,000)
This program provides Holocaust survivors with low socio-economic backgrounds the means for a dignified existence. Monthly clients receive a food box and hygiene products as well as access to an emergency fund for unforeseen and urgent needs like medical services. Additional services include in-home social support and home repairs and renovations. The program engages a broad network of volunteers and strategic cooperation agreements with the National Health Clinics, municipal welfare departments, and the business sector.
Latet Israeli Humanitarian Aid
Nutritional Security for Israelis in Need ($100,000)
Latet, the largest food bank in Israel, provides assistance to 60,000 families and more than 1,000 Holocaust survivors. Services include a monthly food box distribution with additional Holiday-related food products, as well as winter/heating and summer/cooling equipment. Major food drives are operated around the high holidays and Pesach for additional food resources, and occasionally the program hosts campaigns with food manufacturers and supermarket chain so that recipients can use vouchers to purchase food in the supermarket directly. Latet publishes the alternative food insecurity report annually as a tool for advocacy.
Leket Israel
Project Leket ($100,000)
Serving as the country’s National Food rescue network, Leket Israel’s primary mission is to leverage volunteer resources to lead the safe, effective, and efficient collection and distribution of surplus nutritious food that would have otherwise been destroyed. They not only provide produce gleaned from the fields but cooked meals from hotels, army bases and large factories. The food is redistributed to a network of nonprofit partner organizations serving food insecure families, impoverished senior housing programs and centers, hostels for youth at risk and more.
Lone Soldier Center in Memory of Michael Levin
The Army Marches on Its Stomach ($15,000)
This program aims to offer lone soldiers (immigrants and those soldiers who have no family connections) the kind of support that typical Israeli soldiers receive from their families organically. A large component is providing free cooked Shabbat meals through three centers located in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Be’er Sheva through pick-up or home delivery. Many of the recipients are residents of special provided housing, but it is available to all lone soldiers. The centers also host Shabbat and holiday meals to create a sense of community during a time that is traditionally spent with family.
Increasing Social Cohesion ($285,000)
Grantee programs that work to build the knowledge and skills of Israelis who are low-income and without access to higher education or job training.
Atid Bamidbar R.A.
Springboard to Hi-Tech for Bedouin Young Women ($35,000)
This program is a collaboration of the Jewish community of Atid Bamidbar in the eastern Negev and their neighboring Bedouin community of Abu Rachma. It provides 12th grade girls from Israel’s underserved and poverty-stricken Bedouin population exposure to the technology sector via presentations, study-tours and hackathon simulation-experiences. A select group will participate in an intensive program that includes small-group training, mentorship and hands-on experience to provide them with marketable skills for immediate employment and/or access to academic studies.
Atidim
Lehavim Drone Program ($50,000)
This program was developed to give talented high school students from vulnerable populations in the periphery the training to become drone operators. It combines hard skills (aeronautics, engineering, electronics and technical capability) with soft skills (critical thinking, creativity and teamwork) in an intensive program. Students also meet with counselors to deal with emotional, social and family-related issues such as unemployment, nutritional insecurity and financial distress which can undermine motivation and severely affect their ability to achieve. The program works closely with the IDF to recruit these students to those elite army units that incorporate drones into their daily work and to new professional opportunities after they complete their army service.
Dror Educational Centers
Dror High Schools for the Future ($45,000)
This program focuses on development throughout a network of schools by creating a centralized pedagogy and educational curriculum which is then adapted for the needs of specific schools. Funds support a new system of vocational training high schools for marginalized communities. Each school has an appointed local pedagogical director who trains and mentors the school staff to instill educators with tools to teach innovative and adaptable technological skills, as well as social awareness, community building and innovative thinking.
Hilma – tech for impact
Carmel 6000 ($30,000)
Carmel 6000 empowers young Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox women to have access to studies and careers they would not have otherwise. Recent high school graduates can participate in one of two tracks: volunteering through national service or enrolling in a software seminar or bachelor’s degree. Through these programs, women can gain unique technological training, two years of work experience and proficiency in advanced programming languages.
MAOZ
Social Mobility Initiative ($50,000)
MAOZ promotes equal opportunities throughout Israel by supporting NGO leaders who are network members. The Social Mobility Initiative guides members in planning, developing, designing, and building a comprehensive plan when a structural gap in the social sector is identified. MAOZ staff or
additional consultants and advisors assist in the development of an initiative. Projects to improve or strengthen the social sector are then “accompanied” by MAOZ staff for an extended period of time, in order to track success or set-backs and intervene as necessary. MAOZ also helps in data collection
and dashboard building to demonstrate that the initiative is positively impacting as many people as possible who are in need of social mobility.
Ofanim
STEM Enrichment Program ($50,000)
This program provides elementary school students in Netivot with weekly STEM programs. Students are introduced to game development, software programming language, medical biology and the basics of advanced technological tools. Youth also receive soft skills such as logic skills, teamwork, planning and problem resolution, and strengthening their sense of capability.
Olim Beyachad
Breaking Barriers for Inclusion: Employment Excellence for Ethiopian Israeli University Graduates ($25,000)
Olim Beyahad supports excelling Ethiopian-Israeli college graduates in finding suitable employment and properly integrating into leading jobs in their fields of study through five tracks that provide mentorship, group workshops, leadership conferences, and practical and professional skill building.
Promoting Jewish Pluralism ($170,000)
Grantee programs that create opportunities for education on and expression of a variety of Jewish identities in Israel.
Israel Hofsheet
Promoting Marriage Equality for Russian-Speaking Israelis ($40,000)
This project addresses a critical need for close to 450,000 Russian Israeli Jews who are unable to marry in Israel through the Rabbinical system and introduces to the general Israeli public a different approach to Jewish pluralistic experiences. Havaya weddings enable the couples to strengthen their Jewish identity at this important milestone with the guidance of a trained officiant. Subsidized individual counseling is provided to couples about their rights and restrictions vis-a-vis the law and the religious courts. An annual campaign raises awareness of the problematic issue of lack of civil marriage in Israel and how it specifically impacts the Russian speaking community. Program components emphasize the basic civil right to marry in the State of Israel through meaningful egalitarian, pluralistic Jewish wedding.
Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism(IMPJ)
Education between Israel Reform Movement and its Congregations ($20,000)
IMPJ’s Pluralistic Education department brings Reform Judaism to the heart of formal and informal classrooms of students in Israel and North American Jewish schools. The program’s goal is to educate Israeli youth, educators and their families in the fields of pluralistic Judaism and inspire them to engage with their local Reform congregations and youth movements. IMPJ’s Yachdav program pairs classrooms in Jewish schools in Israel with the diaspora enabling an authentic, experiential connection. Domim partnerships exist with North American Reform congregations where connections between Philadelphia and Israeli congregations can occur through virtual events and (after COVID) reciprocal visits by Israeli/Philadelphia Rabbi, delegations and so forth.
The Jewish Agency for Israel
Nativ ($20,000)
Nativ is The Jewish Agency’s signature Jewish and Zionist identity-building and conversion program for soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) who have Jewish roots but are not recognized as Jewish according to halacha (Jewish law). The Nativ course offers an immersive curriculum that operates at two sites concurrently – Zichron Yaakov and the Kiryat Moriah campus in Jerusalem – every six weeks. Soldiers live and study together in small groups, learning about Jewish values, culture, history, observance, among other topics. Educational tours throughout the year give soldiers the opportunity to experience the curriculum firsthand. For those who express interest, instructors outline the conversion process and provide practical assistance.
Machon Ha`chagim
Asif Israeli Holidays ($35,000)
The program creates and strengthens Jewish culture and identity within the family unit by providing meaningful holiday content both online and through activity kits delivered to the home. Leading up to the holiday, the project offers content that ushers in the atmosphere through knowledge, background, and preparations. On the eve of the holiday, Asif provides suggestions for content to be used around the holiday table including greetings, poems, reading passages and conversational content. Over the holiday, ideas are shared for passing the time together such as games for the whole family, stories for reading together and suggestions for family conversation.
Masorti
Jewish Pluralism Watch ($20,000)
This program monitors state and religious issues in the Knesset to create a more pluralistic Israeli society. Staff provide workshops in Hebrew locally and in English for international groups to improve understanding of religion and state issues in Israel. Knesset Study Tours create opportunities for meetings with parliament aides, Members of the Knesset (MKs) and partner organizations. Jewish Pluralism Watch tracks queries from MKs on issues of state and religion and solutions proposed by relevant Ministers. They then advocate for appropriate legislation and build relationships to assist in advocacy.
Merchavim Chevra Lechinuch Vetarbut/BINA
Beer Sheva Secular Yeshiva ($15,000)
BINA established the Beer Sheva Secular Yeshiva (BSSY) as part of an effort to bring the Jewish Renaissance and Yahadut Yisraelit (Israeli Judaism) to new populations in the socio-geographic periphery who had not previously had access to this. Pluralistic holiday events and community Kabbalat Shabbat activities are key program components that feature collaborations between local groups and organizations. Every event combines pluralistic exploration of Jewish sources, artistic creation and expression and social encounter. Holiday events are celebrated in venues such as galleries, theaters, pubs, community centers and open spaces to reach as many residents as possible in their neighborhoods.
Reut Group – from Vision to Reality
Jewish Peoplehood Task Force ($20,000)
The Israeli Jewish Peoplehood Coalition enhances opportunities for engagement between Jewish communities around the world and Israel. They provide online and offline events, workshops, training sessions and seminars for professionals in the field and leaders in Israeli society. Reut also empowers key organizations through a strategic structural process based on an in-house methodology as well as maintaining ongoing support of the current and next Ministry of Diaspora and establishing a consultation mechanism between Israel and World Jewry.
Security & Resilience (includes Legacy Partners) ($1,410,000)
Grantee programs run through legacy institutions (i.e., JDC, JAFI and JFNA) or those that support individuals in geographic areas which need additional resources for community stability.
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Inc. (JDC)
Core Funding (can be used for any purpose at the organization) ($600,000)
JDC was founded to help those in distress overseas. All efforts are guided by a mission which may be summed up through the mnemonic, “3 R’s,” rescue, relief, and renewal. Rescue is the maintenance of global networks that are ready to respond to humanitarian crises as they happen. Relief is the material support of vulnerable individuals while ensuring that relief programs reflect needs, as well as the growth of local resources. Renewal is the Jewish life services in resource-poor communities that keep the community alive through generations. As communities approach self- sustainability in each area, JDC’s role transitions to technical assistance, and ultimately phases out of operations.
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Inc. (JDC)
FSU Elderly Humanitarian Assistanceome ($100,000)
JDC’s comprehensive care services enable vulnerable Jewish pensioners to live in dignity and meet their most basic needs, while mitigating social isolation and loneliness. Services include homecare and assistance, food packages and hot lunches at day centers, medical support, financial assistance with winter utility bills, minor home repairs, one-time emergency grants for urgent or unexpected expenses, and social programs to combat loneliness and stimulate intellectual and emotional well-being.
Israel Trauma Coalition for Response and Preparedness (ITC)
Promoting Occupational Resilience ($40,000)
ITC provides psychosocial services to individuals, families and communities to develop resilience to economic insecurity and potential homelessness. This program’s services include training of non-profit staff and field volunteers, provision of direct workshops for the unemployed, and identification and provision of individual treatment for those in need of further specialized care. Nonprofit staff and field volunteers are trained in the identification of trauma, provision of emotional first aid and personal and professional coping skills in order to better help their clients. Workshops for the unemployed strengthen personal and occupational resilience via helpful skills, knowledge and tips about how people can be more resilient both during this current crisis and at future employment.
The Jewish Agency for Israel
Core Allocation (can be used for any purpose at the organization ($610,000)
The Jewish Agency fosters connections among the global Jewish family, bringing Jews to Israel, and Israel to Jews, by providing meaningful Israeli engagement and facilitating aliyah. They play a leading role in energizing young Israelis and their worldwide peers to rediscover a collective sense of Jewish purpose. The Jewish Agency is also the Jewish world’s first responder, prepared to address emergencies in Israel, and to rescue Jews from countries where they are at risk.
Tozeret Ha’aretz
Tozeret Ha’aretz in the Negev ($35,000)
This program aims to build a stronger and more resilient region in the Negev area by attracting young activists and providing better services. They operate five young communities in the Negev area (Kiryat Malachi, Rahat, Sderot, Netivot, and Kibbutz Nahal Oz) and a new community in Ale Negev – Daniel. Young students are offered scholarships in academic institutions while completing weekly hours of community volunteering, and then encouraged to build their life in the Negev area after graduation.
United Hatzalah of Israel
Securing and Saving Lives in Israel’s Southern Region ($25,000)
This program funds two EMT training courses to enhance southern volunteer medic teams. Appropriate volunteer candidates are trained in accordance with Ministry of Health requirements (six months, 180 hours). Upon graduation, each volunteer receives advanced medical and communication equipment, which they keep close at hand at all times. To familiarize graduates with less-common procedures, communication with dispatch, incident reporting and other policies, new volunteers undergo an induction period of 100 supervised emergency calls, before becoming fully-fledged United Hatzalah medics.
Partnership2Gether Region (P2G) Netivot/Sdot Negev-Philadelphia ($385,000)
Grantee programs that support and connect individuals and communities in the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s Partnership2Gether regions of Netivot and Sdot Negev.
The Jewish Agency for Israel
Partnership2Gether (P2G) Netivot/Sdot Negev-Philadelphia ($360,000)
The goal of P2G is to be the living bridge for the promotion, empowerment, education and development of our communities and serve as a compass for our mutual engagement and Jewish identity. P2G, Philadelphia Netivot Sdot Negev (PNSN), focuses on projects related to Jewish identity, community development and economic development as a way to strengthen the periphery of Israel, particularly those in the Negev and around the Gaza strip.
The Jewish Federations of North America
Negev Now Network ($25,000)
The Coalition was founded in 2011 as a by-product of the Negev Work Group that evaluated the most effective ways in which the Jewish Federations of North America can contribute to the development and advancement of the region. Currently, ten Jewish Federations are working with Israeli government ministries and other community institutions to address the region’s significant challenges through joint funding of strategic high-impact projects. Each member of the Coalition has an equal representation and takes an active role in the decision-making process.
