GRANT MAKING OVERVIEW AND APPLICATIONS
The Jewish Community Foundation of Greater MetroWest NJ (JCF) is proud to support our community by making grants to qualified 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations running programs in New Jersey and Israel.
Innovations Grant Funding
The Innovations Fund is sponsored by JCF in conjunction with all 19 Wexner Heritage Program graduates, from the most recent Greater MetroWest cohort. The graduates agreed to a three-year commitment of $150,000 in personal gifts to support collaborative and innovative philanthropy. This inspiring move by emerging leaders leveraged a match of additional $300,0000 over the next three years from a Grants Committee of JCF, Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ’s endowment and planned giving arm and largest community foundation in NJ.
The Innovations Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater MetroWest NJ (JCF) is thrilled to announce its first multi-year grantees. These projects were selected for their innovative Jewish engagement solutions to expand Greater MetroWest’s inclusiveness and foster meaningful Jewish connections with community members who do not feel engaged.
The Innovations Fund recently approved the following three-year grants.
Amount: $150,000
Description: Honeymoon Israel (HMI) provides immersive trips to Israel for locally based cohorts of couples that have at least one Jewish partner, early in their committed relationship, creating communities of couples who are building families with deep and meaningful connections to Jewish life and the Jewish people. The trip will create bonds between 20 local couples and a local rabbi and educator. Recruiting couples from the same geographic proximity allows alumni to maintain their connections, participate in follow-up programming, and build community. The first Greater MetroWest HMI experience will take place in Fall 2019
Target Audience: HMI targets couples with at least one Jewish partner aged 25-40, in the first five years of their marriage or committed partnership. HMI’s focus is on selecting couples most on the fringes of Jewish life and nationally includes upward of 70% participants from interfaith couples and 8% LGBTQ couples. HMI seeks to build a diverse group of participants that reflects the demographics of the Greater MetroWest community.
Visit Their Website: www.honeymoonisrael.org
Amount: $120,000
Description: JHub Connectors of Greater MetroWest’s mission is to connect interfaith and LGBTQ families with young children to one another to create more intimate relationships and increase Jewish communal engagement. JHub will begin by connecting interfaith and LGBTQ families through the positioning of 2 JHub Connectors who identify as Jewish interfaith and/or LGBTQ parents raising Jewish children ages 6 and under. The JHub Connectors will develop local social networks and provide openings for meaningful Jewish experiences. Two leading national organizations that provide support for LGBTQ and interfaith families — InterfaithFamily and Keshet — will partner with JHub for training and support for the Connectors and other local community professionals. JHub is a project of Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ.
Target Audience: JHub targets families who identify as LGBTQ and/or interfaith (with one Jewish parent) with children ages 6 and under within Montclair and South Orange/Maplewood. After the initial year, JHub plans to spread its success to communities in Morris and Union counties.
The Innovations Fund is a project of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater MetroWest’s Center for Strategic Philanthropy. The Center for Strategic Philanthropy helps individuals and families bring their charitable vision to life. We support thoughtful and impactful philanthropy while providing a unique focus on Jewish values and community. Last year, JCF donor-advised fundholders made 4,000 grant recommendations, 70% which went to Jewish organizations in our community and abroad.
Jewish organizations can also apply for grants from Iris Teen Tzedekah, a program of JCF and Federation's JTEEN. Contact Yoni Glatt, Coordinator of Jewish Service Learning, via email yglatt@jfedgmw.org or at (973) 929-2975.
Organizations working to aid seniors, advance eldercare programs and those that care for them may be eligible for support through the Grotta Fund.
The Jewish Women's Foundation of NJ makes grants to help non-profits work collaboratively and strategically to empower women and girls, address their critical needs and improve their quality of life.
The Ness Fund makes grants to improve economic development in Israel’s Negev region, with an emphasis on attracting and maintaining a strong young adult population throughout the region.
Scholarships are available for individuals. Support for Jewish overnight camp may be available from www.onehappycampernj.org. Individuals may also receive interest-free loans from Hebrew Free Loan of NJ. Individuals may receive scholarship grants to study in Israel at Alexander Muss High School. Contact Yoni Glatt, Director of JTEEN at yglatt@jfedgmw.org or (973) 929-2975.
Questions? Need Additional Information?
Please contact a JCF professional by calling (973) 929-3113.