{"id":16884,"date":"2025-01-02T09:28:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-02T17:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/\/?page_id=16884"},"modified":"2025-09-11T08:19:06","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T15:19:06","slug":"jewish-funders","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/jewish-funders","title":{"rendered":"Grants for Jewish Causes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-container gb-block-container\"><div class=\"gb-container-inside\"><div class=\"gb-container-content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover is-light\" style=\"min-height:151px;aspect-ratio:unset;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-16807\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/funding-guide-banner-blue-dots-1.png\" data-object-fit=\"cover\"\/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-0 has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b02d950263db8a068823d67ceb42e843\" style=\"color:#484848;font-size:42px\">Grants for Jewish Causes<\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"intro-box has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebeeeb\">Learn about grants for Jewish causes and nonprofits by exploring the curated list of top Jewish funders below. Members can also research funding opportunities using the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/grantfinder-search\"><strong>search tool <\/strong><\/a>for GrantFinder. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/membership\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Become a member.<\/strong><\/a><strong> <\/strong>Members can find additional profiles that intersect with Jewish funding on IP\u2019s other pages: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/grants-immigrants-refugees\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">grants for refugees<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/grants-for-violence-prevention\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">violence prevention<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-columns gb-layout-columns-1 one-column gb-background-auto gb-background-no-repeat\" style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/bg-radiant-dots-shortest.png);background-position:50% 0%\"><div class=\"gb-layout-column-wrap gb-block-layout-column-gap-0 gb-is-responsive-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-column gb-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"gb-block-layout-column-inner\" style=\"padding-top:20px\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-columns gb-layout-columns-2 gb-2-col-wideright\" style=\"padding-top:60px;padding-right:30px;padding-bottom:6px;background-position:80% 0%\"><div class=\"gb-layout-column-wrap gb-block-layout-column-gap-2 gb-is-responsive-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-column ip-gf-key-funders-box gb-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"gb-block-layout-column-inner\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Key Funders<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list key-funders-list\">\n<li>Jewish Federations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Jewish Community Foundations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/j-grants\/shimon-ben-joseph-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Shimon Ben (Jim) Joseph Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/grants-a\/adelson-family-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Adelson Family Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/grants-d\/william-davidson-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">William Davidson Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-s\/schusterman-family-philanthropies\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"136032\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/grants-w\/wexner-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wexner Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/rgrants\/righteous-persons-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Righteous Persons Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/grants-c\/nathan-cummings-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Nathan Cummings Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-k\/klarman-family-foundation\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"135636\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Klarman Family Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/ugrants\/united-jewish-appeal-federation-of-new-york\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">United Jewish Appeal &#8211; Federation of New York<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/j-grants\/jewish-communal-fund\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jewish Communal Fund<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/grants-o\/ojc-fund\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Ojc Fund<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>United Jewish Foundation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/j-grants\/jewish-community-foundation-of-los-angeles\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-c\/crown-family-philanthropies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Crown Family Philanthropies<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-column gb-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"gb-block-layout-column-inner\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\"><strong>Funding Trends for Jewish Causes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"yui_3_17_2_1_1726333363793_1021\">Funders of Jewish causes and nonprofits \u2014 and the organizations they give to \u2014 are diverse in terms of type, giving capacity and politics. According to Jack Wertheimer, writing in a <a href=\"https:\/\/avichai.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Giving-Jewish-Jack-Wertheimer.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">study<\/a> for the Avi Chai Foundation titled \u201cGiving Jewish: How Big Funders Have Transformed American Jewish Philanthropy,\u201d many funders that give to Jewish causes tend to support more \u201cuniversal\u201d causes, while Jewish giving represents only a portion of their philanthropy. In their <a href=\"https:\/\/jumpstartlabs.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/ConnectedToGive1_KeyFindings_Jumpstart2014_v1.3.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a> \u201cConnected to Give: Key Findings from the National Study of American Jewish Giving,\u201d Jumpstart Labs echoes a similar sentiment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Precisely enumerating the scope of present-day grantmaking for Jewish causes is difficult, but by any measure, it is substantial. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jewishfederations.org\/about-jfna\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jewish federations<\/a> \u2014 communal giving organizations \u2014 collectively rank among the top 10 charities in the United States. In the same 2018 <a href=\"https:\/\/avichai.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Giving-Jewish-Jack-Wertheimer.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a> by the Avi Chai Foundation, \u201croughly\u201d estimated total giving to Jewish causes in the U.S. and Israel amounted to about $5.5 to 6 billion annually. Many in the field say giving has grown since then, with significant rises in giving in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the war on Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>History and traditions of Jewish Philanthropy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Jewish philanthropy has a deep <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org\/the-history-of-jewish-philanthropy-in-america\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">history<\/a>, rooted in both religious and secular traditions. Several foundational ideas form the cornerstones of Jewish giving: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.learningtogive.org\/resources\/jewish-philanthropy-concept-tzedakah\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tzedakah<\/a> (charitable giving as a form of righteous behavior connected to social justice), which was described in the ancient texts of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sefaria.org\/topics\/tzedakah?sort=Relevance&amp;tab=sources\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Torah and the Talmud<\/a>; tikkun olam (repairing the world); ma\u2019aser (tithing); and gemach (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jfla.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">free-loan funds<\/a> that provide interest-free loans to community members in need).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">In the 19th and early 20th centuries in the United States, Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe supported one another via mutual aid societies known as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cjh.org\/pdfs\/Landsmanschaftn.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Landsmanschaftn<\/a>. Then came Jewish <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jewishfederations.org\/about-jfna\/jfna-history-and-predecessors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">federations<\/a>, a type of community foundation that has been core to American Jewish communities for more than a century and that has influenced American charitable giving more broadly.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-container foundation-list gb-block-container\"><div class=\"gb-container-inside\"><div class=\"gb-container-content\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Communal Giving: Jewish federations, community foundations, &amp; giving circles<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Addressing a wide range of priorities, grants for Jewish causes often invest in direct services for community members, Jewish education, combating antisemitism, support for the state of Israel and Israeli organizations, and\/or support for Jewish religious institutions. While a lot of giving in this sector happens locally \u2014 e.g., to local Jewish federations as well as to Jewish schools, synagogues and community organizations \u2014 substantial global grantmaking occurs for Jewish causes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!-- Non-displaying inline paywall marker. Editors: please keep this code block. Position this block before the first full-width paragraph or just above the foundations list heading. -->\n<div id=\"ipInlineOffer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Jewish federations\u2019 model of \u201cfederated giving\u201d \u2013 raising funds from community members via a campaign and then distributing those funds to nonprofits and people in need across the community \u2013 inspired the early-20th-century American charitable movement of Community Chests, which became what we know today as the United Way. Originally organized around an annual appeal, Jewish federations meet needs across the local community while also providing humanitarian relief around the world. Today, there are 146 federations and more than 300 smaller communities within the national network <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jewishfederations.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jewish Federations of North America<\/a>, which collectively raise and distribute more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jewishfederations.org\/about-jfna\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$2 billion<\/a> annually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In some communities, the local Jewish federation hosts donor-advised funds, while in others, a separate Jewish community foundation hosts DAFs. Federations and community foundations conduct their own grantmaking, and a substantial amount of grantmaking for Jewish causes also happens through the DAFs these institutions host. For instance, the Jewish Communal Fund <a href=\"https:\/\/jcfny.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/02\/2022-JCF-Giving-Report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reports<\/a> that fundholders made more than 58,000 grants to Jewish organizations, totaling more than $329 million in 2022 alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jewish giving circles offer a smaller scale of funding. After women\u2019s giving circles, Jewish giving circles were the second-most common type of identity-based <a href=\"https:\/\/whatisagivingcircle.com\/2\/?utm_campaign=origin&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_source=johnson_center\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">giving circle<\/a> in the United States in <a href=\"https:\/\/johnsoncenter.org\/blog\/how-a-study-on-giving-circles-led-to-the-launch-of-philanthropy-together\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2016<\/a>, according to a survey conducted by the Collective Giving Research Group. The network <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amplifiergiving.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Amplifier<\/a>, founded in 2014, reports that it helped launch 120 new Jewish giving circles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/home\/record-funding-for-hillel-amid-rising-campus-antisemitism\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hillel International<\/a>, the world&#8217;s largest Jewish campus organization, aims to serve as not only a safe haven for Jewish students or Jewish culture, but also works to raise funds for Jewish causes across hundreds of campuses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Gaps in Jewish grantmaking<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The future of giving for Jewish-focused organizations is a big concern. Many funders perceive younger generations as more focused on \u201cuniversal\u201d grantmaking and less concerned with preserving Jewish identity or education than their elders. In response, the <a href=\"https:\/\/jewishfuturepledge.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jewish Future Promise<\/a> asks donors to pledge that at least half of their planned giving will support the Jewish people and\/or the State of Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, funding for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/home\/2021\/3\/26\/facing-a-lack-of-support-this-funding-collaborative-backs-jewish-arts-and-culture\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jewish arts and culture<\/a> has been a lower priority among grantmakers than other areas of giving. In an effort to reverse this trend, the Jewish Funders Network created the <a href=\"https:\/\/bycanvas.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Canvas<\/a> initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Between the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war, it\u2019s unclear how Jewish funding will evolve. \u201cWe don\u2019t know where things are going to fall,\u201d Andr\u00e9s Spokoiny, president and CEO of the Jewish Funders Network, said in a 2022 <a href=\"https:\/\/jewishfuturepledge.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">interview<\/a> for Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Along with rising antisemitism, funding for Jewish causes have been transforming quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Evolving Jewish giving<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Funders of Jewish causes have increased their giving in recent years, especially in response to emergencies or \u201cJewish rescue.\u201d Giving increased to support the community amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first year of the war on Ukraine, Jewish federations raised <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jewishfederations.org\/fedworld\/jewish-federations-release-impact-of-85m-in-ukraine-aid-432298\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$85 million<\/a> for humanitarian aid and relief for Ukrainians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Grantmakers in this space are also joining their peers from across philanthropy in order to advance equity. Typically an overlooked area of Jewish giving, more funders are working to address <a href=\"https:\/\/ejewishphilanthropy.com\/a-new-model-for-funding-israel-emphasizes-diversity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">diversity<\/a> by looking at concerns related to classism, ableism, racism and sexism, among other concerns, in Jewish philanthropy. For example, funders including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-s\/schusterman-family-philanthropies\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"136032\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/grants-w\/harry-and-jeanette-weinberg-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation<\/a> have supported the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/home\/2021\/1\/21\/jews-of-color-initiative-builds-a-more-inclusive-jewish-community\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Jews of Color Initiative<\/a>, which makes grants to advance racial equity in the U.S. Jewish community. As well, the <a href=\"https:\/\/jewishlgbtqdonornetwork.org\/f\/jewish-lgbtq-donor-network-awards-150000-in-inaugural-grants\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jewish LGBTQ Donor Network<\/a> made inaugural grants in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another trend points to the increasing influence of individual megadonors in a field that was traditionally focused on communal giving. In the <a href=\"https:\/\/avichai.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Giving-Jewish-Jack-Wertheimer.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a> \u201cGiving Jewish,\u201d Jack Wertheimer concludes that \u201cfunds allocated by and through federations constitute roughly one-third of giving to Jewish causes, while giving by the largest 250 foundations interested in Jewish causes represents less than one-fifth of the total.\u201d But given how much donor-directed funding happens via DAFs held at federations, it\u2019s hard to know how much grantmaking is based on individuals\u2019 versus community priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Additional Resources for Jewish Philanthropy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to exploring funder profiles below, grant seekers may also find useful information from organizations such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jfunders.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jewish Funders Network<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/katz.sas.upenn.edu\/scholarly-programs\/collaborative-projects\/philanthropy-research-initiative\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jewish Philanthropy Research Initiative<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn about grants for Jewish causes and nonprofits by exploring the curated list of top Jewish funders below. Members can also research funding opportunities using the search tool for GrantFinder. Become a member. Members can find additional profiles that intersect with Jewish funding on IP\u2019s other pages: grants for refugees and violence prevention.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":470,"featured_media":0,"parent":13716,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":true,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-16884","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","5":"entry"},"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/470"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16884"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16884\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":224277,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16884\/revisions\/224277"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}