Program areas at Jewish Community Foundation of the Jewish Federation Council of Greater La
To fulfill our charitable mission, the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles operates grant programs that support numerous nonprofit causes locally, nationally, and internationally in both the Jewish community and in the greater community at large. Two examples are below: (A) Cutting Edge Grants In 2022, The Foundation awarded $2.5 million in Cutting Edge Grants to 10 organizations focused on seeding and growing innovative programs in the Los Angeles Jewish community. The programs receiving funding reach a broad range of ages and stages of life and address a wide array of issue areas including antisemitism, Israel and Holocaust education, mental health, Jewish teen engagement, and reaching diverse communities as well as vulnerable populations. For example, The Foundation provided a $230,000 grant to Jews of Color Initiative to launch the "LA Incubator," a 16-month cohort-based leadership development program designed to support the growth of Jews of Color-led and Jews of Color-serving projects or programs in LA. The program seeks to create a more multiracial, multiethnic, and inclusive LA Jewish life; and innovate how the Jewish communal landscape supports the leadership growth and professional development of Jews of Color. (B) Israel Grants The Foundation awarded approximately $2.5 million in grants last year to 10 organizations in Israel focused on strengthening Jewish engagement and advancing economic development. Funding to recipient organizations support a range of populations and programs, including tech training for Druze women and ultra-Orthodox men, workforce programs for youth on the autism spectrum, transition support for young adults seeking to leave ultra-Orthodox communities, and engagement of Russian-speaking immigrants, among other groups. For example, The Foundation provided a $300,000 grant to Jewish Brain in High-Tech (JBH) to support the entry of Haredi men into the high-tech workforce by providing high-quality training in computer science, software development, mathematics and English. By strengthening its flagship program and expanding its pilot programs, JBH will bring more ultra-Orthodox men into the high-tech workforce every year while helping them maintain their religious commitments. Grantmaking Through Endowment Funds Grants are also provided via endowment funds that The Foundation manages. An endowment fund is created by someone for one or more charitable purposes, and it becomes a permanent legacy that provides annual support to a cause or organization. These include: *Permanent Legacy Fund - An endowment fund that supports The Foundation's annual grants programs described above. *Field of Interest Fund - Through this endowment fund, donors may designate general causes or fields of interest that they wish to support. The Foundation ensures their charitable intentions are fulfilled, even after the donors themselves are no longer living. *Restricted or Designated Fund - This is an endowment fund that supports one or more specific nonprofit organizations.