The Jim Joseph Foundation has begun to forge significant partnerships with deserving grantees. These grantee organizations’ implementation of their own strategic plans enable JJF to advance its mission by funding initiatives that hold tremendous potential for inspiring Jewish youth to live Jewishly.

JJF Directors awarded 11.2 million dollars to the Foundation for Jewish Camping (FJC) at the Foundation’s July 6^th Board Meeting. The grant supports a residential camp incentive program for 11 to 13 year olds. The initiative provides two years of financial support for first time campers who reside in the western part of the United States – a region offering the greatest potential for increasing enrollment at sleep away Jewish camps.

Concurrently, JJF and FJC will extend our conversation on R&D of Jewish specialty camps. This represents another key component of FJC’s strategic plan and a potentially golden opportunity for the Foundation. FJC’s research suggests that as many as 10,000 Jewish youth currently not attending Jewish camps could be attracted to residential specialty camps.

The Foundation’s work with BBYO is proceeding on schedule as BBYO prepares to launch its JJF- funded youth Professionals Initiative. Our most recent collaboration brought us together with BTW Informing Change, the evaluation firm that has been engaged in the very earliest stages of this initiative’s design and development. BTW is assisting us in framing relevant, researchable questions that will yield valuable information for both BBYO and JJF Boards. I expect to make the theory of change guiding this Initiative available on the website in the very near future.

JJF has granted over four million dollars to birthright israel. We are now focused on birthright’s follow-up activities with its alumni in Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington DC. birthright is tailoring its engagement programs to the various communities, each being as distinctive as it is, even as it works on creating signature programs that will give the more than 100,000 birthright participants a chance to celebrate their common Jewish bonds.

The three collaborations described above are among several the Foundation is developing. We are also beginning to construct a research agenda for the Board of Director’s review. This website, which has been updated, provides you more information on other JJF grant making. Please take a close look at our Frequently Asked Questions. The FAQ section of the website details how we go about inviting grant proposals and working in tandem with potential grantees.

The Foundation’s exploration and study of education of U.S. youth in multiple settings – day schools, congregations, arts and culture programs, supplementary schools, youth philanthropy, Jewish service programs, etc. – is ongoing and sustained (please see relevant research released by the field in each of these important areas). It is remarkable to us that rarely a week that passes without our learning of another potential opportunity to invest JJF’s philanthropic resources in pursuit of its mission, vision, and goals.