Associated Jewish Charities of Baltimore
/OVERVIEW: The Associated Jewish Charities of Baltimore supports Jewish causes in the Baltimore area and beyond. Limited grantmaking supports non-Jewish education, health and arts and culture, mainly in central Maryland communities.
IP TAKE: This funder conducts grantmaking at both the local and national levels, but follow their directions closely to qualify. This funder accepts grant applications for Jewish and Hebrew education programs in the Baltimore area via its Jacob and Hilda Blaustein Fund for the Enrichment of Jewish Education. For it’s national giving, grantseekers will likely have to network with the federations leadership or the donors who advise over 400 funds that the organization oversees. In spite of this, Jewish and/or human services organizations in Baltimore have a good chance of securing funding from this source. This is an approachable, but bureaucratic giver that takes a while to process requests for proposals given it’s competitive giving space.
PROFILE: Also known as the Associated Jewish Federation of Baltimore, the Associated Jewish Charities of Baltimore was established in 1920, when two separate organizations, the Federated Jewish Charities and the United Hebrew Charities, joined together to better serve the Baltimore area’s growing Jewish population. Through grantmaking and a broad range of other programs, the federation “strengthens and nurtures Jewish life by engaging and supporting community partners in Greater Baltimore, Israel and around the world.” The Associated Jewish Federation currently oversees about 400 donor advised funds and foundations, making grants to Jewish and non-Jewish organizations in the areas of religion, education, health, humans services and more.
Grants for Jewish Causes
Jewish causes represent the charities’ largest giving area. Locally, the charities run several signature programs, including CHANA, which provides “a Jewish response” to victims of abuse in the Baltimore area, and Jewish Community Services, which provides a broad range of services to young, elderly and other people in need. In K-12 education, the charities support the Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School and the Krieger Schecter Day School and run camps and other youth development program for the Jewish community. The charities also make grants for religious and Hebrew education programs in the Baltimore area via the Jacob and Hilda Blaustein Fund for the Enrichment of Jewish Education. In higher education, the charities run Hillels at several area colleges and universities, including Goucher college, Johns Hopkins University, Towson University and University of Maryland campuses at Baltimore and College Park.
Outside of the Baltimore area, the Associated Jewish Federation supports a range of Jewish organizations that work nationally and internationally to support Jewish communities and causes. National grantees include the Jewish Federations of North America, the National Conference of Synagogue Youth and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. The federation’s international work includes two partnerships with foreign cities: the Baltimore-Ashkelon Partnership and the Baltimore-Odessa Partnership. Through both programs, the federation runs human services, education, cultural and exchange programs. Ongoing support has also gone to large international Jewish organizations including the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, PEF Israel Endowment Funds, the Jewish Agency for Israel and World ORT, a global Jewish education network. Smaller grants have gone to U.S.-based organizations that support specific projects and schools in Israel, including the American Associates of Ben Gurion University, the American Friends of Kiryat Sanz Laniado Hospital and the American Friends of the Center for Jewish Arab Education in Israel.
Grants for Higher Education
Recent tax filings indicate significant support for a range of U.S. colleges and universities, although the charities do not name specific priorities for its giving in this area. Recent funding has supported Johns Hopkins University, Brown University, Syracuse University and Haverford College.
Grants for Public Health
Public health is a smaller area of giving for this funder, but the charities steadily support a handful of recipients working in the area of health, both locally and in other parts of the U.S. Grantees include Baltimore’s Sinai Hospital, the Mount Washington Pediatric Hospital, Good Samaritan Hospital, the Boston Medical Center and the American Heart Association.
Grants for Arts and Culture
The Associated Jewish Charities of Baltimore’s grantmaking for arts and culture mainly supports Baltimore-based organizations and venues. Ongoing support has gone to the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Art with a Heart, Young Audiences of Maryland, the Baltimore Museum of Art and the American Visionary Art Museum. Outside of Maryland, the federation has supported Maine’s Portland Stage Company and the Martha’s Vineyard Museum.
Grants for Baltimore County
Each year, the Associated Jewish Charities make grants to Baltimore area organizations working with people in need in local communities, as well as initiatives to improve and develop underserved areas. In a recent year, grants supported the Maryland Family Network, the Baltimore Civic Fund, the Living Classrooms Foundation, the Pact Helping Children with Special Needs, the Enoch Pratt Free Library of Baltimore City and the United Way of Central Maryland.
Important Grant Details:
Through proprietary and donor-advised grantmaking, the Associated Jewish Charities of Baltimore gave away over $30 million in a recent year. Grants generally ranged from $5,000 to $500,000, with an average grant size of about $25,000. Funding strongly prioritizes Jewish organizations and the Baltimore, Maryland area, with grantees ranging from international Jewish organizations, to small local schools and outreach programs serving Jewish and other communities in greater Baltimore. For additional information about past grants, see the organization’s recent giving page or its tax filings.
This funder accepts applications for funding for Jewish education programs in the Baltimore area via its Jacob and Hilda Blaustein Fund for the Enrichment of Jewish Education. Guidelines and due dates are updated frequently on the program’s webpage. The charities do not appear to accept applications for other grantmaking programs but accepts grant recommendations from donors via an online form. For general inquiries, the federation may be contacted via email or telephone at 410-369-9339.
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