Violet Jabara Charitable Trust
/OVERVIEW: The Violet Jabara Charitable Trust makes grants to support community and economic development in the Middle East. It also funds efforts within the U.S. to positively impact American perceptions of the region.
IP TAKE: This funder is willing to take calculated funding risks to support novel and emerging approaches that may lead to successful efforts in fields of interest. According to the trust’s website, it prioritizes “smaller local organizations over large, global ones.” VJC is an open-minded and supportive funder that likes to work from the ground up.
The trust does not limit its funding to the above fields. Grant seekers whose work does not fall neatly within these categories are encouraged to contact the trust provided their projects support the trust’s mission on behalf of people in the Middle East, and toward greater understanding between cultures and countries.
PROFILE: Founded in 2007 by Dr. Linda Jacobs, the Violet Jabara Charitable Trust seeks to “help improve the lives of the people in countries of the Middle East and to foster greater understanding of Middle Eastern culture in the United States.” The trust memorializes Jacobs’s mother, Violet Jabara Jacobs. Jabara’s grantmaking includes international economic development, health, the environment, peace initiatives, microfinance, social entrepreneurship, education, reproductive health and women’s welfare.
Within its geographic focus areas, the trust gives the following countries priority: Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Palestine (Occupied Territories), Yemen, Egypt and North Africa. It will consider funding projects in other areas, such as the Persian Gulf, Sudan or Afghanistan; however, such countries are not given grantmaking precedence.
Grants for Women and Girls
While the Jabara Trust does not have a program specifically for women and girls, it does list reproductive health and women’s welfare as key funding interests.
Past grantees include FrontLine Defenders (USA) in support of its work with Middle Eastern human rights defenders and the Arab American Family Support Center, which received funding for “legal and psychological support for targeted minorities.” To learn more about Jabara grantees, examine the list of recent grants on its site.
Grants for Global Development and Global Security
While the trust does not have dedicated program areas, it does list international economic development as one of its funding interests. It includes subcategories related to Health, environmental issues, peace initiatives, microfinance, social entrepreneurship, and education within this space. Jabara prioritizes “non-traditional approaches to the challenge of sustainable development.”
Past global development grantees include Karam Foundation, for educational work with Syrian refugees in Turkey, and Youth Speak, for establishment of a free library in Kurdistan. Past global security grantees include Jewish Voice for Peace, which received funding for its outreach work and Frontline Defenders, which received a grant for its work supporting Middle Eastern human rights defenders. To learn more about Jabara grantees, examine the list of recent grants on its site.
Grants for the Arts and Humanities Research
In addition to supporting organizations and programs within the Middle East, Jabara also funds “American organizations which promote deeper understanding of Middle East issues and culture […] in the United States.” Funding here includes support for arts organizations (“for example, films, film series, art exhibitions, blogs or popular books”) and academic research. Grant seekers “must present a strong case that their projects will have a broad, positive and lasting impact on American attitudes towards the people or culture of the Middle East.”
Past arts grantees include Moise Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies, for an exhibition of poets and writers, Humpty Dumpty Institute, for DARST Kurdish Photography Archive Project, and Grey Art Gallery, for general support. To learn more about Jabara grantees, examine the list of recent grants on its site.
Important Grant Data:
Grant amounts typically range from $5,000 to $30,000. The Violet Jabara Charitable Trust accepts unsolicited letters of inquiry on a rolling basis. The trust invites those meeting its grantmaking criteria to submit full proposals.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
LINKS:
