How Does the Jewish Teen Foundation of Greater Boston Approach Philanthropy?
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Many local foundations in the Boston area prioritize giving to Jewish causes, including the Rita J. and Stanley H. Kaplan Foundation, the Kraft Family Foundation, the Klarman Family Foundation and the Sherry and Alan Leventhal Family Foundation. But to support the next generation of Jewish philanthropists in the city, the Jewish Teen Foundation of Greater Boston is getting young people outside these wealthy families involved and interested in charitable giving.
Here are some details about the Jewish Teen Foundation of Greater Boston (JTFGB) and how it operates on the Boston philanthropy scene.
The foundation’s beginnings
JTFGB dates back to 2015, when Laura Lauder and the Maimonides Fund provided initial funding to launch a youth philanthropy organization in Boston. It began as a foundation board incubator and project of Honeycomb, formerly known as the Jewish Teen Funder Network.
Today, JTFGB is a community-based program at Hebrew College that encourages teens to put their Jewish values to work in a group setting while setting them up for a lifetime of philanthropy and activism. The year-long program accepts students from different denominational backgrounds in the greater Boston area and allows them to allocate grants to causes they care about.
Recent JTFGB giving
Each year, JTFGB teens raise thousands of dollars from various donors to support their interest areas. The group's most recent interests were disaster relief and access to food and water. In the first eight years that JTFGB operated, it awarded 62 grants to organizations worldwide. Even though this is a Boston-based organization, the teen philanthropists have global interests and award grants worldwide.
Issues that have received funding in the past include everything from mental health, homelessness, environmental justice and gun violence to substance use disorders, educational inequity and child abuse. Foster care, veterans, domestic abuse, criminal justice and immigration are other past funding areas. Teens typically choose a new interest area to focus on each year. Past grantees include the New England Center for Homeless Veterans, Kadima Mental Health Resources and the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights.
Opportunities for youth
Jewish teens in grades nine through 12 are encouraged to apply to join JFTBG and learn about philanthropy, leadership and grantmaking. Hebrew College links to an online application for interested students on its website. The cost per student to participate is $575 annually, and financial aid is available for those who need it. The duration of the program runs from October to June.
Getting a grant from JTFGB
In the past, the foundation accepted applications on a rolling basis and had an online application system for grantseekers. But it seems that this policy has changed. JTFGB no longer publicly provides grantmaking guidelines or information about how groups can apply for grants.
Since the organization does not appear to accept unsolicited proposals, nonprofits should contact JTFGB’s director directly by phone or email to inquire about whether funding opportunities exist for new charitable programs. The foundation typically awards six to 10 grants per year. The grants are a mix of local, national and international awards to Jewish as well as non-Jewish organizations.
You can find information about additional funders that give locally on IP’s Boston and Massachusetts Grants for Nonprofits page.
