Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago
/OVERVIEW: The Jewish United Fund supports the Jewish community of the Chicagoland area, as well as the state of Israel, through programs promoting health, security, diversity, advocacy, and Jewish culture.
IP TAKE: The Jewish United Fund conducts all of its grantmaking through a Jewish lens. In the U.S., its giving is geographically restricted to Chicago, Illinois, and surrounding areas, but it also has a major presence in Israel. As one of the oldest charitable institutions in the country, this funder has a major presence in its giving area, but that doesn’t make it very accessible to new grantseekers.
While this funder does not maintain a searchable grants database, it frequently publishes reports and stories about its work in Chicago and Israel. However, it is clear that this is a proactive funder that prefers to pursue its own initiatives and partnerships. Outside of the Jewish Women’s Foundation, JUF does not provide any clear way for grantseekers to inquire about potential opportunities.
PROFILE: The Jewish United Fund, also called the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago or the Jewish Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago, was established in 1900 and has been serving the Jewish community of Chicago and Israel for over 120 years. The foundation is committed to “eradicating hunger, isolation and inequities, and uplifting all people to find health, harmony, unity, prosperity and peace.” The foundation’s work includes targeted grantmaking, donor advised funds, political advocacy and lobbying, humanitarian relief efforts, and the publication Jewish Chicago.
Its main Focus Areas are Health & Security, Israel & Overseas, Jewish Experiences, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, and Advocacy & Engagement.
Grants for Israel and Jewish Causes:
The Jewish United Fund’s grantmaking work is primarily concerned with the Jewish community of the Chicagoland area. At the most fundamental level, JUF supports basic needs human services programs for the Jewish community, such as food distribution, emergency financial support, and health care access.
JUF is also strongly committed to the security and safety of Jews in Chicago, especially considering “record levels” of anti-semitic rhetoric and violence in the U.S.
JUF supports over 80 Jewish institutions in the area, including “schools, synagogues, community centers, and camps” to with resources such as security audits and training, emergency preparedness plans, social media and internet monitoring, and grant assistance. JUF is “committed to strengthening Jewish knowledge and identity, and to building an unbreakable connection to community” for Chicagoland Jews of all ages.
The JUF Right Start program awards vouchers for children to attend Jewish preschools, while the Council for Jewish Elderly SeniorLife program provides outreach and community building for elderly Jews. JUF’s Advocacy & Engagement work supports “inspiring programs and life-enriching experiences that build community, continuity and connection,” such as TOV Network and Jewish Community Relations Council.
JUF also promotes Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion with programs that “embrace communities rooted in inclusion and respect, and stand strong to combat antisemitism, inequities and hate of any kind.” Such programs are supportive of queer and/or interfaith families, and Jews of all social and ethnic backgrounds.
JUF’s work in Israel has three main focus areas: People to People, Education, and Vulnerable Populations. Through the Partnership Together program, JUF “helps to connect the Chicago Jewish community with the Kiryat Gat, Lachish and Shafir communities” through activities such as school exchange programs and English-language summer camps.
It supports the Israeli education system through programs such as Sulamot, which includes teacher training and mentorship, after school programs for gifted students, and innovative learning approaches.
It also provides humanitarian support and human services to vulnerable populations in Israel, such as “children and youth at risk, women empowerment, the elderly, employment, new immigrants, Holocaust survivors, victims of terror and more.”
Recently, in light of the ongoing war in Israel, JUF has opened the Israel Emergency Fund, which has already raised over $40 million and so far distributed nearly $20 million in relief funds to provide relocation housing, food supplies, medical resources, trauma support, and other resources to victims of Hamas’s attacks.
Grants for Women
JUF conducts grantmaking for Jewish women and girls through the Jewish Women’s Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago, which aims to “improve opportunities and choices in all aspects of Jewish women and girls' lives through strategic and effective grantmaking.” The foundation prioritizes projects that promote social change by redefining and reframing issues, changing individual and community behavior, creating a critical mass of engagement, drive reform for systems and policies, and build upon the progress of earlier work. It has three main focus areas in the field of women’s issues:
Economic Security/Legal Reform: JWF funds organizations that “approach advocacy and legislation at a policy and/or systemic level” for issues such as economic empowerment, financial literacy, legislative advocacy, professional development, and equal representation.
Education/Leadership Development: JWF funds organizations that help women and girls “develop skills applicable to both professional and personal life,” such as Jewish community engagement, community building, mentoring, leadership development, community empowerment, and service-learning.
Health and Well-being: JWF supports organizations that promote health and healthy lifestyles, with a focus on health care access, domestic violence, sexual abuse, mental health, and screening and prevention programs.
Important Grant Details:
Grants generally range from $25,000 to $200,000. Grantseekers may review the foundation’s Annual Report for more information on its grantmaking activities.
JUF’s grantmaking primarily supports Jewish organizations in the Chicagoland area and Israel.
JUF conducts its grantmaking proactively and does not provide a way for grantseekers to submit unsolicited proposals or requests.
The Jewish Women’s Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago has one grant cycle per year. Letters of inquiry are typically due in May, while those invited to proceed must submit their final proposal by the August deadline.
Grantseekers may contact the foundation through its contact page for further inquiries.
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