Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles
/OVERVIEW: This prominent L.A. funder supports both Jewish and secular causes through its grantmaking. Funding priorities include education, human services, education, Jewish causes, arts and culture, and civic life.
IP TAKE: JCFLA is a major funder for Jewish causes in Los Angeles. While this funder keeps its grants close to home, 990s show grants made all across the U.S. - predominately for Jewish causes. However, the best opportunity for secular nonprofits in Los Angeles is JCFLA’s General Community Grants program. This is a rapidly growing foundation with more donors contributing each year, which translates into more grant funds flowing to Los Angeles groups and others. It also make grants abroad to organizations conducting work in Israel. This is an accessible and transparent funder that welcomes contact even after it has closed opportunities for the year.
PROFILE: The Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles was established in 1954 and manages assets for over 1,200 families. This funder is often considered one of the 10 largest foundations in Los Angeles. Between 1990 and 2015, the foundation distributed over $1 billion in grants to nonprofits. The Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles makes a wide range of grants that include General Community Grants, Israel, Next stage, Reimagine Grants, Capital Grants and Cutting Edge Grants.
Grants for Jewish Causes and Los Angeles
Most of JCFLA’s grantmaking programs focus on some aspect of Jewish life and culture. As a community foundation, this funder prioritizes the city in which it is headquartered; however, 990s show that it has given to organizations in other state across the U.S. that support work in Israel or some aspect of Jewish culture and life in a significant way. It is unclear, however, how organizations not based in Los Angeles can qualify for a grant, but grantseekers can contact the Foundation to learn more.
Recent grantmaking has focused on supporting the Judaic faith, Jewish education, Jewish nonprofit development support, human services, health, human rights, and to a lesser extent, arts and culture. Each year, the foundation chooses a different special interest area, such as homelessness, financial literacy, domestic violence or early childhood education. While grantmaking can evolves quickly at this community foundation, some of the Foundation’s programs include:
Cutting Edge Grants support “innovative programs that build a vibrant and inclusive LA Jewish community, equipped to meet the needs and opportunities of the future.”
Grants range from $100,000 - $300,000 total, distributed over a two to three-year period.
Interested grantseekers must first attend a Grantseekers’ Workshop, but the program has temporarily paused. Check back often to see if this has changed.
General Community Grants serve the “Los Angeles Community at large,” and reflect the Foundation's commitment to “tikkun olam ("repairing the world").” The Foundation focuses on a new high-priority concern in Los Angeles each year.
Funded topics include, but are not limited to: Older Adult Poverty, Education Equity, Addressing Homelessness, Pathways Out of Poverty through Social Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, Survivors of Human Trafficking, Foster Youth, Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention and Support, Early Childhood Development
This grant opportunity is by invitation only.
Israel Grants seek to “support meaningful initiatives that embrace Israel’s vibrant, diverse landscape and create significant impact on Israeli society.” The Foundation supports projects and initiatives working in one of two areas:
Economic Development: Organization/program uses “innovative techniques to improve the well-being of one or more vulnerable populations by providing access to opportunities for economic growth.”
Jewish Engagement: Organization/program works to “support Israeli Jews in their exploration of, and relationship to, Judaism, inclusive of a diverse variety of beliefs and expressions.”
Next Stage Grants are “capacity building grants, designed to support a dynamic and thriving Los Angeles Jewish community by strengthening the internal and operational capacity of local Jewish nonprofits.”
Grants range from $150,000 - $300,000 total, distributed over a three-year period.
Applicants must be an LA-based Jewish nonprofit that has 501c3 status and an annual operating budget of $500,000 – $15 million.
This opportunity requires attending the Grantseekers’ Workshop.
Reimagine Grants supported Jewish nonprofit and synagogue initiatives developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, this program is in flux.
Capital Grants supports “construction of new facilities, renovations, and upgrades to existing buildings of Los Angeles Jewish institutions.”
Capital Grants are not awarded for routine building repairs or equipment purchase.
Important Grant Details:
This funder’s grants range from a few thousand to over a million; however, most grants range between $5,000 and $500,000.
While this funder closes grant opportunities once it has received enough applications, it reopens grant opportunities typically at the beginning of the new year, which will be reflected on their website.
Grant seekers can learn about JCFLA grantees in the foundation’s grants database and search by interest area, year, and grant type.
Keep up with recent happenings on the foundation’s publications and press page.
Grantseekers interested in contacting the organization may email Sara Hahn, Senior Program Officer, at shahn@jewishfoundationla.org.
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