By Sara Rosenbaum, Chief Philanthropy Officer
After a successful Federation Annual Campaign, which raised more than $3.4 million from community members, the Allocations Committee convened and allocated $1,9 million to support our local, regional, and international partners for another year.
The Allocations Committee continues to look at community allocations through the lens of Impact Areas. While many allocations will remain in place, the committee and Board want to ensure that our community dollars are reaching the places that will do the most benefit, meet the needs of our community, and have the greatest IMPACT!
The Committee reviewed all applications received this year through the lens of specific Impact Areas that were defined by the Allocations Committee with input from the JCFR Board of Directors. The Impact Areas were as follows.
ALLOCATIONS IMPACT DEFINITIONS
- Jewish Connectivity, Identity & Engagement: Connecting the unaffiliated and under-affiliated to our community. Ensuring all are aware of the vast programs the community offers, with a pathway to building connections and engagement.
- Jewish Education: Provide opportunities for Jewish learning across lifespans (inclusive of children, youth, students, adults, families, and seniors) both formally and informally. Offer multiple approaches to education, including but not limited to religion, heritage, history, culture, society, and/or civilization.
- Jewish Caring: Basic care and looking out for others. Providing support to the Jewish community who are most at risk/most vulnerable, across all age groups.
- Security/Antisemitism: Integrated into all we do in the community, funding to combat antisemitism programming and additional security needs to supplement the federal and state grants.
- Cultural Exchange/Outreach: Supporting programs and agencies that strive to connect our community with non-faith-based (secular) organizations and non-Jewish faith-based strategic partners.
- Israel and Overseas: Support our Israel and overseas partners, not local programs to support Israel. Focus on the recipient of the funds.
- Jewish Leadership: Programming building tomorrow’s Jewish Leaders through succession planning, talent development, through a strong leadership ladder.
The Impact Areas we are funding with the following percentages of the allocable pool.
Global Jewry - Support
$571,824 or 30% of the allocable pool will be allocated by the Global Jewry Committee in the next few months and will be split between JAFI, JDC, JFNA, and elective I&O programs (P2G, Mazel Tov JCC in Zaporozhe, World ORT).
The Federation remains proud to be able to continue the unrestricted allocations to our core local agencies. Last year each core agency was asked to pick a particular program to focus on data collection that would allow them to earn some additional unrestricted funds.
It was overwhelmingly successful and allowed us as a community to learn about certain programs.
They will be able to do so again this coming year.
The agencies' allocations are as follows:
- Weinstein JCC - $241,750
- Jewish Family Services – $130,750
- Rudlin Torah Academy – $141,750
- JCFR Central Services (CRC, PJ Library, Reflector, Security, Community Marketing, and Planning) – $378,750
JCFR continues to be committed to supporting a variety of other local and regional agencies. These include youth groups, education organizations, Hillel’s across the Commonwealth of Virginia, and more.
This year the JCFR Allocations Committee recommended, and the Board approved the following:
Aleph Bet Preschool - $18,000
BBYO - $17,000
Birthright Israel - $3,000
GMU Hillel - $5,000
Holocaust Survivor Support Fund - $4,500
JELF - $2,500
Jewish Student Union - $18,000
Jewish Life at VCU (Chabad) - $20,000
JMU Chabad - $2,500
JMU Hillel - $2,500
RCJE - $10,000
UVA Hillel - $12,500
VCU Hillel - $20,000
VT Hillel - $7,000
William & Mary Hillel - $6,000
Total Dollars Allocated for Local Unrestricted - $148,500
The Federation continues to strive to offer programmatic grants to our local agencies and synagogues to offer community-based programs to support and build our Jewish community in new and exciting ways.
This year we are pleased to fund 20 programmatic grants:
Aleph Bet Scholarships - $20,000
Friendship Circle - Birthday Programs - $5,000
Friendship Circle - Day at the Diamond & Community Events - $5,000
Hillel at VCU Springboard Fellow - $10,000
JCFR - Community Security - $50,000
JCFR - High School Israel Leadership Program - $12,500
JCFR - Overnight Camp Scholarships - $28,000
Jewish Life at VCU Shabbat Programs - $7,500
Jewish Life at VCU Chanukah Program - $2,500
JFS - Care Line - $50,000
KBI - J-LEAP - $7,500
Or Atid Jewish Middle School Community - $5,000
RTA – IDEAL - $25,000
RTA - Middle School Israel Trip - $4,000
RTA – Scholarships - $30,000
RTA/Weinstein JCC Art & Judaism Symposium - $4,000
VCU Judaic Studies Dept: Lyons Lecture - $5,000
Weinstein JCC - Global Day of Jewish Learning - $4,000
Weinstein JCC – Scholarships - $30,000
Combating Anti Semitism Programming - $10,000
METRIC GROWTH HOLD - $30,000
Total Dollars Allocated Restricted Grants - $345,000
Thank you to the committee for their diligence this year.
David Galpern; Chair, Ellen Renee Adams, Martin Caplan, Josh Goldberg, Howard Goldfine, Amy Melnick-Scharf, Jordan Perin, Hilton Rubin, Eric Shoenfeld, and Amanda Gurin Young.
For more information, reach out to Daniel Staffenberg at daniel@jewishrichmond.org.