The Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona recently awarded 24 grants totaling $369,817 through its community grants program. These grants are made in three impact areas: Tucson Jewish community, Israel and global Jewry, and Tucson general community.
The local Jewish and Israel grants are administered in alignment with the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, which provides substantial funding support and community planning guidance.
“This year’s grant process engaged experienced community partners who represent a broad cross section of our local Jewish community,” said Goggy Davidowitz, chair of JCF’s grants committee. “This enabled us to identify critical programs here and abroad, thus increasing the impact of our grants.”
The following organizations received grants through the community grants program this year. For more detailed information about each grant, go to jcftucson.org/grant-distributions.
Tucson Jewish community: $199,375
Funding priorities in this category are increasing Jewish engagement and basic human services.
• Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging, for a Jewish outreach and community building position
• Jewish Family & Children’s Services, for Project STAR, which brings rabbis and therapists together in the synagogue to better respond to the behavioral health needs of the Jewish community; a quality management program; and for marketing and educational opportunities connected with “To Tell Our Stories: Holocaust Survivors of Southern Arizona,” a book honoring the lives and testimonies of Holocaust survivors in our community
• Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, to continue the community concierge service and for the director of planning and community relationships
• Jewish History Museum, for a program coordinator
• Synagogues in Tucson, for a shared transportation grant to serve seniors and adults with disabilities
• Tucson Hebrew Academy, for the school counselor program
• Tucson Jewish Community Center, for the Butterfly Project, a Holocaust education initiative, in conjunction with the University of Arizona Hillel Foundation and the Jewish Community Relations Council; and to send approximately 10 staff members to Israel for a professional development seminar
• University of Arizona Hillel Foundation, to increase engagement and fund staff and student training throughout the year
Israel and Global Jewry: $125,700
Funding priorities in this category are two-fold: 1) youth and/or seniors at risk in Kiryat Malachi and Hof Ashkelon, including citizens in the region suffering from the trauma of war, and 2) specialized programs across Israel that promote an integrated society with equal opportunities.
• Eden Association for the Promotion of Educational, Social and Cultural Projects in the Northern Negev
• Israel Religious Action Center for gender equality
• Nishmat — The Jeanie Schottenstein Center for Advanced Torah Study for Women
• Nochah: Giving as a Way of Life
• Society for Advancement of Education, Jerusalem
• Welfare Department of Kiryat Malachi via JFSA
Tucson general community: $44,742
Funding priorities include 1) promoting success through education and training, and 2) supporting community relations by promoting tolerance and positive community engagement.
• Echoing Hope Ranch
• Interfaith Community Services
• Planned Parenthood Arizona
• Scholarships A-Z
• Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation
• Youth On Their Own
Founded in 1975, JCF is an independent organization that is an affiliated agency of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona.
