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Building Partnerships
To foster rich partnerships and build secure bridges between the Jewish community and other communities. |
Abraham's Vision -
$35,000
Since 2003, Abraham's Vision has graduated 389 students from its two intensive conflict-resolution programs. One takes Jewish and Muslim college students to Bosnia to study the conflict there and the other engages Jewish and Muslim high school students in a yearlong study and cultural exchange. This grant from the Fund supports an organizational evaluation and the development of a strategic alumni program. Abraham's Vision will suspend its normal programming for a year in order to focus on retooling its programs for sustainability.
Grant Amount: $35,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 02/09/2012 through 02/09/2013
Project Web Site: www.abrahamsvision.org
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American Jewish World Service -
$50,000
American Jewish World Service is known for its service-learning trips, which bring hundreds of students, rabbis, community leaders, and lay people to volunteer in developing countries. The organization has gradually expanded its work to engage young adults domestically, focusing on issues of foreign policy, international development, and disaster recovery abroad.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 11/29/2012 through 11/29/2013
Project Web Site: www.ajws.org
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Bay Area Organizing Committee -
$50,000
Bay Area Organizing Committee, a member of the IAF network, helps North and East Bay synagogues and Jewish organizations to organize and take action. BAOC focuses its members' efforts on improving immigration law and on reforming the California budget. In 2012, it will gather 1,000 faith leaders for civic academies on health care, immigration, and quality of life issues. These academies will build to two assemblies charged with developing a Bay Area faith constituency prepared to advocate for long-term tax and budget reform.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 07/10/2012 through 07/10/2013
Project Web Site: www.bayareaiaf.org
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Jewish Funds for Justice / Bend the Arc -
$130,000
In 2011, Jewish Funds for Justice and Progressive Jewish Alliance merged. This new, national social justice organization launched with a new chief executive, strong staff, ambitious plans, and a name sourced from the words of Martin Luther King Jr.—“The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.” Plans for the organization's first year include operating the fifth iteration of a program to train and place 15–20 young adults in social justice careers. It will also launch a Bay Area leadership program that provides Jewish social justice activists with interpersonal skills and peer mentoring. Bend the Arc will engage local Jews in economic and social justice campaigns in 2012 as well.
Grant Amount: $130,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 04/05/2012 through 04/05/2013
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Berkeley Hillel -
$40,000
Berkeley Hillel serves as a synagogue, community center, institution of Jewish learning, and hub for charitable activities for more than 3,000 Jewish undergraduate and graduate students on campus. It makes service and social justice an integral part of the student experience. Berkeley Hillel helps Jewish students to connect to their community and to build goodwill on campus and beyond.
Grant Amount: $40,000 [2012]
,
$40,000 [2013]
Project Dates: 11/29/2012 through 11/29/2014
Project Web Site: www.berkeleyhillel.org
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Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice of California -
$50,000
Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE) is a statewide organization that galvanizes the clergy's persuasive moral power to further economic and social justice campaigns. Immigration reform continues to be the paramount issue for CLUE. It strives to modify detention and deportation policies and to bolster protections for domestic workers—the vast majority of whom are immigrant women. Plans for 2012 include a one-day conference for clergy on the dignity of work in an era of immigration enforcement and, in the fall, a student conference on faith and immigration.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 04/05/2012 through 04/05/2013
Project Web Site: www.clueca.org
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Contemporary Jewish Museum -
$50,000
The Contemporary Jewish Museum makes the diversity of the Jewish experience relevant for 21st century audiences with innovative exhibitions and programs. In 2011, two exhibits ( Seeing Gertrude Stein and Houdini: Art and Magic) received national press and boosted visitors to the Museum by more than 133,000 people—a 13% increase from the previous year. The Contemporary Jewish Museum is recognized as an inclusive institution.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012]
,
$50,000 [2013]
Project Dates: 11/29/2012 through 11/29/2014
Project Web Site: www.thecjm.org
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Hazon -
$50,000
Hazon aims to create a healthier Jewish community as one step toward a more sustainable world. It spearheaded a Jewish movement to encourage sustainable agriculture and ethical food choices. More recently, it began working to increase the availability of healthy food in low-income communities. Its food conference attracted more than 300 participants in 2011. In 2012, Hazon plans to deepen its commitment to food justice by: offering a food justice track at a conference at the University of California at Davis; helping local educators and rabbis talk to their congregations about the Farm Bill; planning projects at local JCCs and synagogues; and building relationships between the Jewish community and those organizations that assist the hungry.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 04/05/2012 through 04/05/2013
Project Web Site: www.hazon.org
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Islamic Networks Group -
$50,000
The Islamic Networks Group educates law enforcement personnel, health care workers, and students about the beliefs and religious and cultural practices of Muslims. The Group developed an interfaith speaker's bureau that offers two presentations, one about the five major religions and one specifically about Islam and Judaism. In 2011, the speaker's bureau made 184 presentations to high schools, colleges, and universities in the Bay Area. In order to reach larger audiences, Islamic Networks Group turned to social media, creating a YouTube channel and launching an active Facebook presence, for example. Its Muslim-Jewish panels contribute significantly to interfaith understanding.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 07/10/2012 through 07/10/2013
Project Web Site: www.ing.org
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Jewish Community Center of San Francisco -
$125,000
Each day, 4,500 people walk through the doors of the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, the second largest JCC in the nation. It serves 50,000 unduplicated adults, seniors, youth, and children each year with fitness and community programs. The JCCSF, in order to bolster its commitment to providing Jewish services, recently created a new position and hired its first chief Jewish life officer. With support from the Fund, the JCCSF plans to launch a major social media initiative designed to extend its quality programming to online participants.
Grant Amount: $125,000
[2011]
,
$125,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 11/18/2011 through 11/18/2013
Project Web Site: www.jccsf.org
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Jewish Community Relations Council -
$75,000
The Jewish Community Relations Council combats anti-Semitism and other forms of religious and ethnic intolerance; builds support for Israel; and engages Jews in service and social justice. The Council works on multiple fronts: legislative affairs, interfaith programming, repairing the world ( tikkum olam), and community service. It coordinates the Jewish Coalition for Literacy, which trains and places tutors in underperforming schools, reaching 1,000 children with individualized support annually. Within the Jewish community, the Council tempers polarized talk about Israel by providing skilled facilitation to organizations and synagogues.
Grant Amount: $75,000 [2012]
,
$65,000 [2013]
Project Dates: 11/29/2012 through 11/29/2014
Project Web Site: www.jcrc.org
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Jewish Vocational Services -
$100,000
Jewish Vocational Services (JVS), a nationally recognized leader in the field of workforce development, receives wide respect as a robust Bay Area Jewish institution. In 2010, JVS helped 2,500 people increase their job skills, look for work, build their professional networks, and advance their careers. Known for the depth of its partnerships with employers, JVS tailors most of its programs to the needs of specific employment sectors, including health care, green jobs, retail, and financial services. The Fund supports this agency's efforts to strengthen the earning potential of its clients as well as its work to better translate the Jewish underpinnings of its work to people of all faiths. This grant is split evenly between the Jewish Life and Economic Security programs. The listing has been duplicated in both areas.
Grant Amount: $100,000
[2011]
,
$100,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 04/04/2011 through 04/04/2013
Project Web Site: www.jvs.org
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Just Congregations -
$50,000
Fiscal Sponsor: Union for Reform Judaism
Just Congregations, an initiative of the Union for Reform Judaism, engages and trains Reform synagogues to simultaneously organize and strengthen their communities. It leverages a deep understanding of Jewish texts to help create social justice teachings for clergy. Rabbis have found Just Congregations' resources to be a valuable tool for building community partnerships. This grant from the Fund supports a continuation of the initiative's work with three synagogues in San Francisco, one on the Peninsula, two in Marin, and three in the East Bay.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 07/10/2012 through 07/10/2013
Project Web Site: www.urj.org/justcongregations
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San Francisco Hillel -
$40,000
Serving 12 college and university campuses, San Francisco Hillel serves as a touchstone for 3,200 Jewish students. It creates opportunities for participants to partner with the broader campus community. San Francisco Hillel hosted the first interfaith Passover Seder ever held on a California State University campus. This grant from the Fund supports Hillel's programs for LGBT students, Social Justice Fairs at SFSU and USF campuses, and Jewish Cultural Week programming.
Grant Amount: $40,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 01/03/2012 through 01/03/2013
Project Web Site: www.sfhillel.org
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San Francisco Interfaith Council -
$50,000
The San Francisco Interfaith Council implements projects that house the homeless, advocate for the vulnerable, provide earthquake training, and unite faith leaders. The Council has grown to represent more than 120 clergy who meet monthly to learn about critical issues, including the needs of seniors and families facing foreclosure. It also convenes and advocates for faith-based social service agencies and coordinates occasions for interfaith reflection. In 2012, the Interfaith Council will coordinate neighborhood-based trainings for congregations of different faiths. This grant is split evenly between Jewish Life and Other Grantmaking program areas. The full amount is listed in both programs.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012]
,
$30,000 [2013] , $20,000 conditional
Project Dates: 07/10/2012 through 07/10/2014
Project Web Site: www.sfinterfaithcouncil.org
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San Francisco Jewish Film Festival -
$75,000
Films screened by the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival offer a diverse point of view, attract multiple segments of the region's Jewish community, and connect the Festival and the Jewish community with a broad cross-section of the local population. The 2012 Festival welcomed 28,000 people, sold more passes than ever, and attracted major literary and Hollywood names.
Grant Amount: $75,000 [2012]
,
$70,000 [2013]
Project Dates: 11/29/2012 through 11/29/2014
Project Web Site: www.sfjff.org
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San Francisco Organizing Project -
$65,000
The San Francisco Organizing Project is a network of 30 interfaith congregations that together represent 40,000 San Franciscans. In 2012, the Project will support leaders at Congregation Emanu-El through its first public action, “Investing in Our Families and Public School Teachers.” This will be the culmination of months of research and conversations with congregants. San Francisco Organizing Project will also train the board of Congregation Sherith Israel in organizing and hold a second action to increase the congregation's visibility. At Congregation Sha'ar Zahav, the Project will convene a leadership workshop for members, connecting organizing efforts with the synagogue's new strategic plan.
Grant Amount: $65,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 07/10/2012 through 07/10/2013
Project Web Site: www.sfop.org
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UpStart Bay Area -
$60,000
UpStart Bay Area inspires and advances innovative ideas that contribute to the vitality of local Jewish life. It helps create new Jewish organizations, provides shared office space to five organizations, and offers consulting services to 15 organizations that work with more than 100,000 people each year. This grant from the Fund enables a cohort of six to eight organizations that strengthen Jewish diversity and build bridges to participate in a yearlong learning and professional development opportunity with UpStart. Executive directors will attend seminars, obtain free access to UpStart programming, participate in a peer network, and receive coaching and business planning support.
Grant Amount: $60,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 04/05/2012 through 04/05/2013
Project Web Site: www.upstartbayarea.org
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Urban Adamah: The Jewish Sustainability Corps -
$75,000
Urban Adamah builds and operates Jewish educational farms on vacant city lots. These farms are run by young adults—called fellows—who participate in a residential leadership-training program. Fellows in turn teach community groups about healthy food. Its pilot farm in West Berkley partners with Jewish organizations to offer camps, Hebrew school, holiday events, and tours. Urban Adamah's market-style food bank attracts hundreds of low-income neighbors who select fresh produce and eggs and learn how to prepare healthy meals. In 2011, Urban Adamah distributed 6,000 pounds of free produce. It expects to double that amount in 2012. Its programs for Jewish youth, teens, and adults are popular; in 2012 Urban Adamah plans to reach 3,000 students and community members.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012] $25,000 conditional
Project Dates: 04/05/2012 through 04/05/2013
Project Web Site: www.urbanadamah.org
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Promoting Diversity
To promote a Jewish community accepting of its diversity and better able to harness the strength that results from a diverse population. |
Institute for Jewish and Community Research -
$50,000
In 2000, the Institute for Jewish and Community Research created a program called Bechol Lashon (In Many Tongues). The program's research revealed that Jews of color represent approximately 15% of Bay Area Jewish households. In response to this data, the Institute spearheaded programs for Jews of color, offering multicultural celebrations, leadership development, and a summer camp. The Institute works to educate Jews and the general population about the pluralism of Jewish life. The Institute will release new data in 2012 on how attitudes about race affect perceptions of diverse Jews. It will also continue to partner with Jewish organizations, such as local JCCs.
Grant Amount: $50,000 [2012]
,
$40,000 [2013]
Project Dates: 07/10/2012 through 07/10/2014
Project Web Site: www.bechollashon.org
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Jewish Community Center of the East Bay -
$75,000
JCC East Bay serves more than 10,000 people each year through its branches in Berkeley and Oakland. It is a rare example of a center that has developed a niche without the sustaining income of a gym. JCC East Bay has emphasized early childhood and youth-serving programs to great success. Its pre-school, after-school, and camp programs account for 80% of its revenue and are all fully subscribed. It provides an array of cultural arts programs, inclusive holiday celebrations, and older adult classes as well as a kosher lunch program for seniors.
Grant Amount: $75,000 [2012]
,
$75,000 [2013]
Project Dates: 07/10/2012 through 07/10/2014
Project Web Site: www.jcceastbay.org
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Jewish Youth for Community Action -
$15,000
Fiscal Sponsor: Kehillah Community Synagogue and School
Jewish Youth for Community Action provides a Jewish venue through which high school and college students can engage in social action. Its members select issues, investigate groups that need assistance, and serve as volunteers. With support from the Fund, Jewish Youth for Community Action started a weekly volunteer program at a Head Start pre-school in West Oakland, providing its participants with opportunities for diverse religious and ethnic interactions.
Grant Amount: $15,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 05/26/2012 through 05/26/2013
Project Web Site: www.jyca-justice.org
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JIMENA -
$20,000
Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa (JIMENA) is dedicated to preserving Mizrahi and Sephardi cultures. It seeks to share the stories and rich traditions of displaced Jews from these areas and to connect their narrative to the broader Jewish American story. In 2013, JIMENA will reach 2,500 college and high school students through its speaker's bureau and produce an exhibit at the Magnes Collection.
Grant Amount: $20,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 12/12/2012 through 12/12/2013
Project Web Site: www.jimena.org
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Joshua Venture Philanthropies/Joshua Venture Group -
$40,000
Started in 1999 by the Walter & Elise Haas Fund and the Nathan Cummings and Righteous Persons foundations, Joshua Venture launched 16 organizations that changed the Jewish cultural landscape. These include Heeb Magazine and the Jewish Partisans Educational Foundation. Its relaunch in 2009 supported eight additional start-ups with another eight to be selected in 2012. Joshua Venture is now looking at whether it can aid later-stage organizations. This grant from the Fund supports its work to determine the curriculum for a graduate program for second-stage ventures.
Grant Amount: $40,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 02/20/2012 through 02/20/2013
Project Web Site: www.joshuaventure.org
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Keshet -
$10,000
Keshet is devoted to fully including LGBT Jews in Jewish life. In 2012, it will share the results of a demographic study with local professionals, rabbis, and educators in order to help participants better meet the needs of Bay Area LGBT Jews and their families. This grant supports a half-day workshop focusing on the study and its implications, the launch of an anti-bullying campaign curriculum, the training of at least 25 local educators, and in-depth professional development for staff at local institutions. This $10,000 2012 payment is the conditional amount of the Center's $70,000 2011 grant.
Grant Amount: $60,000
[2011]
,
$10,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 11/18/2011 through 11/18/2012
Project Web Site: www.keshetonline.org
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Keshet -
$70,000
Keshet (Hebrew for "rainbow") works to ensure full LGBT inclusion in synagogues, day schools, summer camps, youth groups, and other institutions. To enable this inclusivity, the organization trains and supports Jewish educators, rabbis, and leaders throughout the broader Jewish community. Since launching its Bay Area office in 2011, Keshet has consulted with and trained more than 50 Bay Area organizations, established the LGBT Teen Network with the JCCSF, and created and disseminated the results of its first LGBT demographic survey.
Grant Amount: $70,000 [2012]
,
$60,000 [2013]
Project Dates: 11/29/2012 through 11/29/2014
Project Web Site: www.keshetonline.org
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The Kitchen -
$20,000
Started by a young, dynamic rabbi, the Kitchen is an independent community that encourages diverse participation in Jewish life and rituals. Participants in the Kitchen include LGBT Jews, Jewish professionals, educators, young families, and older Jews looking for a creative way to engage in Jewish ritual while supporting progressive ideals and social change
Grant Amount: $20,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 12/13/2012 through 12/13/2013
Project Web Site: www.thekitchensf.org
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Nehirim -
$20,000
Nehirim (which means "brilliant lights in the rainbow") is a national nondenominational organization devoted to creating a welcoming community for LGBT Jews. Its centerpiece programs are weekend retreats that unite unaffiliated LGBT Jews with leading teachers to study, discuss, and explore Jewish texts in a comfortable setting. This grant from the Fund supports local programs and the development of a volunteer-led model that can help sustain Nehirim's Bay Area presence and continue to engage LGBT Jews.
Grant Amount: $15,000 [2012] $5,000 conditional
Project Dates: 05/31/2012 through 05/31/2013
Project Web Site: www.nehirim.org
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New Israel Fund -
$60,000
New Israel Fund is the leading American organization committed to equality and democracy for all Israelis. The NIF recognizes how complicated American Jews' current attitudes towards Israel can be, partially due to a lack of sufficient venues for honest conversation concerning the Jewish homeland. Many young adults have no outlet for their conflicted feelings about Israel. This grant from the Haas Sr. Fund supports two local programs that the New Israel Fund seeks to expand—a pioneering dialogue series and its New Generations Facilitation Fellowship.
Grant Amount: $60,000 [2012]
,
$60,000 [2013]
Project Dates: 11/29/2012 through 11/29/2014
Project Web Site: www.nif.org
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San Francisco Jewish Film Festival -
$25,000
The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival is a dynamic forum for exploring the Jewish experience, reaching 28,000 people in 2010. It operates a summer festival in San Francisco, Berkeley, Palo Alto, and Marin, and presents year-round programming at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Its strength lies in the breadth of its programming and in the diversity of the Jewish community members it attracts. In addition to theatrical screenings, interviews, and panel discussions, the Festival presents a free film annually in Union Square and has a growing Web presence. This $25,000 2012 payment is the conditional amount of the Center's $75,000 2011 grant.
Grant Amount: $50,000
[2011]
,
$25,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 11/18/2011 through 11/18/2012
Project Web Site: www.sfjff.org
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A Wider Bridge -
$20,000
Fiscal Sponsor: UpStart Bay Area
Despite great strides made by LGBT Jews in finding acceptance in Jewish society, surveys reveal they retain a weaker sense of Jewish identity, involve themselves less in the Jewish community, and feel less connected to Israel. A Wider Bridge helps provide opportunities for LGBT people to engage with Israel by expanding their understanding of Israel as a diverse society. This grant supports 12 cultural events and visits by leading Israeli activists in order to bring LGBT themes into the discourse surrounding Israel.
Grant Amount: $20,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 05/08/2012 through 05/08/2013
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The Working Group -
$9,717
The Working Group produces films that highlight community responses to hate crimes, anti-immigrant sentiment, homophobia, and anti-Semitism. With support from the Fund, the Working Group launched an interactive Website that enables communities to share information about how they respond to hate in their neighborhoods and schools. This grant supports The Working Group's participation in Social Sector Solutions, a program of the Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership at the Haas School of Business.
Grant Amount: $9,717 [2012]
Project Dates: 12/13/2012 through 12/13/2013
Project Web Site: www.theworkinggroup.org
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Legacy
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Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin, and Sonoma Counties -
$1,000,000
The Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin, and Sonoma Counties supports agencies throughout the region that connect individuals with Jewish life, culture, and social services. This grant from the Fund provides general support to the Federation's annual campaign.
Grant Amount: $1,000,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 11/29/2012 through 11/29/2013
Project Web Site: www.jewishfed.org/
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Creative Expression
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Northern California Grantmakers -
$22,828
Among other programs, Northern California Grantmakers manages the Arts Loan Fund. This fund provides quick turnaround, cash flow, and opportunity loans to local nonprofit arts organizations. Annually, it awards approximately $450,000. The Walter & Elise Haas Fund and other participants in the Arts Loan Fund contribute to sustain this valuable community resource. A portion of this grant repaid a loan taken by the Jewish Theatre of San Francisco.
Grant Amount: $22,828 [2012]
Project Dates: 12/15/2012 through 12/15/2013
Project Web Site: www.ncg.org
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New Leadership
To cultivate, recognize and reward Jewish leadership that is best able to accept, understand, and shape change. |
Tawonga Jewish Community Corporation / Camp Tawonga -
$30,000
Camp Tawonga is known for its inspiring residential summer camp, operating near Yosemite since 1925. This grant supports an expansion of Keshet, Camp Tawonga's four-day immersive program for LGBT parents and their children and friends. The program aims to increase the number of participating families by 20%, provide scholarships to enable greater economic diversity of participants, and to encourage children of LBGT families to matriculate into summer camp.
Grant Amount: $30,000 [2012]
Project Dates: 09/15/2012 through 09/15/2013
Project Web Site: www.tawonga.org
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