More Impact – Past Years - Jewish Communal Fund

Continued from Where You See Our Impact

2016

$150,000 to UJA-Federation of New York for the expansion of the Witness Theater Holocaust education project, a unique intergenerational program that brings Holocaust survivors and teenagers to develop a theatrical presentation of the survivors’ Holocaust experiences. JCF’s grant will help to continue this valuable program at four schools in Manhattan and Brooklyn, as well as bring this powerful educational experience to Westchester.
$120,000 to the Kings Bay YM-YWHA, located in Sheepshead Bay, to expand its existing auditorium. JCF’s grant will enable the Kings Bay Y, the hub of activity for 7,000 residents, to transform its auditorium into a larger, more efficient space with portable stage, upgraded lighting and a quality sound system.
$200,000 (over three years) to the JCC of Manhattan’s Day Camp to provide scholarships to low-income campers who would not otherwise have been able to afford this opportunity. The scholarships will enable these children to attend Camp Settoga in its beautiful, new, and larger location in Pomona, New York.
$55,400 to the Shorefront Jewish Community Council Food Pantry, to help them transition to a client choice model, a more efficient and dignified way to assist their 1,200 clients. The agency plans to also offer nutrition classes and cooking demonstrations to help clients learn how to cook healthy meals for their families with the food they receive from the pantry.
$102,000 to the Central Queens YM & YWHA Food Pantry in support of the renovation of the food pantry that was damaged by a debilitating fire. JCF’s generous grant will also help the pantry transition to a client-choice model and acquire additional refrigerators and freezers so that it can store more meat, dairy and fresh produce. The new building will be handicapped-accessible and will feature a classroom space to provide nutrition education classes.
$110,000 to UJA-Federation of New York and the Jewish Community Relations Council of NY for the Faculty Engagement Initiative, a project to create a three-pronged Faculty Engagement Initiative to grow pro-Israel sentiment on college campuses within the United States.
$100,000 to Olim Beyahad, a nonprofit that helps Ethiopian-Israelis gain employment and become self-sufficient. This gift will fund the participation of 40 Ethiopian-Israeli young adults in EELP (Employment, Empowerment, and Leadership program).

2015

$141,530 over three years to the Mid-Island Y Jewish Community Center for a New Food Pantry

Recently, the only Jewish community run food pantry on the North Shore of Long Island closed. Jewish Communal Fund’s grant will fill a critical gap in service by enabling the Mid-Island Y Jewish Community Center (the JCC) to provide much-needed nutritious food, basic pantry staples and toiletries for more than 100 clients a month. The Jewish Communal Fund Food Pantry will provide kosher food as well as educational and volunteer opportunities for nearby school and synagogue groups. Nassau County experienced a 138 percent increase in the number of Jewish households living in poverty in the New York metropolitan area from 2001 to 2011.[

$450,000 over two years for an Intentionally Jewish Daycare at the Educational Alliance

Family economics often necessitate two parents working outside of the home, yet there is a dearth of quality Jewish daycare in Manhattan available to meet the needs of young families. Jewish Communal Fund is providing funding to the Educational Alliance in Lower Manhattan to support its pluralistic and inclusive Jewish daycare. This initiative will connect young families to Jewish life at a time in their lives when research has shown that they are especially open to engagement with Judaism. It will also serve as a model that other JCC’s and synagogues may seek to learn from. JCF’s philanthropic funding will assist with start-up costs with the goal for the center to become self-sustaining as enrollment increases.

$100,000 to UJA-Federation for the Expansion of Witness Theater to the Ramaz School

Witness Theater is a unique, intergenerational program that brings Holocaust survivors and teenagers together under the guidance of a drama therapist to develop a theatrical presentation of the survivors’ Holocaust experiences. JCF’s grant will bring this moving and powerful educational experience to the Ramaz School on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, as well as cover the cost of a program director to oversee Witness Theater at a total of four schools.

$125,374 to renovate the Activity Building at Camp Oakhurst

Camp Oakhurst, located in Monmouth County, New Jersey, offers more than 500 children and adults with special needs day-long and overnight summer camp experiences. Jewish Communal Fund’s grant will help renovate the camp’s Activity Building, a 10,500 square foot facility that houses most of the therapeutic and recreational activities.

$100,000 to the Israel Trauma Coalition.

2014

$300,000 to help construct the MJHS Pediatric Hospice, the first pediatric hospice residence in New York City, and name its Care Coordination Center

$250,000 to the UJA-Federation of New York’s Enhanced Support Services for Jewish Single-Parent Families