Photo above– Jason Caplan, to the left with the guitar, leads a group of seniors at the MJCC through an exercise with his unique program, the Universal Language Room. Funded in part by a Memphis Jewish Federation Fedovation Impact Grant, Universal Language Room guides participants to exchange ideas and communicate through melody and rhythm. The application cycle for 2020 grants from Federation and Jewish Foundation opens Monday, January 6, 2020.
Memphis Jewish Federation and the Jewish Foundation of Memphis are excited to announce the opening of the 2020 grant application cycle the week of January 6, 2020. There are many grant opportunities for both individuals and nonprofit organizations.
Memphis Jewish Federation grants include Community, Fedovation Impact, and Lemsky Endowment Fund grants.
Funded by the Annual Community Campaign and open to Memphis Jewish Federation Strategic Partners, Community Grants fund the operations and programs of the agencies, schools, youth groups and programs driving Jewish life in Memphis. Local grant funds are used to connect and engage members of the Memphis Jewish community to Jewish life and/or care for the vulnerable and at-risk in our community. Applications are due by March 5, 2020.
Fedovation Impact Grants are designed to stimulate innovation and impact in the Memphis Jewish community. Also funded by the Annual Campaign, they support an array of meaningful programs all tied to Jewish Community Partners’ strategic priorities: Caring for our Fellow Jews, Jewish Education and Engagement Across the Age Spectrum, and Sustaining Jewish Memphis. Grants are open to anyone servicing the Memphis Jewish community. Letters of Intent are due by January 21, 2020.
Established through the generosity of the late Abe Lemsky, Of Blessed Memory, Lemsky Endowment Fund grants support the strengthening of bonds between Memphis Jews and Israel through a wide array of programs and Israel experiences for all demographics. Memphis Jewish community agencies, schools and congregations are eligible to apply for local Israel engagement grants. New applicants or returning applicants with a new program should submit a Letter of Intent by January 21, 2020. Applications for returning applicants with returning programs are due by February 12, 2020.
Rising high school juniors and seniors may apply for a Lemsky Teen Israel Experience grant to offset the costs of an immersive Summer 2020 Israel experience. Applications are due by April 30, 2020. Young adults post-high school through age 32 may apply for a Next Stop Israel grant for immersive summer, gap-year, semester or winter/spring break Israel experiences. Applications are due by June 30, 2020.
Jewish Foundation of Memphis grants are through the B’nai Tzedek teen philanthropy program. The teens have $10,000 to allocate in 2020 to local Jewish organizations. The grant application will be open for one month, closing on February 6, 2020. The B’nai Tzedek teens will meet on February 10 to review the applications. Then on February 23, the teens will visit each organization that submitted an application to hear in person about all the programs. On March 3, the teens will make their final granting decisions and the organizations will be presented with their awards at a reception on March 23.
All Letters of Intent and applications can be found online.
To learn more about Memphis Jewish Federation grants, contact Bluma Zuckerbrot-Finkelstein at bzuckerbrot-finkelstein@jcpmemphis.org or 901-767-8515 and to learn more about Jewish Foundation of Memphis grants, contact Sarah VanderWalde at 901-682-4328 or svanderwalde@jcpmemphis.org.