Jewish Youth Philanthropy Programs Merge

JTFN, as part of its mission to grow and strengthen the field of Jewish youth philanthropy, provided grants to eight local programs and two national initiatives to launch Jewish teen foundations. The teen foundation program model brings together a group of 18-22 teens to engage in collective grantmaking, enriched by Jewish content. Currently, 32 programs follow some variation of this model. The primary educational goals are teaching basic philanthropic principles and giving with Jewish values, developing teen leadership, and teaching group decision-making.

Currently there are 41 B’nai Tzedek programs throughout North America (plus another in London, England), with over 4,000 teens engaged. These programs are based on a model where each teen has an individual fund from which they make donations. HGF will continue to honor all commitments to BT communities, which will run their course over the next 3 years.

Jewish teen foundations and B’nai Tzedek programs have collectively served over 4,000 teens ages 13 to 18. The newly merged program will serve all Jewish youth philanthropy programs under one umbrella, facilitating networking, information exchange, and sharing of resources (see JTFN’s Online Resource Center at http://www.jtfn.org for curricular and programmatic materials, a compilation of “best practices” in Jewish youth philanthropy, and a directory of local programs).

Next week (June 17-19), over 35 local program leaders from across the country will gather for JTFN’s annual seminar, “Developing a Pedagogy of Philanthropy for Jewish Teen Foundations,” at the Pearlstone Retreat and Conference Center outside of Baltimore, MD. The seminar is one component of JTFN’s ongoing efforts in field-building, networking-building, and training for professional and lay leaders of Jewish youth philanthropy programs.

About Jewish Funders Network
Jewish Funders Network is an international organization of family foundations, public philanthropies, and individual funders dedicated to advancing the quality and growth of Jewish philanthropy. JFN’s members include independent philanthropists, foundation trustees and foundation professionals – a unique community that seeks to transform the nature of Jewish giving in both thought and action.