The Covenant Foundation announced $1.9 million in new grants today, supporting projects that employ a variety of educational tools, including dialogic methodologies, chevruta learning, studio and theater arts, storytelling, healing circles, and text study.

“The announcement of each year’s new grantee cohort is always an auspicious moment for The Covenant Foundation,” remarked Deborah Meyer, Chair of the Board of The Covenant Foundation, “because we have tremendous faith in the educators in this community, and their ability to dream up programs that are both inventive and deeply illuminating.”

“This year is no different, and we are excited and humbled to be partnering with such dedicated professionals.” 

Foundation grants are divided into two categories: Signature Grants, which generally provide funding of up to $150,000 over three years, and Ignition Grants, of up to $20,000 for one year to support new and untested approaches.

“This year’s grantees vary greatly in their approaches to Jewish education, but what unites them is their commitment to addressing the most pressing challenges of today,” said Joni Blinderman, Executive Director of The Covenant Foundation.

“From climate anxiety and the epidemic of loneliness—particularly amongst young people—to dialogue across difference, meaningful responses to antisemitism, and a more nuanced approach to Israel education, these issues  will undoubtedly strengthen our community and nourish our learners.”

Signature Grants:

Alicia Jo Rabins Projects, Portland, OR. Girls in Trouble TV: An Educational Web Series About Biblical Women. To produce and disseminate a Jewish educational web series, develop accompanying study guides, and lead teacher-training sessions to support educators’ implementation of these new resources.

Project Director: Alicia Jo Rabins; $145,000 (3 years)

COJECO (Council of Jewish Émigré Community Organizations), New York, NY. Adult B’nai Mitzvah Program for Russian-Speaking Jews. To launch a cohort-based adult b’nai mitzvah program for Russian-speaking Jews in the New York City area that will strengthen participants’ connections to Jewish culture and tradition.

Project Director: Dr. Yigal Kotler; $150,000 (3 years)

The Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco, CA. National Educator Collective Network. To launch a network of museum educators who will collaborate on curricula and support public schools in teaching about Jewish culture, identity, and history in kindergarten through 5^th grade.

Project Director: Fraidy Aber; $30,000 (1 year)

Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action, New York, NY. Scaling Spiritual Activism and Education. To expand the organization’s Spiritual Adaptation programming, partnerships, trainings, and resources to help Jews confront the climate crisis, cultivate a sense of hope, and take action.

Project Director: Rabbi Laura Bellows; $150,000 (3 years)

IsraelNow, Chicago, IL. Scaling a National Model. To support Federations in North America with implementation of IsraelNow’s Israel trip experience, designed to strengthen the Jewish identity of 8^th graders who are in non-Jewish day school settings.

Project Director: Jennifer Loeb; $50,000 (1 year)

Luria Academy of Brooklyn, Brooklyn, NY. The Shabbat Experience at 664 Bergen. To launch a Shabbat afternoon program that will engage 3^rd through 10^th graders in Jewish learning and community building with peers of diverse Jewish backgrounds.

Project Director: Amanda Pogany; $150,000 (3 years)

Ma’alot, Atlanta, GA. Wisdom Circles: Relationship-Centered Learning. To expand Wisdom Circles, a leadership program for Jewish adults, through the development of a new yearlong curriculum, establishment of new Circles, and facilitation training for participants.

Project Director: Rabbi Ariel Root Wolpe; $135,800 (3 years)

Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, New York, NY. Zimriyah: Jewish Belonging Through Song. To launch an initiative that will integrate musical experiences across JCC programming, expand the work of the organization’s artist-in-residence, and build community through participatory musical experiences.

Project Director: Sarah-Kay Lacks; $140,000 (3 years)

The Nightingale of Iran, White Plains, NY. The Nightingale of Iran Takes Flight. To develop and implement a media education initiative that will engage learners around the topics of Jewish diversity, Persian Jewish history, Zionism, assimilation, and antisemitism.

Project Directors: Danielle Dardashti and Dr. Galeet Dardashti; $150,000 (3 years)

OpenDor Media, Sunrise, FL. Educating and Inspiring Young Learners About Israel: Pilot Project to Launch an Elementary School Division. To develop multimedia resources and launch professional development offerings on Israel education to support elementary school educators in fostering early positive Israel engagement among students.

Project Director: Dr. Noam Weissman; $40,000 (1 year)

Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, New York, NY. Pardes Center for Jewish Educators Israel Educator Curriculum. To develop an Israel educator curriculum and a cohort-based fellowship that will train Jewish experiential educators in a nuanced and thoughtful pedagogical approach to Israel education.

Project Directors: Ilana Gleicher-Bloom and Sefi Kraut; $140,000 (3 years)

Repair the World, New York, NY. Jewish Service Educator Kollels. To launch a program that will equip Jewish educators across the country with skills and tools to facilitate deep and meaningful Jewish service learning for their constituents.

Project Director: Shana Bloom; $145,000 (3 years)

Union for Reform Judaism, New York, NY. Talk for a Change. To create new resources and develop facilitator trainings for Talk for a Change, an initiative that empowers educators to facilitate constructive dialogue on Israel, antisemitism, and belonging.

Project Director: Yolanda Savage-Narva; $140,000 (3 years)

Within the Image, New York, NY. Picturing Israel and the Diversity of the Jewish People. To develop photography and textual resources that will enable learners in a variety of educational settings to explore Israel’s history, culture, and significance in Jewish life and tradition.

Project Director: Zion Ozeri; $80,000 (2 years)

Ignition Grants:

At the Well, New York, NY. Rosh Chodesh Across Generations. To develop an educational program that will empower parents to build familial Rosh Chodesh traditions, integrate rituals at home, and foster meaningful connections with their children.

Project Director: Sarah Waxman; $20,000 (1 year)

Pedagogy of Partnership, Powered by The Hadar Institute, New York, NY. Bringing Pedagogy of Partnership to Parents. To pilot a Jewish text study program for parents of students in Jewish day schools to empower them with skills and tools for difficult conversations.

Project Director: Dr. Orit Kent; $20,000 (1 year)

Rekindle, Beachwood, OH. Building Jewish Identity and Allyship Through Rekindle’s Black-Jewish Dialogue. To expand the Rekindle Fellowship by enhancing alumni engagement efforts, iterating and codifying the curriculum, and scaling the organization’s capacity to serve additional communities around the country.

Project Director: Matthew Fieldman; $20,000 (1 year)

Schechter Boston, Newton, MA. Sicha Amitza Project. To develop a new curriculum for pre-K through 1^stgrade that uses age-appropriate Jewish literature to generate sichot amitzot (courageous conversations) and foster curiosity, active listening, and social-emotional learning.

Project Director: Emily Beck, $20,000 (1 year)

Valley Beit Midrash, Scottsdale, AZ. Elie Wiesel Social Action Fellowship. To enhance and enrich a Jewish learning and social action fellowship for Jewish young adults through increased opportunities for connection and community building.

Project Director: Alix Cramer, $20,000 (1 year)

Since 1991, the Foundation has provided more than $45 million to support Jewish education in North America. Past grantees are highlighted on the Foundation’s website.

The Covenant Foundation is a program of the Crown Family Philanthropies.