Jim Joseph Foundation awards $17.4M for camps and other Jewish ed venues

(JTA) — The San Francisco-based Jim Joseph Foundation has awarded more than $17.4 million in new grants, primarily for Jewish education in the United States.

The Foundation for Jewish Camp, or FJC, Repair the World and a new umbrella group for North American Jewish day schools across the denominational spectrum received the largest grants.

FJC, which serves Jewish summer camps throughout North America, was awarded nearly $10 million over five years to establish Specialty Camp Incubator III, a project to launch and support four Jewish specialty camps in their planning, startup and first three years of operation. The FJC’s first two specialty camp incubators, which were also funded by the Jim Joseph Foundation, launched nine camps, including ones focused on sports, environmental awareness, science and business entrepreneurship.

Repair the World, which promotes Jewish service learning and community service projects for Jews in their 20s and 30s, was awarded up to $2 million over two years to cover a variety of expenses.

The Center for Jewish Day Schools Inc. was awarded up to $2 million over two years to cover operating costs. The new group is a merger of the Progressive Association of Reform Day Schools, Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education, RAVSAK (pluralistic), Schechter Day School Network (Conservative), and Yeshiva University School Partnership (Orthodox).

In its 11th year of grantmaking, the Jim Joseph Foundation has invested more than $420 million in Jewish education, primarily for programs serving U.S. youth, teens and young adults.

“Taken together, this newest slate of grants reaffirms a core principle that dynamic Jewish education can occur at camp, in day schools, through service learning, and numerous other environments,” said Al Levitt, the foundation’s president, in a statement.