The CJP North Shore Grants Committee met in late May to discuss and review this year’s North Shore Community Grant applications. The $28,300 grant pool encourages North Shore Jewish organizations and individuals to work together to create innovative programs and initiatives that address the North Shore Jewish community’s most pressing needs.

In 2014, CJP’s North Shore Advisory Committee completed a North Shore needs assessment to listen to community members to ascertain its most pressing needs. This spring, the Grants Committee evaluated thirteen applications on the merit of their alignment with the following funding priorities:

  • High quality Jewish education (for children, teens and adults)
  • Programs that engage families with young children and teens that have previously not been engaged with Jewish life
  • Social service programs, including for people with disabilities and those who are economically vulnerable
  • Leadership development for the Next Generation
  • Programs that focus on Israel engagement

This bold, new strategic direction originated as a result of thoughtful discussion around best grantmaking practices and trusting the applicants to know what it takes to run successful programs for the community.

The following organizations were awarded grants for programs that will begin this fall.

The Grantees and Programs

Jewish Big Brother Big Sister: JBBBS Expansion to the North Shore
This grant is seed funding for Jewish Big Brother Big Sister’s expansion to the North Shore. There is a waitlist of children from the North Shore, who are waiting for a mentor. This grant will allow JBBBS to begin marketing, outreach, and volunteer recruitment to bring JBBBS and its services to the area.

Gateways – Access to Jewish Education: Social Skills North
Social Skills North will continue Gateways’ work with the Social Thinking® curriculum, introducing new locations and continuing with Cohen Hillel Academy. The focus will be on North Shore Jewish preschool through grade five students and teachers. Through workshops and onsite follow up, Gateways staff will support teachers in addressing student social-emotional challenges.

Congregation Shirat Hayam of the North Shore and Temple Emanu-El: iEngage – Foundations for a New Relationship with Israel
The iEngage program, a collaboration between Shirat Hayam and Temple Emanu-El, will offer a nine-part course with video lecture and text study curriculum from the Shalom Hartman Institute. This course, which is open to the entire North Shore community, will focus on a nuanced exploration of contemporary Israel and our relationship with her as American Jews. The program aims to help participants grow in their attachment to, knowledge of, and confidence in their capacity to talk about Israel.

New England Yachad of the Orthodox Union: North Shore Programming
This grant will help Yachad expand the breadth and depth of Yachad’s programming on the North Shore. Yachad aims to enhance the life opportunities of individuals with and without disabilities, ensuring their full participation in the full spectrum of Jewish life. Yachad will expand programming to reach more of the North Shore’s 23 communities, increase parent and family support services, create new meaningful partnerships in the region, and identify new peers and volunteers who will enjoy and benefit from Yachad.

North Shore Teen Initiative: Serving Learning Expansion – L’Shaper and Teen Led Initiatives
NSTI will expand its community service offerings that emphasize the development of youth leaders who themselves will design and implement projects. In cooperation with the Lynn Shelter Association’s Independence House, a family shelter, NSTI looks to expand its program to have 20-25 kids volunteer per week with 45 unique teens per year. Additionally, this grant will expand the Dereck Sheckman Teen Leadership Award program that supports teens to develop and execute unique community service projects to engage their peers.

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