Are you a Jewish teen who has an idea on how to help connect more teens to the Jewish community? Are you a Jewish education and engagement professional who has ideas for how we can change how our community reaches and engages Jewish teens? We are thrilled to announce that the 2020-2021 Teen Community Impact Grant online application and Teen Microfunding interest form are now live! 

CJP’s Teen Community Impact Grants provide up to $15,000 in funding to nonprofits in support of programs that support and bring Jewish teens together to connect with one another, engage with the Jewish tradition and culture, and make something awesome happen! 

These new grant and funding opportunities are designed to support the work our teen-serving partners are doing in alignment with CJP’s priority focus areas, as well as to encourage collaboration and innovation while maximizing the impact on Boston’s Jewish teens.  

What types of grants are available? 

Organizational Capacity Building grants (up to $15,000) are intended to help bring a nonprofit to the next level of operational, programmatic, financial, or organizational maturity. Organizational capacity building reflects an investment in the effectiveness and future sustainability of a nonprofit to deliver its mission. This may also include an urgent or acute need that an organization can demonstrate how it provides unique and critical services to one or more CJP regions.  

Community Enhancement Initiatives (up to $15,000) are those which create events, actions, programs, or initiatives—virtual or otherwise—that strengthen or enhance a community-building effort to support communities of any type, including those based in geography, spirituality, interest, age, or identity. Community Enhancement Initiatives may include innovative pilots, small-scale programs, or initiatives that help an organization learn how a large-scale project might work in practice and provide learnings for the Greater Boston Jewish community more broadly. 

Teen Microfunding empowers our teens to create new opportunities for connection and collaboration, addressing current gaps in the menu of programming currently available to Boston’s Jewish teens. Teens can work independently or with a partner organization to make their vision come to life with CJP’s support. 

The complete Teen Community Impact Grant Fund application guideline requirements for both Organizational Capacity Building and Community Enhancement Initiatives and an interest form for Teen Microfunding can be found on CJP’s website. 

Let’s Connect! 

Interested in connecting about an idea you have and/or how you can collaborate with other colleagues, organizations, or peers thinking similarly? Do you have questions about the Teen Community Impact Grants or Teen Microfunding? We’d love to hear from you! Contact Leah Finkelman or Brett Lubarsky to connect and learn more. 

Leah Finkelman is engagement manager for teens and camping at CJP. Brett Lubarsky is director of the Jewish Teen Initiative at CJP.