Jewish Funders Network

10/19/2026

Nominations are open for the J.J. Greenberg Memorial Award. This award honors outstanding foundation professionals, age 40 and under, who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in Jewish philanthropy.

Nominations close in two weeks on Tuesday, November 3 at 5:00 pm ET. Nominate a worthy young professional today!
https://www.jfunders.org/page/jj_nominations

Created in memory of J.J. Greenberg, who passed away tragically in 2002 at age 36, this award celebrates individuals who embody Jewish values and the relentless pursuit of excellence, just as J.J. did. This year’s award winner will be presented at the 2027 JFN International Conference and receive a $10,000 prize to be used for professional development or tzedakah.

10/15/2026

In this episode of What Gives?, JFN President and CEO Andrés Spokoiny speaks with Jamie Simon, CEO of the Foundation for Jewish Camp, which supports a network of 340 nonprofit Jewish camps across North America.

Take a listen: https://www.jfunders.org/news/736927/Jamie-Simon---Jewish-Identity-Takes-Root-at-Camp.htm

Research shows that a strong sense of belonging at camp helps kids make Jewish practice and community their own, and FJC's 2011 Camp Works study found that campers who felt that belonging are significantly more likely to become engaged Jewish adults.

Jamie and Andrés discuss what makes camp such a powerful setting for that identity and how camps are navigating conversations about Israel and Zionism with staff and teens, along with the affordability and bed capacity challenges standing between FJC and its goal of doubling camp attendance.

10/14/2026

The 2027 JFN International Conference in Tel Aviv is taking shape, and the newly launched conference website is the best place to get up-to-date information.

Visit the site: https://jfnconference.cventevents.com/

You'll find an early look at the schedule, with more details on the way, and an FAQ page for all your questions about the conference.

We’re excited to announce that member registration opens on November 11, 2026! We can't wait to welcome you back to Tel Aviv, so check back often as we add new information, and watch your inbox for registration details.

10/06/2026

Nominations are now open for the J.J. Greenberg Memorial Award. This award honors outstanding foundation professionals, age 40 and under, who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in Jewish philanthropy.

Nominate a worthy young professional today!
https://www.jfunders.org/page/jj_nominations

Created in memory of J.J. Greenberg, who passed away tragically in 2002 at age 36, this award celebrates individuals who embody Jewish values and the relentless pursuit of excellence, just as J.J. did. This year’s award winner will be presented at the 2027 JFN International Conference and receive a $10,000 prize to be used for professional development or tzedakah.

Click here to learn more: https://www.jfunders.org/page/jj

09/23/2026

A remarkable act of generosity, matched by a remarkable response. When Gal Gadot won this year's Genesis Prize, often called the "Jewish Nobel," she chose to direct the $1 million award toward Israel's long-term psychological recovery from the past three years of war and loss.

JFN was proud to help lead the matching effort that followed. Working with the Genesis Prize Foundation, the initiative generated an additional $2 million in private and corporate giving, turning Gadot's gift into a $3 million initiative now reaching two dozen Israeli nonprofits on the front lines of trauma care.

Read the full story below.

Click here to see the full list of grantees: https://www.genesisprize.org/laureate-initiatives/helping-the-helpers/

Israeli actress donates her $1 million Genesis Prize, prompting another $2 million in matching donations for two dozen nonprofits treating trauma and supporting frontline mental health professionals

09/15/2026

Jewish communities have absorbed massive technological shifts before, but AI may move faster and cut deeper than any of them.

Join us TOMORROW for Aspire to hear from Rabbi Zvika Krieger, Spiritual Leader, Chochmat HaLev in Berkeley, who also advises AI companies including Anthropic, Sara Tillinger Wolkenfeld, Chief Learning Officer at Sefaria, Dr. David Zvi Kalman of the Shalom Hartman Institute, and JFN President and CEO Andrés Spokoiny.

Click here to register: https://www.jfunders.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=2061864&group=

Our panel will explore what Jewish history teaches us about surviving disruption, and a question being raised more and more: unlike the Vatican, which just issued a major encyclical on AI, whose job is it in the Jewish world to work through what this technology means for meaning, work, and community?

This program is open to JFN members and non-members.

09/14/2026

Nominations for the 2027 Ilia Salita Excellence in Research Award (ERA) will close this Thursday, September 17, 2026 at 5 p.m. ET, and applications will close next week on Thursday, September 24, 2026 at 5 p.m. ET. Don't miss your chance to nominate a worthy research project.

Click here to nominate a worthy research project: https://jfunders.jotform.com/form/262173595907164

Since its founding, the ERA has elevated research that impacts how funders and nonprofits approach their work. Previous recipients have done important research on educator engagement with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, how Jewish organizations think about talent and leadership, and how antisemitism is expressed along the ideological spectrum. See updated eligibility criteria for this year's award here. The winner will be announced at the JFN 2027 International Conference, which takes place March 14-17, 2027 in Israel.

09/10/2026

In the latest episode, JFN President and CEO Andrés Spokoiny speaks with Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, Senior Rabbi of Central Synagogue in New York and author of the New York Times Best Seller Heart of a Stranger. Rabbi Buchdahl leads one of the most influential pulpits in the country. In this episode, she talks about what it takes to lead a community through this divided moment. She and Andrés talk about what courageous leadership costs when you cannot afford everyone's approval, and how she addressed a charged election season without telling any young Jew there was no longer room for them in the tent.

Take a listen: https://www.jfunders.org/news/734627/Rabbi-Angela-Buchdahl---Heart-of-a-Stranger.htm

Angela's career grew out of a life spent feeling like an outsider in every community she belonged to, and looking for home in all of them. But rather than treat it as something to overcome, she argues it may be the most Jewish thing about her, and she makes a case for why that has everything to do with how we lead and who we let in.

09/08/2026

Jewish communities have absorbed massive technological shifts before, but AI may move faster and cut deeper than any of them.

Join us for ASPIRE to hear from Rabbi Zvika Krieger, Spiritual Leader, Chochmat HaLev in Berkeley, who also advises AI companies including Anthropic, Sara Tillinger Wolkenfeld, Chief Learning Officer at Sefaria, Dr. David Zvi Kalman of the Shalom Hartman Institute, and JFN President and CEO Andrés Spokoiny.

Together they'll explore what Jewish history teaches us about surviving disruption, and a question being raised more and more: unlike the Vatican, which just issued a major encyclical on AI, whose job is it in the Jewish world to work through what this technology means for meaning, work, and community?

This program is open to JFN members and non-members. Click here to register: https://www.jfunders.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=2061864&group=

08/21/2026

Join JFN Executive Vice President Rabbi Rebecca W. Sirbu, Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary Rabbi Mike Uram, and TEN: Together Ending Need for an essential webinar next week.

This high holiday season, some of us will be sitting in pews of our synagogues, calculating if we can afford to maintain our membership over the next year. TEN's text sheet supports rabbis and Jewish educators in discussing Jewish economic vulnerability with their communities.

This Thursday, August 27th at 10am-11am PT / 1pm-2p ET

Attendance is open to rabbis, funders, all who are interested in learning!

Register to join us and find the guide here: https://www.togetherendingneed.org/highholidays