The Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles (The Foundation) has awarded over $2 million in grants to nine innovative, local initiatives focused on transforming Jewish Los Angeles.

This year’s Cutting Edge Grant recipients serve a wide range of needs, including: training Jewish teen advisors to offer support and guidance to their peers via a smartphone application; educating and empowering Jewish clergy, educators, and older adults on the issue of elder abuse; and building a Spanish language, pro-Israel media presence in Los Angeles.

Established by The Foundation in 2006, the Cutting Edge Grants are multi-year awards of up to $250,000 given to creative thinkers, social entrepreneurs, and innovative organizations to develop and implement programs of high visibility and impact in the L.A. Jewish community. These include both initiatives created in Los Angeles, and local launches of programs operating elsewhere. Successful applicants must demonstrate the capacity and leadership to implement their initiative, that the program is unique and sustainable, and that it offers long-term benefits to Jewish L.A.

In announcing this year’s grants, Foundation President and CEO Marvin I. Schotland said: “This year’s Cutting Edge Grant recipients are an exceptionally diverse group of social innovators that together address a broad range of issues in Los Angeles. From elder abuse, to teen counseling, to furthering a positive image of Israel and our Jewish community among Latino audiences, these grantees are finding inventive ways to connect with their constituents. We look forward to watching their programs grow and develop over time. Since the Cutting Edge Grants’ inception 13 years ago, we have distributed more than $19 million to support over 100 transformative initiatives. These breakthrough programs have strengthened the fabric of Jewish Los Angeles, and deeply engaged our community.”

Recipients of 2018 Cutting Edge Grants include:

• Act.IL for The Los Angeles Media Room
• Bet Tzedek for For the Sake of our Elders
• Fuente Latina for Fuente Latina Los Angeles
• Hillel 818 for Jewish Identity Project
• IsraAID for IsraAID Humanitarian Professionals Network
  
• Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles for Teen Talk
• Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles for LIFE @ Home (Living, Inspired, Fit, and Engaged)
• Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles for The Campaign for Civil Discourse
• Project Miracle for Miracle Masters

Additional background on the grantees and their specific initiatives can be found here.