Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles Announces $3 Million of Additional Grants for COVID-19 Response and Relief

Monday, December 21, 2020

The Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles (The Foundation) today announced it has awarded $3 million in grants to 19 organizations as part of the institution’s comprehensive COVID-19 relief efforts.

These distributions are being directed to sustain local Jewish nonprofits experiencing economic hardship resulting from the pandemic, to support families via day-school tuition and camp scholarship assistance, and to address urgent needs in Israel.

The awards are part of the previously announced COVID-19 Response Grants, a multi-stage initiative under which The Foundation is directing $8.3 million of 2020 institutional giving – the largest amount earmarked by The Foundation to a single issue – for pandemic response and relief. This latest round of grants builds upon $2.5 million awarded earlier this year to 22 Los Angeles-area nonprofits to address vital needs, including food and housing insecurity, financial assistance and access to health care. To date, The Foundation has awarded $5.5 million in grants to 41 nonprofits. The remaining dollars that are part of this second phase will be distributed in early 2021.

Additionally, Foundation donors have directed to date approximately $5.5 million in grants for pandemic response and relief from their own charitable funds administered by The Foundation. This amount, coupled with The Foundation’s institutional giving, brings grants committed for COVID-19 relief to nearly $14 million in total.

Foundation President and Chief Executive Officer Marvin I. Schotland stated: “The human suffering and economic toll on our communities – which we are closely monitoring locally, nationally and in Israel – are devastating. As the pandemic rages on, those with the capacity to give must continue to step up. The Foundation and our 1,300 generous donor families remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring the viability of programs and organizations as they navigate through these difficult times, including a precipitous decline in fundraising.”

The $3 million of Phase II COVID-19 Response Grants is being directed to:

A. Sustainability of local Jewish nonprofits; $1.5 million awarded to 16 organizations – all current or former Foundation grant recipients – which include:

Arts & Culture

1. theatre dybbuk

College and Graduate Students

2. Hillel 818

3. Hillel at UCLA

4. Jewish Graduate Student Initiative

5. USC Hillel

Community Engagement

6. Pico Union Project

7. Silverlake Independent Jewish Community Center

Education

8. Builders of Jewish Education

Individuals with Disabilities

9. Friendship Circle

10. The Miracle Project

Israel Advocacy

11. Fuente Latina

Teen and Young Adult Engagement

12. 30 Years After

13. Honeymoon Israel

14. Moving Traditions

Vulnerable Populations

15. Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles

16. JQ International

B. Supporting Jewish day schools and camps; $1 million awarded to help strengthen families by providing children and teens access to impactful Jewish experiences. The grant is being made to the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles in support of its longstanding day-school tuition assistance and camp scholarship programs.

C. Addressing critical needs in Israel; $500,000 awarded for pressing issues facing the Jewish state that include unemployment, food insecurity, paramedical care and the welfare of at-risk youth. The grants will be made via two organizations with deep experience addressing these areas across Israeli society: the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and Latet.

About The Jewish Community Foundation

Established in 1954, the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles manages charitable assets of more than $1.3 billion entrusted to it by over 1,300 families and ranks among the 10 largest Los Angeles foundations. It partners with donors to shape meaningful philanthropic strategies, magnify the impact of their giving, and build enduring charitable legacies. In 2019, The Foundation and its donors distributed $129 million in grants to 2,700 nonprofits with programs that span the range of philanthropic giving. Over the past 13 years, it has distributed more than $1 billion to thousands of nonprofits across a diverse spectrum. www.jewishfoundationla.org