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Community Impact Grants

 

CJP is pleased to share four Community Impact Grant (CIG) funds, designed to support organizations in enhancing the well-being and vibrancy of the Greater Boston Jewish community. 

We’re delighted to announce the recipients of the FY23 Community Impact Grant (CIG) funds. We're proud to support these organizations as they continue to enhance the lives of those in the Great Boston Jewish community.

  • GENERAL CIG FUND

    Supporting programs serving the Jewish community.

  • TEEN CIG FUND

    Supporting programs serving Jewish teens (post-B’Mitzvah to 12th grade).

  • 19548_Campus_Community_Impact_Grant_Launch_AN22_Web_Image.jpg

  • CAMPUS CIG FUND

    Supporting programs serving Jewish college students.

  • YOUNG ADULT CIG FUND

    Supporting programs serving Jewish young adults (ages 22-40).

The CIG funds were developed to maximize our awareness and response to the changing needs of our community. Our goal is to provide a transparent, efficient, and consistent process to ensure that organizations can identify and address needs, opportunities, and innovations within the communities that CJP serves.

How to Apply:

Please review the guiding principles and frequently asked questions below before applying. As described in the FAQ section, applications for FY24 will open on Monday, July 3, 2023 and must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 12, 2023 for consideration in the first set of grants. Applications submitted after October 12, 2023 and prior to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 8, 2024 will be reviewed in the second set of grants.

To help you prepare your application, we encourage you to download the application questions.

Apply Here

 

Guiding Principles for Funding

CJP Mission
To inspire and mobilize the diverse Boston Jewish community to engage in building communities of learning that strengthen Jewish life and improve the world.

CJP Vision Statement
Our community is a leading center of Jewish life, inspired by Greater Boston’s unique intellectual and cultural heritage. Expansive, dynamic models of living and learning provide meaningful connections to Judaism, the Jewish People, Israel, and the broader world. Networks of thriving Jewish institutions work collaboratively to strengthen our future. Grounded in Jewish history, tradition, and values, we care for one another, pursue justice, and repair our divided world.

CJP Grantmaking Philosophy
CJP uses grantmaking as one critical tool for reaching our shared communal vision. With our grants we seek to strengthen the health and breadth of our community and invest in key priority areas that will shape our future. Through our grants, we seek to incentivize or amplify partnership, capacity, resiliency, innovation, and adaptability.

CJP Impact Areas

  • Caring for Vulnerable Populations: More people are financially, physically, and emotionally secure, and meet or exceed their basic needs in a community that preserves dignity for all.
  • Broader and Deeper Engagement in Jewish Life: More people are more engaged and attribute life choices to a sense of belonging within/to the Jewish community.
  • A Healthy, Thriving and Sustainable Community: Healthy, relevant, and efficient networks of organizations work collaboratively for enhanced impact in delivering against key strategies.


Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who is eligible for CIG funding?
Applicants must:

  • Be a public charity with an IRS letter of Determination, have arranged for a fiscal sponsor, or be a synagogue or other religious organization that is a currently operating house of worship in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
  • Be located within the CJP catchment area (either the organization itself or the program specifically)
  • Enhance the well-being and vibrancy of the Jewish community


For CJP’s Jewish Communal Partners:

  • If you are an organization that is required to submit an organizational health survey to CJP, you must receive yellow or green status in the fiscal year prior to the application year to be eligible to submit an application. 


Q: Who is NOT eligible for CIG funding?
Funding is not available for the following:

  • Requests for capital projects
  • Requests for endowments
  • Requests for scholarships
  • Organizations which receive aggregate funding of more than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000 annually from CJP, including annual funding grants and monies received from the General, Young Adult, Campus, or Teen Community Impact Grant fund sources.)

 

Q: What type of grants do you offer?
The CIG funds welcome applications for new and ongoing results-oriented initiatives (“Initiatives”) which support CJP’s Impact Areas; can demonstrate a measurable and sustainable impact; and involve one of the following categories:

  • Organizational Capacity Building projects that bring a nonprofit to the next level of operational, programmatic, financial, or organizational maturity. Organizational capacity building projects reflect an investment in the effectiveness and future sustainability of a nonprofit to effectively deliver its mission.
  • Community Enhancement Initiatives are events, actions, or programs — 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 other efforts that help an organization learn how a large-scale project might work in practice and help provide learnings for the Greater Boston Jewish community more broadly. A pilot program provides a platform for the organization to test ideas, prove value, and reveal deficiencies.

Applicants must select to submit an application to only one of the two categories of grant support described above. Please note: The CIG funds do not provide general operating support for organizations.
 

Q: Which fund should my organization apply for?
The four CIG funds are intended to serve the audiences as described below. Please apply for the fund that best aligns with your Initiative.  Applicants may not submit an application for the same Initiative to multiple grant funds.

  • The Teen CIG Fund supports Initiatives serving Jewish teens (post-B’Mitzvah to 12th grade).
  • The Campus CIG Fund supports Initiatives serving Jewish college students.
  • The Young Adult CIG Fund supports Initiatives serving Jewish young adults (ages 22-40).
  • The General CIG Fund provides support to Initiatives that serve the broader Jewish community beyond those specific audiences, including intergenerational groups, older adults, children, and others.
     

Q: What level of funding is offered by each CIG fund?
Applicants are eligible to apply for up to $15,000 of funding from each CIG fund. Although this is the maximum amount, smaller Initiative applications are also eligible and encouraged.

Q: Are there limitations on how many grants an organization can apply for and/or receive?
Yes. Applicants must adhere to the following restrictions:

  • Applicants may only receive one grant from each CIG fund per fiscal year. If your application is denied in the first round you may resubmit the application or submit for a different Initiative in the second round.
  • Applicants may not submit an application for the same Initiative to multiple grant funds.
  • The aggregate funding received from CJP annually, in combination with the aggregate monies received from the General, Young Adult, Campus or Teen Community Impact Grant fund sources, may not exceed one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000). For instance, if your organization receives other funds from CJP totaling $75,000, you may not receive more than $25,000 total from the CIG funds per fiscal year.
     

Q: What is the selection process?
All applications are reviewed by a geographically and demographically diverse committee of volunteer lay leaders who have been trained in the grant review process, and who bring a wide range of skill sets and experiences to the review process.

Each committee reviews applications with critical attention to:


Q: What is the grant term?
The Fund awards grants for a one-year period. For Community Enhancement Initiative grants, grantees may apply for a second year of funding for the same Initiative for up to 50% of funds received in the first year. Our goal is for all grantees to move toward a self-sustaining model.

Q: What is the timeline?
Application submissions will be considered twice during each fiscal year (July – June). As listed below, applications for FY24 will open on Monday July 3, 2023 and must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday October 12, 2023 for consideration in the first set of grants. Decisions on these applications are expected to be announced by the week of December4, 2023. Applications submitted after October 12, 2023 and prior to 5:00 p.m. on Friday March 8, 2024 will be reviewed with decisions expected to be announced by the week of May 1, 2024.

Overview of Timeline:

  • May 10, 2023: 10:00 a.m. Info Session #1
  • July 3, 2023: FY24 Application Opens
  • August 15, 2023: 10:00 a.m. Info Session #2
  • October 12 , 2023: Application Deadline #1 (by 5:00pm)
  • November 27, 2023: Grant Decisions Announced during this week
  • January 2024: Grant Funds Distributed (for 1st deadline applicants)
  • March 8, 2024: Application Deadline #2 (by 5:00pm)
  • May 1, 2024: Grant Decisions Announced during this week
  • May 2024: Grant Funds Distributed (for 2nd deadline applicants)

 

Q: What are the reporting, marketing, and other requirements?

  • For applications involving collaborations between and among organizations, letters of support from all partners must be included.
  • All grants must demonstrate consideration for program accessibility and participation for individuals with disabilities.
  • Grantees will be required to sign a grant agreement and comply with mid-year and end-of-term data and reporting requirements. Each CIG fund may differ in the specific deliverables due, as detailed in their respective grant agreements.


Financial Information - Please note:

  • First-time grantees need to provide a current copy of their organization’s W-9; IRS Letter of Determination or proof that grantee is a synagogue or other religious organization that is a currently operating house of worship in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; Mission Statement; and EFT banking instructions 
  • Organizations that have previously received a grant from CJP are not required to resubmit their W-9 and proof of tax-exempt status
  • Organizations that have previously received a grant in the form of a check from CJP, please note that we will now require EFT banking instructions to complete the application

Contact

Before starting your application, we highly recommend you reach out to discuss your idea with the corresponding fund manager below. They will be happy to help guide your organization through the process.

General CIG Fund:
Contact Beth at betht@cjp.org

Teen CIG Fund:
Contact Leah at leahf@cjp.org

Campus CIG Fund:
Contact Chelsea at chelseat@cjp.org

Young Adult CIG Fund:
Contact Caleb at caleba@cjp.org

For general inquiries, please reach out to Beth at betht@cjp.org.