Jewish Teen Funders Network

What is Jewish Youth Philanthropy?

History • Program Types

A group of Jewish teens come together with a shared interest in changing the world…

They meet to explore their interests and passions…

They learn about Jewish values and traditions and examine what it means to “give Jewishly.”

Each teen contributes money to a shared grantmaking pool…

Funds are then matched by local philanthropists.

This is how Jewish teens are empowered to make a substantial impact on issues close to their hearts.

This is Jewish youth philanthropy.

History

Over the last decade, more than 60 Jewish youth philanthropy programs have emerged throughout North America. From the East Coast to the West Coast, in large metropolitan areas and small communities, these programs engage teens ages 13-18 in hands-on collective philanthropic giving. They are housed in day schools, religious schools, synagogues, social service agencies, local Jewish Federations, and endowment foundations.

Inspired by a project of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in the late 1980s to create youth committees for community foundations throughout Kellogg's home state of Michigan, as well as other secular youth philanthropy initiatives, Jewish youth philanthropy programs rose up organically and as a result of local initiative and creativity.

In 2001, the Jewish Funders Network (JFN) brought together professional and lay leaders of Jewish youth philanthropy programs around the country to determine how to best support the growing number of local programs, and what appeared to be the development of a new field in the Jewish community. Over the next several years, JFN organized several workshops, conference calls, and planning meetings to develop a shared vision and strategic plan for what would ultimately become the Jewish Teen Funders Network

In April 2006, JFN joined forces with other organizations and foundations to sponsor the Jewish Youth Funders! Conference for teen philanthropists in April 2006. Following this conference, which brought together over 150 teen participants of Jewish youth philanthropy programs, donors initiated, in partnership with JFN, the Jewish Teen Funders Network (JTFN) to serve as a central address for Jewish youth philanthropy programs across North America.

Program Types

There are roughly four programmatic models for Jewish youth philanthropy programs:

youth foundations, in which teens contribute money to a collective philanthropic pool that is matched by a local donor, or a pool of funds provided through a community endowment, and then give the money away
seventh grade funds, which allow B’nai Mitzvah students to give money they otherwise would have spent on B’nai Mitzvah gifts to tzedakah
youth boards, in which teens do not contribute their own money; rather, they are responsible for decisions on a portion of a foundation’s grantmaking corpus
individual endowment funds, in which teens donate the interest from individual accounts to organizations of their choice.

Some programs meet over the course of an academic year, while others meet over one semester. Some programs are structured as one-time experiences, while others engage teens for several cycles. Programs meet 4-8 times, and some include weekend retreats and/or site visits to potential grantees.

To learn more about each of these models and to see some examples, click here.