The mission of the Jews of Color Initiative is to advance racial equity in the Jewish communal ecosystem. Since our founding, grantmaking has been a primary tactic for pursuing racial equity and centering the leadership of Jews of Color. Grantmaking helps ensure that community resources are directed toward the growth and thriving of Jews of Color in the Jewish community. With our 2022-2023 grantmaking cycle now open, we want to connect with both established and emerging leaders who have a vision for the JoC community.
At the Jews of Color Initiative, our grantees are at the heart of our work. Our team finds immense joy in discovering and supporting the innovative ways grantees provide community connections, resources, opportunities, and Jewish engagement that address the needs and interests of the community.
Through the years, JoCI’s grantmaking has expanded and evolved. In our opening year, 2017-2018, the Jews of Color Initiative made six grants, primarily focused on supporting existing JoC-led organizations and a couple of cohort-based programs. This past fiscal year, we made 70 grants, marking a milestone moment for the JoC community.
As our grantmaking capacity and resources grow, so do the interests, ideas, and connections among our grantees. In our 2021-2022 fiscal year, JoCI supported a leadership retreat for JoC impacted by immigration, gatherings for JoC Kohenet Priestesses, community building for Black Orthodox Jews, a national Shabbaton for Jews of Color and Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews, an arts festival, JoC authors of op-eds, and so many more. As Jews of Color gain greater access to resources, funding, and connection with one another, the JoC community collectively gains increased freedom to cultivate communities, programs, and organizations that are most meaningful to us.
To support the burgeoning field, the Jews of Color Initiative recently welcomed to Junior Program Officers, Sarah Starks and Jordan Daniels, to our Grants Team. Starks and Daniels work with our Senior Program Officer, Gabi Kuhn, to expand our grantmaking capacity while developing their own skills and leadership to make a lasting impact on the Jewish ecosystem.
On September 14, 2022, our Grants Team hosted an informational webinar to kick off this new grantmaking cycle. With over 40 attendees, the webinar shared the process for applying for a JoCI grant, and how our strategic priorities will inform our selection of projects.
The Jews of Color Initiative team, especially our Grants Team who will lead these efforts, is excited to see what this new cycle of grantmaking brings. You can learn more about JoCI grantmaking and how we can support your JoC-focused project on our Grantmaking page.
