The Jews of Color Initiative is the only national fund laser-focused on creating a more equitable U.S. Jewish communal ecosystem for Jews of Color.
We work to achieve this through our grantmaking by supporting field building for Jews of Color (JoC) in the U.S. Jewish community. Our grantmaking is an articulation of our mission to advance racial equity in the U.S. Jewish community through centering the leadership of Jews of Color. We believe that the Jewish community should reflect our multiracial reality, and take pride in supporting projects and leaders who help bring this vision to life.
Types of Grants
Our general grants cycle is open and reviewed on a rolling basis throughout the fiscal year. Grants of $10,000 and above are reviewed quarterly by our Grant Advisory Committee.
We are most interested in supporting early-stage projects that center the leadership of JoC, nurture and empower JoC participation and leadership in Jewish communal life, and demonstrate replicability and adaptability to the greater Jewish community.
Our first deadline to submit applications for grants over $10,000 by end of day (EOD) December 5.
Our grantmaking efforts focus on three main areas:
- Prototypes: Our goal is to support projects that address a need for JoC communities through data-driven insights, testing, and iterative growth. We support prototypes that plan or test JoC-led, centered, and/or focused initiatives to assess their viability, adaptability, and potential for replication. Examples of our support might include seed funding for research conducted by and/or for Jews of Color, focus groups for innovative JoC-focused program ideas, community-building initiatives, creative arts projects, Jewish education and professional development programs, or other early-stage efforts centering JoC.
- JoC Leadership Development: We are dedicated to advancing the leadership of Jews of Color by empowering them through focused professional development and skill-building opportunities. We aim to invest in meaningful impact within the U.S. Jewish community professional pipeline that fosters the growth of JoC leaders and professionals through opportunities such as cohort experiences, professional-development programs, skill-building courses, and more.
- Infrastructure Support: We are committed to supporting JoC-led and focused projects and organizations in strengthening their ability to create lasting impact. To that end, we support capacity-building initiatives that will enhance organizational operations, long-term sustainability, effectiveness, and impact.
Please note, we do not fund individuals, scholarships, or DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) work.
Eligibility:
- Projects must be JoC-centered, led and/or focused
- Grantees must be a U.S. 501c3 nonprofit, or a fiscally sponsored project of a U.S. 501c3 nonprofit
- Our funding must be used for domestically focused and based projects within the U.S. and U.S. territories
- Organizations must have a proven commitment to racial justice and equity
- Grantees must have a national scope and an ability to share learnings and impact with the wider community
Interested in Applying for a Grant?
If you have a project that is laser-focused on Jews of Color, and you believe fits our grantmaking priorities and eligibility requirements, we invite you to reach out to our grants team at grants@jewsofcolorinitiative.org to set up a meeting.
When reviewing potential alignment, we evaluate projects with the following questions in mind. In an effort to support an easier preparation process in advance of our meeting, please send in your responses to these questions two days in advance and come prepared to discuss:
- What is your project?
- Who are you trying to reach, and how?
- What are your desired outcomes and what steps will you take to get there?
- What is your timeline?
- How much funding is needed, and for what?
If your project seems aligned with our priorities and eligibility requirements, you can expect 1-3 meetings with our grants team. If you move forward in the process, we will provide you with a formal link to the application through Salesforce.
About Our New Application
- This year, we’re excited to introduce a new application process in Salesforce. Using your email, you can create and edit your application through our online portal.
- After you submit your application, you can expect to hear back with next steps within 2-3 weeks.
- For requests of $10,000 or more, or for applications related to specific Requests for Proposals (RFPs), please allow additional time as these requests must be reviewed by our Grant Advisory Committee, which meets quarterly.
Thank you! Please let us know if you require any reasonable accommodations to ensure accessibility during the grants process.