New York, March 6, 2012 – The Jewish Teen Funders Network (JTFN), a youth philanthropy project of the Jewish Funders Network, has awarded grants to 20 summer camps from across denominational lines and around North America. As participants in the Camping Pilot Program, these grantees will receive $1,500 and leadership training to develop high-quality teen philanthropy programs.
Recognizing the potential of Jewish youth philanthropy programs to empower and educate teens about effective philanthropy and Jewish values, JTFN will work closely with grantees on program development and staff training. Summer camps from around the Jewish community demonstrated overwhelming interest in the pilot program, with twice as many applications as slots available.
Through the JTFN Camping Pilot Program, each of the 20 participating summer camps will create a Jewish teen foundation, in which campers will work together as a “foundation board,” giving away real money to non-profit organizations of their choosing. Throughout the grantmaking process, in which the participants will review grant proposals from non-profit organizations, make site visits to potential grantees, and determine which organizations to support, the philanthropists-in-training will examine Jewish texts, traditions, and values related to giving. The pilot program encourages campers to “learn by giving” and will generate at least $20,000 in grants, with each teen foundation awarding a minimum of $1,000 in grants. The pilot program is generously supported by the Maimonides Fund.
The Camping Pilot Program is built on the foundation that JTFN has built over the past five years in establishing the field of Jewish teen philanthropy. Since 2003, more than 50 Jewish teen foundations have been founded across North America in day schools, religious schools, synagogues, social service agencies, local Jewish Federations and Jewish community foundations. In preparation for this pilot, JTFN conducted two rounds of pre-pilot programming with the following camps: Camp Galil, JCC Maccabi Kingswood, URJ Camp George, and URJ Greene Family Camp, and the Ramah Philanthropy Initiative (engaging six Ramah camps).
Send to Kindle
Mazel tov to the 20 summer camps selected to participate in the pilot program, listed at http://www.jfunders.org/jtfn-at-camp. We look forward to working with, and learning from, the pilot cohort this summer as we bring Jewish teen philanthropy to camp.
Stefanie Zelkind
Director of Jewish Teen Funders Network
This is such terrific news! Have helped establish a new and growing teen philanthropy initiative in LA this year that is growing fast. Stephanie, can there be a special program at next yera’s JFN conference on teen philanthropy projects to network everyone together?
Rhoda and others,
No need to wait until next year to network with others involved in Jewish teen philanthropy…the JTFN Institute will bring together (adult) facilitators of teen philanthropy programs throughout North America this June 3-5…more info at http://www.jtfninstitute.org.
We hope you’ll join us!
Stefanie
The Foundation for Jewish Camp is thrilled to be partnering with JTFN on expanding this successful program to more camps. The JTFN will be featured in The Shuk: The Jewish Camp Marketplace at Leaders Assembly, our biennial conference, next week. We hope even more camps will use opportunities to contemporize and enhance their Jewish program content.
- Jeremy J. Fingerman, CEO
Foundation for Jewish Camp