The Jewish Education Innovation Challenge (JEIC) is accepting applications for 2019 Ignition Grants up to $15,000 to jump-start new and/or to continue recently-established innovative programs that improve Jewish education in Jewish day schools across North America.

JEIC initiated its Ignition Grants program in late 2018 to continue to catalyze change in day schools by supporting creative, out-of-the-box programs through mini-grants to a wider population of schools. Proposals for Ignition Grants are accepted throughout the year, and grant decisions typically are made in July and January.

The JEIC Ignition Grant online application can be found at: www.jewishchallenge.org/day-school-educators-challenge/ and questions can be directed to Sharon Freundel, Managing Director, at sharon@JewishChallenge.org.

The first Jewish day schools to receive JEIC Ignition Grants include:

• Lamplighters Yeshiva to create an Open Beit Midrash where middle school and high school students can explore the text of the Gemara from any aspect that they find engaging;
• Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School of the Nation’s Capital to build out their Middle School Scholars Forum, which provides students with the opportunity to examine contemporary topics under the guidance of local experts and thought-leaders, while delving into the relevant, related Jewish texts and explorations of Jewish values;
• BiCultural Hebrew Academy for the expansion of their new Middle School Tefillah Curriculum;
• Shalhevet Hebrew High School for further development of its “Jewish Literature and Jewish Identity” course, which introduces students to Jewish culture, intellectualism, and identity through secular humanities content from modern Jewish literature from Europe, Israel, and the United States; and
• Solomon Schechter Day School of Manhattan to develop a new approach to K-8 Israel Education based on current sociological realities and educational theory.

Over the past six years, JEIC has supported more than 20 Jewish day schools’ innovations aimed at reigniting students’ passion for Jewish learning and improving the way Jewish values, literacy, practice and belief are transferred to the next generation. Many of these educational models are available for scaling and implementing with JEIC’s investment of both financial and programmatic resources. Visit www.jewishchallenge.org/models-to-implement/ to explore the current offerings.

JEIC is a bold initiative to catalyze radical change in Jewish day schools across North America by bringing together educators, funders, influencers, and consumers to challenge day schools to achieve their mandate of optimizing student internalization of Jewish wisdom, identity, and decision making in the modern world. Initiated in 2012 by the Mayberg Foundation and supported through multiple philanthropic partnerships, JEIC pursues lasting school change through directed funding, philanthropic partnerships, impactful conferences, and innovative educational enterprises.