LA’s Jumpstart Receives $250k Grant
The Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles (The Foundation) today announced a three-year, $250,000 award through its Cutting Edge Grants Initiative to Jewish Jumpstart, an incubator, catalyst and think tank dedicated to supporting Jewish innovation. The grant will fund Jumpstart L.A., a new initiative to assist local Jewish startups with infrastructure and operational support. Jumpstart L.A. aims to connect and strengthen emerging Jewish organizations serving diverse constituents across the local Jewish community.
The Cutting Edge Grant from The Foundation will help bring together creative individuals, organizations and ideas to establish Los Angeles as a center of Jewish innovation. Jumpstart will provide direct support to nonprofits via fiscal sponsorship, organizational development and other incubation services and provide assistance in areas such as technology, communication, governance and strategic planning.
Foundation President and CEO Marvin I. Schotland said, “A new generation of creative Jewish social entrepreneurs is emerging, but the current economic environment makes it particularly challenging for them to realize their dreams. The Foundation, in keeping with its vision of a dynamic Los Angeles Jewish community, continues to provide critical seed funding to social innovators, despite the economic downturn. Our grant serves to validate the importance of Jumpstart’s mission, connecting and strengthening new and young organizations serving Jewish Los Angeles.”
“Los Angeles is an epicenter for Jewish innovation, and local initiatives often don’t get the funding or public recognition they deserve,” said Jumpstart co-founder and COO Joshua Avedon. “The Foundation’s Cutting Edge Grant gives Jumpstart the resources we need to help make L.A. a powerful force within the Jewish community. L.A. has the talent, resources and ideas to lead a transformation of the Jewish community for the 21st Century, both in Los Angeles and beyond.”
Jumpstart co-founder and CEO Shawn Landres said, “The Foundation has helped launch some of the most creative new projects the Los Angeles community has seen over the past number of years. Its investment in Jumpstart is about more than providing financial resources – it’s about sharing ideas, connecting people, and creating networks of social entrepreneurs and activists to grow Jewish innovation in Los Angeles. We hope that Jumpstart L.A. will help leverage The Foundation’s prior investments and other new projects to benefit the community as a whole.”
Cutting Edge Grants for 2010
The Foundation has announced that the deadline to apply for its 2010 Cutting Edge Grants is Nov. 30, 2009. The Cutting Edge Grants program – through which grantseekers can receive a maximum of $250,000 over three years – is designed to launch innovative efforts that break new ground and positively impact the greater Los Angeles Jewish community. These grants have helped new initiatives such as 30 Years After, LimmudLA, Jewish World Watch, JDub LA, and the Jewish Federation’s Next Generation Engagement Initiative, among others, get their start. Individuals or organizations interested in applying for a 2010 Cutting Edge Grant are encouraged to attend a grantseekers workshop at The Foundation on Wednesday, Oct. 14. Seating is limited and registration is required. To register, applicants may visit The Foundation website or contact the Grants Department at (323) 761-8705.