By Bill Cohen

What would motivate you to go out during a hectic week?

What kind of activity would inspire you to devote your time, bring your family, or get a babysitter so you can attend without your kids?

What kind of Jewish engagement program would YOU create, if you had the time and resources to do it?

Life is busy, and we understand that not everyone has time to spearhead a new initiative to enhance Jewish life in our community. But we need YOUR IDEAS – ideas that will spark a startup or encourage a local organization to try something new.

That’s why The Jewish Community Foundation of Greater MetroWest NJ (JCF) is introducing the Idea Sparker.

JCF is the planned giving and endowment arm of Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ. We want to fund groundbreaking programs that you’ll want to join, where you’ll create new friendships and build connections to your community. We have $300,000 to invest in innovative ways to reach community members who don’t feel engaged in meaningful Jewish experiences. We’re looking for applicants for multi-year grants, and we’re also looking for exciting ideas that will encourage people and organizations to apply.

The Innovations Fund is now in its second year. This collaborative effort, kickstarted by our community’s most recent Wexner graduates and the JCF Grants Committee, is thrilled to announce a new grant cycle. The application process is now open, and applications will be accepted until September 27, 2019.

If you know of a dynamic personality or organization that should apply, please share this incredible grant opportunity. All applicants need to have a local partner and plan to run programming in Greater MetroWest NJ. The application and all the details can be found at jcfgmw.org/innovations-fund.

And if you have an innovative idea that you think would inspire a great program – even if you don’t live in the Greater MetroWest NJ community – we want to hear about it. Take a few minutes to share your creativity at https://jcfgmw.org/innovations-fund/.