JEWISH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION AWARDS $1.5 MILLION IN CUTTING EDGE GRANTS TO LAUNCH SEVEN INNOVATIVE LOS ANGELES PROGRAMS

LOS ANGELES (Aug. 27, 2014)—The Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles (The Foundation) announced today it has given a total of $1.5 million in Cutting Edge Grants to seven local nonprofit organizations for highly innovative programs that are intended to engage diverse segments of the Jewish community ranging from college students and senior adults to the LGBTQ population and interfaith families.
Recipients of 2014 Cutting Edge Grants include:
• The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles for Campus Impact Network;
• USC Davis School of Gerontology for Zekenim: Honoring and Celebrating Los Angeles’ Jewish Elders;
• JQ International for Caring for LGBTQ Jews, Families, and Allies in Need;
• InterfaithFamily.com for InterfaithFamily/Los Angeles;
• American Jewish University for Institute for Jewish Creativity;
• The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles for Jewish Teen Engagement Initiative; and
• Jewish Graduate Student Initiative (JGSI) for Center for Ethics and Fellowship.
“The 2014 Cutting Edge Grant recipient organizations and their programs reflect the vision of innovation-minded social entrepreneurs who will drive the future of Jewish Los Angeles,” said Foundation President and CEO Marvin I. Schotland. “Our foundation’s awards this year will enable programs to reach all ages, from teens to seniors. Similarly, several of these programs will broaden inclusion and support for diverse segments across our community including LGBTQ and interfaith populations.”
The $1.5 million awarded in the current grantmaking cycle represents the largest aggregate amount in the history of the Cutting Edge Grants and a 25 percent increase from $1.2 million given in 2013, Schotland said.
The Cutting Edge Grants, established in 2006, are designed to encourage creative thinkers, social entrepreneurs and innovative organizations to develop and implement transformative programs of high visibility and impact in the Los Angeles Jewish community. Grantees can receive a maximum of $250,000 over three years. Since establishing the Cutting Edge Grants, The Foundation has seeded 53 programs with a total of nearly $10.5 million awarded, according to Schotland.

Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles for Campus Impact Network
Successfully piloted in 2013, Campus Impact Network is the recipient of a three-year, $250,000 grant that will provide Jewish college students from the Southern California area with the tools to connect with Jewish leaders on other campuses, key campus influencers and non-Jewish student groups, as well as to engage a broader Jewish audience. Students will receive training on relationship- and coalition-building methods, engage in networking opportunities with each other across Southern California to share best practices, receive micro-grants to partner with other student groups to achieve strategic leadership goals, and obtain training from mentors on how to identify and advocate effectively for campus issues.

USC—David School for Gerontology for Zekenim: Honoring and Celebrating Los Angeles’ Jewish Elders
Zekenim received a grant of $250,000 over three years. Zekenim represents an important new way of promoting successful aging, by providing a medium through which Jewish elders can share their life stories and wisdom, as well as connect with the next generation through art. Research has indicated that the mental well-being of youth may benefit from the intergenerational transfer of knowledge and experience. Inspired by research indicating that elder engagement in such activities also results in better mental and physical well-being and longevity, 220 older Jewish adults will be asked to share and “sketch” pivotal experiences in their life stories. These sketches will then be transformed by high school and college artists into visual representations called pictograms. The art will be displayed and shared with thousands of Jewish and non-Jewish community members through exhibitions and online media.

JQ International for Caring for LGBTQ Jews
Caring for LGBTQ Jews, Families, and Allies in Need is the recipient of $250,000 awarded over three years. It will establish a one-stop resource and referral “warmline” for LGBTQ Jews, staffed by a rabbi and trained therapist, two interns and another 20 volunteers. In addition, it will launch first-of-its-kind programming for LGBTQ individuals and their families in the Orthodox community of Los Angeles, modeled after a successful program in New York run by partnering organization Eshel.

InterfaithFamily.com for InterfaithFamily/Los Angeles
The InterfaithFamily/Los Angeles initiative—the local replication of a program already successfully launched in Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago and San Francisco—will work to connect people in interfaith relationships with L.A. Jewish community resources, other interfaith couples, and clergy that will officiate for interfaith couples at Jewish life-cycle ceremonies. The newest iteration was awarded a three-year $250,000 grant. Focusing initially on the Silver Lake and West Los Angeles neighborhoods, it will provide resources to couples on Jewish life and ritual, including incorporating religious traditions together in a welcoming, inclusive way.

American Jewish University for Institute for Jewish Creativity (IJC)
Awarded $200,000 over three years, the IJC aims to become the largest Jewish arts and creativity incubator in the United States. It will work principally to: integrate Jewish artists into the larger Jewish communal context; provide attractive cultural programming that both appeals to Jews of all ages and works to strengthen their Jewish identity; and encourage artistic contributions that help to create an authentic, thriving American-Jewish culture. Features of the initiative include a think tank, artists’ retreat, monthly workshops for Jewish artists, an artist’s grant program, professional seminars on incorporating cultural programming into existing institutions and a performance and presentation series.

Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles for Jewish Teen Engagement Initiative
A $200,000 grant to be distributed over three years will seek to double the number of local teens involved in Jewish life. The Jewish Federation program will mobilize a groundbreaking collaboration of stakeholders—youth educators, rabbis, summer camp directors, teens, parents and institutional partners. Under the initiative, the Jewish Federation will create a web-based platform through which teens and parents can access interesting, age-appropriate opportunities in the community. It will also offer training for professionals and create innovative programming for teens.

Jewish Graduate Student Initiative for The Center for Ethics and Fellowship
The Center for Ethics and Fellowship—the recipient of a three-year, $100,000 grant—will offer a program for 40 business and law students from nine L.A.-area graduate schools per year that will introduce them to Jewish ethical values and the importance of philanthropy. The program seeks to inspire these students to become involved in the Jewish community as supporters and lay leaders post-graduation. Fellows will participate in 10 weekly, two-hour sessions and will engage in two community-activism projects. Fellows will engage with leadership at partnering organizations that include the Anti-Defamation League of Los Angeles, Bet Tzedek and the Jewish Federation.

About The Foundation
Established in 1954, the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles is the largest manager of charitable assets and the leader in planned-giving solutions for Greater Los Angeles Jewish philanthropists. The Foundation currently manages assets of more than $900 million (audited; as of Dec. 31, 2013) and ranks among the 11 largest Los Angeles foundations. In 2012, The Foundation and its more than 1,000 donors distributed $65 million in grants to hundreds of organizations with programs that span the range of philanthropic giving. For more information, visit www.jewishfoundationla.org.