Jewish Community Foundation Invites Proposals for 2015 Cutting Edge Grants

LOS ANGELES (Oct. 10, 2014) – The Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles (The Foundation) today announced a deadline of Nov. 26, 2014, to apply for its Cutting Edge Grants Initiative. Awards of up to $250,000 over three years are available to fund innovative programs that address important, substantiated needs in the Los Angeles Jewish community.

Nonprofit organizations or social entrepreneurs may receive funding for:
• Untested ground-breaking programs;
• Successful Los Angeles pilot programs ready for community-wide implementation;
• Local adaptations of high-impact initiatives proven outside of Los Angeles, or;
• Programs designed by social entrepreneurs to create new nonprofit organizations.

In 2014, The Foundation awarded $1.5 million in Cutting Edge Grants to seven recipients. These recently funded initiatives are designed to engage a broad cross section of Jewish Los Angeles through civic involvement and leadership, arts and culture, human services and Jewish continuity, to name just several. Since establishing the Cutting Edge Grants Initiative in 2006, The Foundation has provided financial support of nearly $10.5 million to launch 53 ground-breaking programs.

Marvin I. Schotland, The Foundation’s president and chief executive officer, said: “The Cutting Edge Grants offer one of the most viable paths of support for social entrepreneurs seeking to apply their vision and to shape the direction of Jewish Los Angeles. Many of the programs funded by Cutting Edge Grants have already left indelible and lasting impressions through projects that had the power to energize and transform. Los Angeles is an epicenter for creativity, and the Cutting Edge Grants are reflective of that same spirit of innovation.”

Organizations or individuals interested in applying for a Cutting Edge Grant can learn more about the process by visiting www.jewishfoundationla.org/CEGI and registering for the Grantseekers Workshop to be held on Oct. 29, 2014. Information will include selection criteria and tips on writing a competitive concept paper. Advance registration is required.

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 $900 million and ranks among the 11 largest Los Angeles foundations. In 2013, The Foundation and its donors distributed $65 million in grants to more than a thousand organizations with programs that span the range of philanthropic giving. For more information, visit www.jewishfoundationla.org.