Community Grants
At the Jewish Community Foundation, we are committed to serving as a resource to individuals, families, and organizations throughout our community in an effort to sustain our local Jewish heritage and vital institutions into the next generation. Among our various resources are the community grants disbursed to Jewish students and Jewish organizations in our Greater Mercer/West-Central region.
Since the inception of the LIFE & LEGACY program, the Foundation has provided training, materials and individualized guidance to 17 Partner organizations, including synagogues, agencies and educational centers. When Partners achieve mutually agreed-upon goals each year, they are presented with an annual incentive grant by the Foundation. This grant serves as a reward for their commitment to legacy giving and assists each Partner in growing an endowment fund, administered by the Foundation.
Each year, Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Mercer is proud to offer the Linda Meisel Book Awards. These grants assist Jewish college students from the Greater Mercer, Bucks, and West-Central regions in purchasing necessary books and supplies for their studies. The Foundation partners with local agencies and synagogue representatives to identify candidates and award grant funds based on financial need, merit, and community involvement. For more information, please contact Justine Reuben.
Messages from recent Book Awards recipients:
“I am extremely grateful to receive such a generous scholarship this school year! A majority of the scholarship money will be going towards textbooks for this and next semester, but I also plan on putting it towards smaller college fees that have accumulated over these past three years! Being able to take care of the stress that is purchasing textbooks can be a lot, especially since they come at a pricey cost. This is one of my reasons for applying for the Book Award every school year. The other reason being, is that the college will put some smaller but slightly hefty fees on me for tuition and any amount of money that I can put towards easing the amount of student loans I’ll be paying off in the future is something I will never turn down and I’m extremely grateful for this award. JCF and JCYF have been amazing support systems during my time as a college student and I’m glad to be a part of this community! Thank you very much for the scholarship and I’ll be sure to put it to good use! “
–J.L.
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“I am honored and beyond appreciative that I have received this award. I plan to use the Book Award to purchase an iPad to take notes on for my classes. This will definitely enhance my education and support my studies as I navigate a heavier than normal course load. It is also something I can utilize further down the line in my educational journey! Thank you so much for believing in me and giving me this opportunity!”
–A.B.
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The Foundation recognizes that teen travel to Israel has a transformative effect on Jewish identity and future Jewish communal involvement. The Nathan and Ruth Feldstein Israel Travel Fund, held at JCFGM, offers grants to deserving Greater Mercer and West-Central high school students who wish to participate in an educational peer-group Israel travel experience, which may include touring, study, and community service. Grants are disbursed directly to the nonprofit organization sponsoring the student’s program. For more information, please contact Justine Reuben.
The Foundation oversees The Henry and Geralyn Glazer Greenwood House Scholarship Fund, which provides annual funding to a select member of the Greenwood House staff to pursue continued professional training. Both Geralyn and Henry Glazer resided at Greenwood House at the end of their lives, and their family was impressed with the care they received. The Glazer Scholarship Fund is a meaningful example of how charitable dollars can have a lasting impact.