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.
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.