Since its founding, the Jewish Women’s Foundation of San Diego (JWF) has awarded over $1 million to organizations and programs that benefit and enhance the lives of primarily Jewish women and girls locally and globally. JWF awards grants in 3-year cycles, with the current cycle occurring from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2027. Applications for the 2027-2030 granting cycle will open in Fall 2026.

Grant Guidelines
  • JWF will approve grants that are consistent with its mission and core values.
  • JWF funds with both a “gender lens” and a “Jewish lens.” We are interested in programs that recognize Jewish women and girls have unique needs both because of their gender and their religious and cultural heritage. Gender lens funding does not exclude men and boys – sometimes projects that benefit women and girls may include men and boys.
  • JWF supports organizations through general operating and project-specific funding.
  • JWF prioritizes initiatives in the San Diego area. However, we will consider statewide, national and international proposals, particularly in Israel.
  • Proposals for grants in Israel will be accepted by invitation only.
  • JWF encourages collaborations between non-profit organizations to leverage greater impact than would be accomplished individually.

Download JWF Membership Form

Grant Impact Areas

Building Relationships

Projects that promote relationships among women from different cultures, denominations and economic status.

Economic Security

Projects that address building financial literacy and self-sufficiency, improving the economic status for women and their families.

Education, Leadership & Advocacy

Projects that provide educational opportunities for women and girls to increase their voices by developing skills such as negotiation and advocating.

Equity, Social Justice & Legal Reform

Projects that address the elimination of injustices and changing attitudes that systematically exclude or disadvantage women.

Health, Well Being & Safety

Projects that protect, promote and educate about health and healthy lifestyles.

Current Grantees

The 2024-2027 Grantees approved in May 2024 range across a variety of JWF Impact Areas, serving Jewish women and girls across the socioeconomic spectrum. We considered the strength of each program, their written proposals, the thoroughness of their interviews, and their direct alignment with JWF’s mission and core values.

Kindness Initiative

Kindness Initiative

Esha Chazakah: Supporting Single Jewish Mothers

The mission of Kindness Initiative (KI) is to alleviate poverty in the San Diego Jewish Community by meeting the basic physical and psychological needs of vulnerable Jewish individuals. The Esha Chazakah program will bring together an annual cohort of 12–15 single Jewish mothers to create financial stability and emotional support. This would be a three-year pilot program, directly addressing many of the issues identified by the San Diego Jewish Community Study.

Grantee Awarded – $75,000
Contact Sarah Schatz for Hands-on Volunteer Opportunities with this Grantee.
www.kindnesssd.org

Jewish Family Service

Jewish Family Service of San Diego

Center for Jewish Care’s Housing Navigation Project

The Center for Jewish Care (CJC) was established at Jewish Family Service to provide critical services to San Diego’s Jewish community. Clients identifying housing stability as a primary need will meet with CJC’s Housing Resource Navigator who will employ multiple tools to build financial literacy. JWF’s funding would be used to support single women and female heads of households providing them with housing assistance so that they may achieve stability in San Diego.

Grantee Awarded – $30,000
Contact Sarah Schatz for Hands-on Volunteer Opportunities with this Grantee.
www.jfssd.org/

El HaLev

El HaLev

Rising Strong: Empowering Resilience and Personal Safety in At-Risk Girls Affected by War

El HaLev is dedicated to creating safe spaces for women and girls in Israel, amidst increased rates of violence, with effective tools to navigate risks and assert boundaries. The “Rising Strong” program is tailored to support at-risk girls aged 12-20, particularly those from Israel’s southern region, who have endured violence, abuse, displacement, and trauma amid ongoing conflict. JWF’s support would allow El HaLev to adapt an existing program to specifically address the effects of war and quickly provide it to this target population.

Grantee Awarded – $50,000
www.eng.elhalev.org/

Impact Israel

Impact Israel – Friends of Yemin Orde

IsraElite Young Women’s Leadership Graduate Program

JWF’s funding would provide support for a Graduate Program Coordinator as she helps Mechina graduates (a post-high school gap-year program for at-risk and immigrant communities) as they begin their mandatory military service. From 2021-2024, JWF funded the creation of the Developing Leadership and Advocacy Skills program as part of the Mechina. JWF would be pleased to continue this strong partnership with ImpactIsrael.

Grantee Awarded – $45,000
www.impact-israel.org

Previous Grantees

Previous Grantees from 2021-2024:

jwi

Jewish Women International

Grantee Awarded – $70,000
Financial Fitness
www.jwi.org

Moving Traditions

San Diego Community Kollel

Grantee Awarded – $30,000
Rosh Hodesh
www.movingtraditions.org

Shavot

Shavot – Friends of Asor

Grantee Awarded – $25,000
Alumni Program
www.shavot.org

Impact Israel

Impact Israel – Friends of Yemin Orde

Grantee Awarded – $25,000
IsraElite Young Women’s Leadership & Advocacy Program
www.impact-israel.org

Previous Grantees from 2018-2021:

  • Fresh Produce for Women Holocaust Survivors and their Families – Awarded: $45,000
    Coastal Roots Farm
  • Emergency Fund and Sustaining Fund – Awarded: $50,000
    G’mach: The San Diego Jewish Gift Closet
  • Marpeh (healing) – Awarded: $11,000
    Ohr Shalom Synagogue

Previous Grantee from 2014-2017:

  • Serving Isolated, Older Jewish Women in our Community – Awarded: $117,000 each
    Lawrence Family JCC, JACOBS FAMILY CAMPUS and Jewish Family Service

Previous Grantees from 2010-2013:

  • B’Not: Lead On! – Awarded: $27,585
    Friendship Circle
  • Girl’s Life – Awarded: $105,000
    Lawrence Family JCC, JACOBS FAMILY CAMPUS
  • Girls Give Back – Awarded: $149,031
    Jewish Family Service
  • Rosh Hodesh: It’s A Girl Thing – Awarded: $21,393
    Lawrence Family JCC, JACOBS FAMILY CAMPUS, Temple Solel, Congregation Beth Israel, and Temple Adat Shalom
  • JWF Scholars Society – Awarded: $22,146
    Temple Adat Shalom, Ner Tamid, and Chabad of Poway

Previous Grantees from 2004-2009:

  • Project Sarah – Awarded: $36,096
    Jewish Family Service (2008-2009)
  • Supporting Jewish Single Parents – Awarded: $260,000
    Jewish Family Service (2004-2009)