Local Impact Fund Information

The Fund’s priority areas were identified by our community through our Hineni Houston listening journey and will drive Federation’s decision making.

All programs or initiatives funded through the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston’s Local Impact Fund shall be new (0-2 years in existence) or expanding and serve the Jewish community. The goal is for programs to have the broadest community impact therefore all proposals must be collaborative and reach a broad constituency. Additionally, innovation and inclusion of all Jewish practices are value metrics that shall be prioritized in the grant process.

Programs shall fit within at least one of the three following priority areas:

• Inclusion: Programs that engage and support the following groups and populations. Programs may be a direct service program or create a space to learn about inclusivity focusing on at least one of the populations below.
  1. Youth and adults with special needs
  2. LGBTQIA+
  3. Interfaith families
  4. Mixed heritage and Jews of color
  5. Greater Houston neighborhoods outside the central core Jewish area
• Engagement: Fostering Jewish community and building Jewish identity, both socially and spiritually, in an innovative way. Programs must include at least one of the categories below.
  1. Innovative and collaborative programming for elementary and middle school age children (grades K-6 and 6-8) and their families
  2. Adults across ages and stages, including seniors
  3. Jewish community partnerships across religious denominations
  4. Community-wide initiatives or programs for the broadest audience across Greater Houston
• Education: Innovative programming for formal and informal Jewish education. Programs must include at least one of the categories below. Where applicable, programs may serve any age/stage.
  1. Service learning and volunteer opportunities
  2. Combating antisemitism
  3. Building bridges between the Jewish community and non-Jewish communities

The fund will be open to any 501(c)(3) or an organization with a nonprofit fiscal sponsor that directly serves the Greater Houston Jewish community, including organizations that receive other sources of funding from the Federation.

• Funding must be tied to a particular project or program that fits the funds’ priorities and has measurable impact. All programs or initiatives must be new (0-2 years in existence) or expanding and serve the Jewish community.
• An organization may submit or be a collaborative partner on up to four LOI’s.
• Grants will be awarded up to $30,000.
• Grantees will be required to participate in site visits and submit annual reports.
• Grants will be awarded on an annual basis, with a maximum of 3 years of funding for a particular project or program. Renewal for funding in years 2 and 3 will be based on program outcomes, community needs, proven model of financial stability or fundraising. Programs seeking renewed funding will be required to submit an LOI as their first step in the application process to provide updated program and grant request information.