About Jewish Community Foundation of Orange County
To guarantee a Jewish tomorrow by creating a culture of legacy within the Orange County Jewish community and by empowering individuals to engage in effective, meaningful giving through permanent endowments and current philanthropy to ensure financial resources for institutions that promote Jewish identity and support a high quality of Jewish life locally and around the world.
Focus Areas
Jewish identity and community lifeLegacy & endowment planningGrants to local nonprofits (children, teens, seniors, special needs)Arts and community programming (Weissman Arts)Support for IsraelDonor-advised philanthropy and nonprofit capacity-building
Who They Fund
Orange County Jewish residents and familiesJewish institutions (synagogues, schools, community centers)Jewish communities worldwide
About Jewish Community Foundation of Orange County
Jewish Community Foundation of Orange County uses permanent endowments and current philanthropy to support Jewish identity, local Jewish life, and institutions serving Jewish communities in Orange County and beyond. Its recent giving shows a large-capacity intermediary that moves substantial dollars to federated communal organizations, local community institutions, and Jewish education and culture. One of its largest recent grants went to the Jewish Federation of Orange County, with additional major support for the Jewish Community Center of Orange County and Heritage Pointe. The pattern also includes grants to congregations, campus-based Jewish life, and organizations that strengthen community programming and services for children, teens, seniors, and people with special needs. The foundation’s stated purpose centers on building a culture of legacy in the Orange County Jewish community while pairing long-term endowment building with present-day grantmaking. Recent grantees also include the UCI Foundation, Chabad Center for Jewish Life Newport Beach, and Hillel Foundation of Orange County, pointing to a mix of local anchor institutions and broader Jewish communal priorities.
What Jewish Community Foundation of Orange County Funds
A clear theme in the foundation’s giving is support for Jewish communal infrastructure. It gave $870,024 to Jewish Federation of Orange County for donation, alongside grants to Jewish Community Center of Orange County totaling $477,279 in 2025 and $343,137 in 2024. It also supported Heritage Pointe with $610,110 in 2023 and $293,516 in 2024. Education and campus engagement appear as another line of work: the foundation granted $258,380 to UCI Foundation and $157,602 to Hillel Foundation of Orange County. Religious and cultural life also shows up through grants to Congregation Shir Ha Ma Alot, Congregation B'nai Israel, and Chabad Center for Jewish Life Newport Beach.
How Jewish Community Foundation of Orange County Gives
Typical grants cluster around a mid-five-figure level: p25 is $10,185, median grant size is $25,000, and p75 is $57,843. The recent record also shows repeated support to the same organizations across multiple years, including Jewish Federation of Orange County, Jewish Community Center of Orange County, Heritage Pointe, Congregation B'nai Israel, and Chabad Center for Jewish Life Newport Beach. That suggests ongoing relationships rather than one-off gifts. The foundation operates as a community foundation, combining current philanthropy with permanent endowment-building. The data does not show an unsolicited application process.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$12.2M
Total Assets
$134.8M
Total Revenue
$23.8M
Total Expenses
$15.9M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $58K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$58K
Geographic Reach
Regional28 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
WENDY ARENSON
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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