To foster and support philanthropic giving and ensure the long-term financial stability and vitality of the Jewish community by managing endowments, donor-advised funds, and grantmaking that sustain Jewish agencies, programs, and traditions.
Jewish Endowment Foundation’s giving centers on sustaining Jewish agencies, institutions, and community life, with a large share of recent support flowing to the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans across 2023, 2024, and 2025. That pattern fits the foundation’s stated role as a manager of endowments, donor-advised funds, and grantmaking intended to support Jewish agencies, programs, and traditions over the long term. Recent grants show a blend of operating support, community services, and religious institutions. The foundation has also funded Jewish Community Day School, Touro Synagogue, and Louisiana Community Mikvah, alongside community-serving organizations such as the Jewish Community Center and Jewish Family Service. In education and youth development, its support includes Jewish schools and camp-related initiatives, reflecting a focus on Jewish continuity and engagement. The foundation’s structure suggests a broad philanthropic intermediary rather than a single-purpose grantmaker. It funds nonprofit organizations, supports designated and donor-advised resources, and makes both General Fund grants and targeted program support. Across the recent grant list, the giving pattern is rooted in Jewish communal infrastructure, but it also reaches into education, human services, civil rights, arts, and Israel-related organizations.
Jewish communal infrastructure is a central theme in the foundation’s grantmaking. It supported the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans with more than $1 million in both 2024 and 2025, and it also gave to Touro Synagogue and Congregation Gates of Prayer for religious needs. Education appears as another clear priority. The foundation awarded $231,806 in 2023 to Jewish Community Day School, followed by $190,530 in 2024 and $196,865 in 2025, showing repeated support for the same school over multiple years. For youth and camping, Henry S. Jacobs Camp received $204,668 in 2023, $160,081 in 2024, and $171,291 in 2025. The funder also backs community engagement and human services. Jewish Community Center in New Orleans received $258,608 in 2023 and $121,183 in 2025, while Jewish Family Service in Metairie received $90,862 in 2025.
Typical grant size sits at a median of $15,000, with the 25th percentile at $8,568 and the 75th percentile at $35,850. The recent-grants list also shows a wide spread above that range, including seven-figure support for a major communal federation and mid-sized awards to synagogues, schools, and service organizations. Grantmaking appears recurring rather than one-off in several places: Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans, Jewish Community Day School, Henry S. Jacobs Camp, Touro Synagogue, and the Jewish Community Center all received support in multiple years. The foundation is a public charity, not an individual-giving vehicle, and it does not make program-related investments. JEF General Fund Grants accept unsolicited applications, while the youth philanthropy and camping program does not.
$5.6M
$100.1M
$9.3M
$7.1M
Most grants fall between $9K and $36K, with a median of $15K.
25th Percentile
$9K
Median
$15K
75th Percentile
$36K
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Most grants land in Louisiana, and 48% of grants are given to recipients in the HQ state. Within the recent list, Metairie and New Orleans appear repeatedly, with additional Louisiana recipients in other parts of the state. Outside Louisiana, the foundation’s giving reaches Utica, Mississippi; Mobile, Alabama; New York, New York; and Atlanta, Georgia. The recipient-country distribution is entirely U.S.-based in the data provided.
Its grantmaking centers on Jewish agencies, institutions, and community services. Recent grants include support for Jewish communal federations, synagogues, a Jewish day school, a Jewish community center, a Jewish family service, and a museum focused on Southern Jewish history.
The typical grant size is $15,000 at the median, with the 25th percentile at $8,568 and the 75th percentile at $35,850. Recent awards include both smaller community grants and much larger operating or communal support grants.
Yes. The recent grant list shows repeated support for several recipients across multiple years, including Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans, Jewish Community Day School, Henry S. Jacobs Camp, Touro Synagogue, and Jewish Community Center.
JEF General Fund Grants accept unsolicited applications, and the foundation publishes a grant application form and grants policy for that program. The youth philanthropy and camping program does not accept unsolicited requests.
The foundation gives regionally, with 48% of grants to recipients in Louisiana. The recent grants also extend to Mississippi, Alabama, New York, and Georgia, while the recipient-country distribution is entirely within the U.S.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Jewish Endowment Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Organization must be a 501(c)(3) in the state of Louisiana and apply for a program that aligns with JEF's mission and purpose. Grants are intended for organizations that significantly benefit the Jewish community.
Deadline: Spring Grant Cycle: submit before March 1; Fall Grant Cycle: submit before September 1
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER NEW ORLEANS | METAIRIE, LA | $1,049,096 | 2025 | COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT |
| TOURO SYNAGOGUE | NEW ORLEANS, LA | $405,634 | 2025 | RELIGION |
| CONGREGATION GATES OF PRAYER | METAIRIE, LA | $402,258 | 2025 | RELIGION |
| MUSEUM OF THE SOUTHERN JEWISH EXPERIENCE | NEW ORLEANS, LA | $223,215 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATIONAL SUPPORT |
| JEWISH COMMUNITY DAY SCHOOL | METAIRIE, LA | $196,865 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| HENRY S JACOBS CAMP | UTICA, MS | $171,291 | 2025 | CAMPING |
| JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER | NEW ORLEANS, LA | $121,183 | 2025 | COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT |
| ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE | ATLANTA, GA | $98,730 | 2025 | CIVIL RIGHTS |
| TULANE HILLEL | NEW ORLEANS, LA | $96,915 | 2025 | COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT |
| JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE | METAIRIE, LA | $90,862 | 2025 | HUMAN SERVICE |
| PEF ISRAEL ENDOWMENT FUNDS INC | NEW YORK, NY | $90,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATIONAL SUPPORT |
| ST PAUL'S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL FOUNDATION | MOBILE, AL | $85,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| ANSHE SFARD SYNAGOGUE | METAIRIE, LA | $84,562 | 2025 | RELIGION |
| SHIR CHADASH CONSERVATIVE CONGREGATION | METAIRIE, LA | $82,992 | 2025 | RELIGION |
| LOUISIANA SPCA | NEW ORLEANS, LA | $80,506 | 2025 | ANIMAL-RELATED |
| JEWISH CHILDREN'S REGIONAL SERVICE | METAIRIE, LA | $76,350 | 2025 | HUMAN SERVICE |
| UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA | TUSCALOOSA, AL | $75,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| HADASSAH- NEW ORLEANS CHAPTER | METAIRIE, LA | $74,215 | 2025 | RELIGION |
| METAIRIE PARK COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL | METAIRIE, LA | $71,150 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| JEWISH AGENCY FOR ISRAEL NORTH AMERICAN COUNCIL | NEW YORK, NY | $70,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATIONAL SUPPORT/HUMAN SERVICES |
| TEMPLE SINAI | NEW ORLEANS, LA | $64,587 | 2025 | RELIGION |
| CLAL THE NATIONAL JEWISH CENTER FOR LEARNING AND LEADERSHIP | NEW YORK, NY | $60,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATIONAL SUPPORT |
| TULANE UNIVERSITY | NEW ORLEANS, LA | $56,700 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK OF GREATER NEW ORLEANS AND ACADIANA | NEW ORLEANS, LA | $56,140 | 2025 | FOOD, NUTRITION |
| AMERICAN FRIENDS OF START UP NATION CENTRAL | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2025 | HUMAN SERVICES |
| ISRAEL GUIDE DOG CENTER FOR THE BLIND | WARRINGTON, PA | $50,000 | 2025 | DISEASE/DISORDER |
| NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MUSEUM | NEW ORLEANS, LA | $43,450 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATIONAL SUPPORT |
| UNIFIED JEWISH CONGREGATION OF BATON ROUGE | BATON ROUGE, LA | $43,131 | 2025 | RELIGION |
| ISRAEL 21C | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $40,000 | 2025 | PUBLIC AFFAIRS |
| BIRTHRIGHT ISRAEL FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $39,558 | 2025 | COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT |
| FOUNDATION FOR DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES | WASHINGTON, DC | $36,000 | 2025 | PUBLIC AFFAIRS |
| SAVE A CHILD'S HEART FOUNDATION US | POTOMAC, MD | $36,000 | 2025 | HUMAN SERVICE |
| HEART OF A NATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $36,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATIONAL SUPPORT |
| UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE FOUNDATION INC | CHICAGO, IL | $35,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| ISIDORE NEWMAN SCHOOL | NEW ORLEANS, LA | $32,100 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| HILLEL INTERNATIONAL | WASHINGTON, DC | $30,326 | 2025 | YOUTH DEVELOPMENT |
| THE INNER PUP NO | NEW ORLEANS, LA | $30,150 | 2025 | ANIMAL-RELATED |
| HOLD ON TO YOUR MUSIC INC | LOS ANGELES, CA | $30,000 | 2025 | WILLESDEN READ FOR LOUISIANA GRANT '23 |
| UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY RESEARCH FOUNDATION | LEXINGTON, KY | $30,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATIONAL SUPPORT |
| GOLDRINGWOLDENBERG INSTITUTE OF SOUTHERN JEWISH LIFE | JACKSON, MS | $29,530 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| AMERICAN FRIENDS OF MAGEN DAVID ADOM | NEW YORK, NY | $29,180 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| UNITED WAY OF SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA | NEW ORLEANS, LA | $29,160 | 2025 | HUMAN SERVICE |
| BRIDGE HOUSEGRACE HOUSE | NEW ORLEANS, LA | $28,800 | 2025 | DISEASE/DISORDER |
| JEWISH FEDERATION OF NORTH AMERICA | NEW YORK, NY | $27,000 | 2025 | COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT |
| CONFERENCE OF PRESIDENTS OF MAJOR AMERICAN JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS FUND | NEW YORK, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | RELIGION |
| CRIMSON TIDE FOUNDATION | TUSCALOOSA, AL | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATIONAL SUPPORT |
| WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY | WASHINGTON, DC | $25,000 | 2025 | EDUCATION |
| JUDAISM ALIVE | CHESTERFIELD, MO | $25,000 | 2025 | COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT |
| CHABAD JEWISH STUDENT CENTER | METAIRIE, LA | $24,333 | 2025 | RELIGION |
| LOUISIANA COMMUNITY MIKVAH | METAIRIE, LA | $23,000 | 2025 | RELIGION |
TOURO SYNAGOGUE
$405,634RELIGION
CONGREGATION GATES OF PRAYER
$402,258RELIGION
MUSEUM OF THE SOUTHERN JEWISH EXPERIENCE
$223,215GENERAL OPERATIONAL SUPPORT
JEWISH COMMUNITY DAY SCHOOL
$196,865EDUCATION
HENRY S JACOBS CAMP
$171,291CAMPING
ST PAUL'S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL FOUNDATION
$85,000EDUCATION
ANSHE SFARD SYNAGOGUE
$84,562RELIGION
SHIR CHADASH CONSERVATIVE CONGREGATION
$82,992RELIGION
LOUISIANA SPCA
$80,506ANIMAL-RELATED
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA
$75,000EDUCATION
HADASSAH- NEW ORLEANS CHAPTER
$74,215RELIGION
GENERAL OPERATIONAL SUPPORT/HUMAN SERVICES
TEMPLE SINAI
$64,587RELIGION
GENERAL OPERATIONAL SUPPORT
FOOD, NUTRITION
NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MUSEUM
$43,450GENERAL OPERATIONAL SUPPORT
UNIFIED JEWISH CONGREGATION OF BATON ROUGE
$43,131RELIGION
HEART OF A NATION
$36,000GENERAL OPERATIONAL SUPPORT
ISIDORE NEWMAN SCHOOL
$32,100EDUCATION
HOLD ON TO YOUR MUSIC INC
$30,000WILLESDEN READ FOR LOUISIANA GRANT '23
CONFERENCE OF PRESIDENTS OF MAJOR AMERICAN JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS FUND
$25,000RELIGION
CRIMSON TIDE FOUNDATION
$25,000GENERAL OPERATIONAL SUPPORT
WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY
$25,000EDUCATION
CHABAD JEWISH STUDENT CENTER
$24,333RELIGION
LOUISIANA COMMUNITY MIKVAH
$23,000RELIGION
