Jewish Federation of Columbus

About Jewish Federation of Columbus

Jewish Federation of Columbus channels large unrestricted-style support into core Jewish communal infrastructure in Columbus, with the biggest recent awards going to the Jewish Community Center of Greater Columbus and Jewish Family Services. Those grants pair program support with security funding, showing a pattern of backing both daily services and protection for local institutions. The federation also funds major community anchors such as Wexner Heritage Village, Columbus Torah Academy, and Hillel Foundation at OSU, which places education, campus Jewish life, and senior care within the same grant portfolio. Its recent grant records show repeated support for organizations that serve families, students, young adults, seniors, and at-risk residents. Awards to Columbus Torah Academy are tied to comprehensive college prep and Jewish education, while grants to Hillel Foundation at OSU support student religious, cultural, and educational activities. The federation’s giving also reaches beyond Columbus through support for Jewish Federations of North America and Birthright Israel Foundation, alongside local grants that strengthen synagogue schools, adult Jewish study, and community relations. Across the profile, the consistent thread is direct investment in institutions that sustain Jewish life in Central Ohio.

What Jewish Federation of Columbus Funds

Education is a major thread in the federation’s grantmaking. Columbus Torah Academy received $338,159 in 2024 for comprehensive college prep and Jewish education and security funding, and Columbus Jewish Day School received $94,108 in 2023 for secular and Jewish learning. At the synagogue level, Temple Israel received $69,149 in 2024 for synagogue religious school and security funding. Youth and young adult engagement also appears repeatedly. Hillel Foundation at OSU received $194,422 in 2024 to engage students in social, cultural, educational, and religious activities, and Birthright Israel Foundation received $66,325 in 2024 for Jewish young adult travel to Israel. The federation also supports adult learning and community relations: Columbus Community Kollel received $89,845 in 2024 for an Adult Institute of Jewish Studies, and Government Affairs Committee of Ohio Jewish Communities Inc. received $90,228 in 2024 for government relations and public policy education.

How Jewish Federation of Columbus Gives