The Michael Zeff Fund makes a small number of fairly large, targeted grants that prioritize Jewish community institutions and affiliated social services, alongside supporting higher education. Grants combine regional/national Jewish organizations (both community-building and direct social services) with repeat support for a university, suggesting personal or institutional connections to Tufts.
A $50,000 grant to Jewish Colorado anchors the Michael Zeff Fund’s recent record and points to a clear emphasis on Jewish community institutions that combine outreach, advocacy, programming, and grantmaking. The fund also supports Jewish Family Services in Denver, funding a mix of direct services that includes food security, housing stability, mental health counseling, aging care, employment support, and disability services. Alongside those community-focused awards, the fund has made repeat grants to Tufts University for work that helps faculty and students act as global citizens. Across the recent grants on file, the Michael Zeff Fund appears to favor targeted awards rather than a large number of small disbursements. Its recipients include Jewish Colorado, a Denver-based organization serving the Jewish community in Colorado, and Tufts University, which received grants in both 2023 and 2024 for the same global citizenship theme. That pattern suggests a funder with a steady set of priorities: Jewish communal life, social services for people facing basic-needs challenges, and higher education support tied to student-faculty collaboration. The grant list also includes smaller university gifts to Colgate University and Chapman University, reinforcing an interest in student wellbeing and educational experience.
Jewish communal life is the clearest throughline in the Michael Zeff Fund’s giving. In 2024, it awarded $50,000 to Jewish Colorado for outreach, advocacy, programming, and grants that support a vibrant, secure, connected, and inclusive Jewish community. A year earlier, it gave $9,000 to Jewish Family Services for programs and services covering food security, housing stability, mental health counseling, aging care, employment support, and disability services for people in need. Higher education is the other major thread. Tufts University received $21,000 in 2023 and $10,000 in 2024 for work that promotes faculty and student collaboration as active global citizens. Smaller university grants also point toward student wellbeing and inclusion: Colgate University received $5,000 in 2023 and another $5,000 in 2024 for diversity, inclusion, access, and support services, while Chapman University received $5,000 in 2023 for education that encourages original thinking and expression of multiple perspectives.
Typical grants cluster around the middle of the five-figure range, with a p25 of $5,000, a median of $9,000, and a p75 of $15,500. The fund makes a small number of targeted awards each year, including repeat support for Tufts University across 2023 and 2024 and Colgate University across the same two years. It is not a grantmaker to individuals and does not make program-related investments. The recent record suggests direct, nonprofit-oriented grantmaking rather than an open application program.
$105K
$2.4M
$998K
$42K
Most grants fall between $5K and $16K, with a median of $9K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$9K
75th Percentile
$16K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in CO.
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeFree Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeSign up free to see how well your nonprofit fits this funder, get an AI-generated pitch, and unlock similar foundations.
Concentrated portfolio with few, relatively large gifts; includes repeat funding to a single university and one major grant to a prominent Jewish federation, indicating preference for established organizations and sustained relationships rather than many small awards.
Notable grantees: Jewish Colorado, Tufts University, Jewish Family Services
All recent grants on file went to recipients in the United States. Colorado is the top state by grant count, led by Denver-based Jewish Colorado and Jewish Family Services. Other recent recipients include Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts; Colgate University in Hamilton, New York; and Chapman University in Orange, California. The grant list shows no awards to recipients in Oregon, even though the fund’s headquarters are in Beaverton.
Its recent grants center on Jewish community-building and affiliated social services, plus higher education support. Named examples include Jewish Colorado for outreach and advocacy, Jewish Family Services for food security and housing stability, and Tufts University for faculty-student global citizenship work.
Yes. Recent grants include $21,000 and $10,000 to Tufts University for faculty and students working together as active global citizens. It also gave $5,000 grants to Colgate University in both 2023 and 2024, and a $5,000 grant to Chapman University.
One recent grant to Jewish Family Services funded programs and services for food security, housing stability, mental health counseling, aging care, employment support, and disability services. That grant was for $9,000 in 2023.
Colorado is the top state by grant count. Recent Colorado recipients include Jewish Colorado in Denver and Jewish Family Services in Denver. The recent grant list also includes recipients in Massachusetts, New York, and California.
The grant-size distribution centers on mid-sized awards: p25 is $5,000, median is $9,000, and p75 is $15,500. Recent grants range from $5,000 to $50,000.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEWISH COLORADO | DENVER, CO | $50,000 | 2024 | JEWISH COLORADO STRIVES TO CREATE A VIBRANT, SECURE, CONNECTED, AND INCLUSIVE JEWISH COMMUNITY, CONTINUOUSLY WORKING ON BEHALF OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY THROUGH OUTREACH, ADVOCACY, PROGRAMMING, AND GRANTMAKING. |
| TUFTS UNIVERSITY | MEDFORD, MA | $10,000 | 2024 | TO PROMOTE TUFTS FACULTY AND STUDENTS ABILITY TO WORK TOGETHER AS ACTIVE GLOBAL CITIZENS, ILLUMINATING EACH OTHER AND THE WORLD. |
| COLGATE UNIVERSITY | HAMILTON, NY | $5,000 | 2024 | TO PROMOTE COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, INCLUSION, AND A DEDICATION TO ALL ASPECTS OF STUDENT WELLBEING, TO ACADEMIC AND SUPPORT SERVICES BUILT TO SUSTAIN GRADUATES THROUGHOUT THEIR CAREER PATH. |
| TUFTS UNIVERSITY | MEDFORD, MA | $21,000 | 2023 | TO PROMOTE TUFTS FACULTY AND STUDENTS WORK TOGETHER AS ACTIVE GLOBAL CITIZENS, ILLUMINATING EACH OTHER AND THE WORLD. |
| JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES | DENVER, CO | $9,000 | 2023 | TO PROMOTE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES, INCLUDING FOOD SECURITY, HOUSING STABILITY, MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING, AGING CARE, EMPLOYMENT SUPPORT, AND DISABILITY SERVICES FOR ALL THOSE IN NEED. |
| CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY | ORANGE, CA | $5,000 | 2023 | TO PROMOTE EDUCATION WHICH GIVES STUDENTS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME ORIGINAL THINKERS WHO RISE TO THE WORLD'S CHALLENGESAND TO PROMOTE EXPRESSION OF ALL PERSPECTIVES. |
| COLGATE UNIVERSITY | HAMILTON, NY | $5,000 | 2023 | TO PROMOTE COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, INCLUSION, AND ACCESS, TO A DEDICATION TO ALL ASPECTS OF STUDENT WELLBEING, TO ACADEMIC AND SUPPORT SERVICES BUILT TO SUSTAIN GRADUATES THROUGHOUT THEIR CAREER PATH. |
JEWISH COLORADO
$50,000JEWISH COLORADO STRIVES TO CREATE A VIBRANT, SECURE, CONNECTED, AND INCLUSIVE JEWISH COMMUNITY, CONTINUOUSLY WORKING ON BEHALF OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY THROUGH OUTREACH, ADVOCACY, PROGRAMMING, AND GRANTMAKING.
TUFTS UNIVERSITY
$10,000TO PROMOTE TUFTS FACULTY AND STUDENTS ABILITY TO WORK TOGETHER AS ACTIVE GLOBAL CITIZENS, ILLUMINATING EACH OTHER AND THE WORLD.
COLGATE UNIVERSITY
$5,000TO PROMOTE COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, INCLUSION, AND A DEDICATION TO ALL ASPECTS OF STUDENT WELLBEING, TO ACADEMIC AND SUPPORT SERVICES BUILT TO SUSTAIN GRADUATES THROUGHOUT THEIR CAREER PATH.
TUFTS UNIVERSITY
$21,000TO PROMOTE TUFTS FACULTY AND STUDENTS WORK TOGETHER AS ACTIVE GLOBAL CITIZENS, ILLUMINATING EACH OTHER AND THE WORLD.
JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES
$9,000TO PROMOTE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES, INCLUDING FOOD SECURITY, HOUSING STABILITY, MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING, AGING CARE, EMPLOYMENT SUPPORT, AND DISABILITY SERVICES FOR ALL THOSE IN NEED.
CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY
$5,000TO PROMOTE EDUCATION WHICH GIVES STUDENTS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME ORIGINAL THINKERS WHO RISE TO THE WORLD'S CHALLENGESAND TO PROMOTE EXPRESSION OF ALL PERSPECTIVES.
COLGATE UNIVERSITY
$5,000TO PROMOTE COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, INCLUSION, AND ACCESS, TO A DEDICATION TO ALL ASPECTS OF STUDENT WELLBEING, TO ACADEMIC AND SUPPORT SERVICES BUILT TO SUSTAIN GRADUATES THROUGHOUT THEIR CAREER PATH.