Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati
ActivePhilanthropy & VoluntarismFunds Individuals
About Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati
The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati concentrates its giving on sustaining and strengthening the local Jewish ecosystem in Cincinnati, prioritizing communal infrastructure, day school education, congregational vitality, and Jewish youth experiences (Israel travel and overnight camping). Grants are often multi-year or repeated commitments to established local institutions, supporting operating needs, program expansion (including youth mental health), and engagement initiatives across synagogues, schools, the JCC, and social service agencies.
Focus Areas
Local Jewish Federation initiatives (community engagement, Israel travel, Jewish camping)Jewish day school operational support (Rockwern Academy)Congregational excellence and synagogue engagement programs (Community Congregations)Jewish community center sustaining operations and programs (Mayerson JCC)Jewish social services and youth mental health expansion (Jewish Family Service)
Who They Fund
Jewish individuals, families, and congregationsteens and adolescents (high-school age)
About Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati
A defining pattern in The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati’s grantmaking is its sustained support for local Jewish communal infrastructure through large, repeated operating and matching grants. The biggest recent award in the record went to the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati: $8,228,288 in 2026 for Cincy Journeys, Israel travel, overnight Jewish camping, annual campaign matching, a talent management initiative, and related community priorities. That scale is echoed across other core institutions in Cincinnati, where the foundation backs day school operations, congregational programming, communal services, and youth-facing experiences. Rockwern Academy received $4,184,812 in 2026 for operating support and early childhood professional development, followed by $3,154,296 in 2025 and $3,086,295 in 2024 for operating support. Jewish Family Service also appears as a major recipient, including $2,936,040 in 2025 for K'vod, operating support, and a youth mental health expansion initiative. The pattern points to a funder that invests in the ongoing functioning of established local organizations rather than isolated project grants.
What Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati Funds
Several cause areas recur in the foundation’s grants. In Jewish community engagement and teen programming, the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati received $1,305,024 in 2024 for Cincy Journeys - Israel Travel and Overnight Jewish Camping, alongside earlier support for the same initiative. For congregational sustainability, Community Congregations received $2,032,443 in 2025 for educational programming, congregational excellence, engagement, and sustainability, and $1,743,380 in 2026 for operating grants. Education is another clear thread: Cincinnati Hebrew Day School received $1,494,250 in 2026 for 2022-2026 operating support and emergency HVAC needs. The foundation also backs capacity-building work, including $1,284,502 in 2024 to the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati for a Strengthening Individual Giving Fundraising Capacity Building Initiative.
How Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati Gives
The median recent grant is $60,000, with the 25th percentile at $28,125 and the 75th percentile at $336,438, showing a mix of smaller program awards and much larger institutional commitments. The record also shows repeated support for the same recipients across multiple years, especially for operating grants and multi-year initiatives. This is a foundation with a strong community-institution orientation: it funds individuals as well as organizations, but the recent grant list is dominated by recurring support to established Jewish-serving entities. The active grant programs are organization-initiated rather than unsolicited; several are explicitly not open to unsolicited applications.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$23M
Total Assets
$369.6M
Total Revenue
$44.7M
Total Expenses
$28M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $28K and $336K, with a median of $60K.
25th Percentile
$28K
Median
$60K
75th Percentile
$336K
Geographic Reach
Local8 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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