Shimon Ben Joseph Foundation Dba Jim Joseph Foundation
ActivePhilanthropy & VoluntarismFunds Individuals
About Shimon Ben Joseph Foundation Dba Jim Joseph Foundation
The Jim Joseph Foundation concentrates its giving on strengthening Jewish identity and engagement among college-aged and young adults, primarily through large grants to campus and Israel-experience organizations. Nearly all funding is directed to two national Jewish organizations that run campus Jewish life and Birthright Israel programs, signaling a strategic, program-focused approach to Jewish continuity and leadership development.
Focus Areas
Jewish campus life and Hillel network support (college student engagement)Birthright Israel / Israel educational travel for young Jewish adultsJewish identity formation and leadership development for emerging adults
Who They Fund
young Jews / Jewish teenscollege and university Jewish studentsJewish educators and new teachersRabbinic candidates and clergyFellows and alumni of Jewish leadership programsJewish community organizations and networks
About Shimon Ben Joseph Foundation Dba Jim Joseph Foundation
A defining feature of The Shimon Ben Joseph Foundation Dba Jim Joseph Foundation is its sustained, multi-million-dollar support for Jewish campus life and young-adult Jewish engagement. In 2025, it awarded $4,000,000 each to Hillel the Foundation for Jewish Campus Life and Birthright Israel Foundation, reinforcing a grantmaking pattern that centers Jewish learning and identity formation for college students and emerging adults. The foundation’s recent grants also show steady support for institutions that shape Jewish leadership, including Moishe House, The Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, and Board of Jewish Education Inc. Its giving is largely programmatic and strategic, with many grants made as general operating support to national organizations that work across the United States. The foundation also backs educator preparation and rabbinic training, including a pilot tied to Hartman’s ordination work, indicating interest not only in participation but also in the people and institutions that sustain Jewish learning over time. Across the recent grants list, the recurring recipients and large award sizes point to a funder that favors ongoing institutional relationships rather than one-off project grants.
What Shimon Ben Joseph Foundation Dba Jim Joseph Foundation Funds
Jewish campus life is a major theme in the foundation’s recent giving. It provided $4,000,000 to Hillel the Foundation for Jewish Campus Life in 2025 for general operating support, and the organization appears repeatedly in prior years as well. Young-adult engagement is another clear strand: Birthright Israel Foundation received $4,000,000 in 2025 and $2,000,000 in 2024, both for general operating support. The foundation also invests in educator and leadership infrastructure. It gave $1,776,000 to The Shalom Hartman Institute of North America for the Hartman Rabbinic Ordination Pilot, linking grantmaking to clergy preparation. In parallel, it supports field-building organizations such as Jewish Funders Network, which received $1,250,000 for New Narratives for Educating About Israel, showing interest in how Jewish education and Israel education are framed within the field.
How Shimon Ben Joseph Foundation Dba Jim Joseph Foundation Gives
Typical grants cluster around the middle six figures, with a p25 of $10,000, a median of $25,000, and a p75 of $190,600. The recent grants list also includes repeated multi-million-dollar awards, showing a tiered approach that combines broad institutional support with smaller awards. Recipients recur across multiple years, especially among national Jewish organizations, which points to long-term relationships rather than isolated gifts. The foundation is classified as a Regular Funder and does not make program-related investments. It does accept unsolicited proposals for occasional public RFPs, but its core deliberate and general grantmaking streams are not open to unsolicited applications.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$55.2M
Total Assets
$1.5B
Total Revenue
$76.4M
Total Expenses
$74.5M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $191K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$191K
Geographic Reach
National22 states funded
About 27% of grants go to recipients in NY.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
BARRY FINESTONE
PRESIDENT/CEO
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