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Grants

 
The Jewish Education Center strives to strengthen our community's Jewish identity by promoting life-long learning. Our investments are multi-faceted and include grants to institutions to strengthen their capacity; grants to teachers to strengthen their professional development; and student grants to attend camp, access opportunities for enrichment programming, and travel to Israel.
 
The funds supporting this infrastructure flow through the Fund for the Jewish Future and the Commission on Jewish Continuity under the auspices of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland.
 
CONGREGATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS 
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Congregational Enrichment Funds (CEF)
The Congregational Enrichment Fund provides funding to congregations for family education, camp weekend programs, summer camp incentive grants and co-curricular activities. Each congregation's allotment is based upon pupil enrollment from the previous year as of October 15.
 
Institutional Stipend
The Jewish Education Center supports professional development in the supplementary schools by providing an institutional stipend reimbursement to any supplementary school maintaining at least 75% teacher participation in a minimum level of professional growth (10 hours per year per teacher).  It is to be used for teacher education program fees, conferences and Israel seminar grants. Funds will be allocated $10/student enrolled only in that school up to a maximum of $7,500/school. Allocation to the school for the year is based on the reported enrollment as of October 15 of the previous year. Click here to see the stipend guidelines.
 
Community Funded Educators
The Community Funded Positions in Jewish education were one of the dreams of the Plenum-Continuity Commission of 1988. They have been part of the educational landscape of the Cleveland Jewish Community since 1993. These positions help add to the traditional triangle of synagogue leadership of the rabbi, education director and cantor a fourth significant person who focuses on youth or family education or some critically enriching other dimension of educational programming.
 
The educators in these positions either have or are working towards a Master's degree in education or a high level certification. 
 
Criteria for Congregations:

The following criteria need to be met by a site receiving JEC funding:

  1. Service an appropriate threshold number of children and/or families
  2. Reflect a thoughtful positioning of the work of the educator within the overall educational vision of the institution
  3. Provide effective supervision for the educator in the position
  4. Commit to ongoing professional development for the person in position

Beyond these criteria, a site that enables the JEC to move forward in the community’s work with critical populations (outreach, interfaith population, younger Jewish population of parents) brings added value to the partnership with the JEC.

 

JEWISH DAY SCHOOLS
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Professional Learning Communities Grant
The Jewish Education Center (JEC) provides grants to Cleveland Jewish Day Schools in order to support these schools in their efforts to develop quality professional learning programs for faculty that further the educational vision of the school. In an effort to promote research based best practices in professional development and ensure a high standard of professional learning opportunities for day school Jewish educators, this grant specifically provides funding that is intended to offset the costs of supporting and developing Professional Learning Communities (PLC) within schools. PLCs are:
 
  • Educators from one school that gather together regularly
  • Educators engage in reflective practice
  • Educators learn collaboratively from each other

Each year schools are invited by the JEC to submit and present grant proposals to the JEC Day School Professional Development Committee. All funds from the grant are made available on a reimbursement basis to cover activities/materials directly related to professional learning community (PLC) work. This includes: conference fees, PLC facilitator stipends, teacher learning resources, and substitute teachers for release time.
 
EARLY CHILDHOOD ENGAGEMENT
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The Shoresh Grant is a funding and partnership opportunity designed to support Jewish early childhood programs and organizations in creating meaningful, engaging programs that strengthen Jewish identity, education and community connection. The grant helps launch or enhance initiatives that build relationships among participants, deepen Jewish learning and experiences and connect families more intentionally to Jewish institutions and community life. In addition to financial support, the Shoresh Grant offers strategic partnership and resources through the JEC to help programs grow their impact, foster belonging, and create high-quality, values-driven Jewish experiences. 
 
Goals of the Shoresh Grant
      • Provide high-quality Jewish educational and engagement opportunities for families with young children that are meaningful, accessible, and inspiring
      • Strengthen Jewish organizations as welcoming gateways for families to deepen their involvement in Jewish life
      • Support a vibrant, connected Jewish community for families with young children in Cleveland
      • Engage families who are less connected to Jewish life and help them find accessible entry points into the community
      • Empower families to feel more confident, knowledgeable, and excited about living Jewishly in their own way
 
For more information and to apply for a Shoresh Grant, email Jessica Robins, Director of Early Childhood Excellence, [email protected]
 
TEEN ENGAGEMENT AND EDUCATION
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Subvention Grant program, available to congregations to help offset the costs of youth programming.
 
INDIVIDUAL EDUCATOR GRANTS
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The Jewish Education Center is dedicated to supporting results-oriented, professional development opportunities that make significant and positive differences in the quality of education and educational settings. 

Grants to support educators and non-educational administrators in their professional growth are available to individuals working in Jewish school settings across all grades and across the full religious spectrum.
 
Visit the Professional Development page for more information.