RFP – JoC Youth: Building the Future You Want to See

Request for Proposals

JoC Youth: Building the Future You Want to See

Overview:

The Jews of Color Initiative is excited to support and engage young people in building the Jewish future they want to see. This Request for Proposals (RFP) seeks to fund projects where young JoC (Jews of Color) leaders are empowered to imagine new ways to engage in Jewish communal life, create communities they are excited to be a part of, and model a thriving, diverse Jewish community for the Jewish future.

To nurture and develop the next generation of diverse Jewish leaders, we will resource projects and programs that innovatively encourage participation in Jewish life and create more leadership opportunities for JoC youth. We are motivated to support initiatives that nurture young leaders and bring communities together, centering and investing in the needs of young JoC to strengthen the Jewish future. 

Who is this for? Young leaders between the ages of 13 and 25 and their mentors. 

What is this? A call for project proposals that support and develop young JoC leaders, and/or projects that powerfully engage JoC youth. 

How big are the grants? We will be making grants between $1,000 and $20,000. 

Why? To expand traditional pathways into engagement, leadership development, the professional pipeline, and all aspects of Jewish life.

Project examples:

• Peer support, skills training, and mentorship that build and nurture JoC leaders
• Surveys or research projects that explore the needs of Jews of Color on college campuses
• JoC student-led organizations or clubs started on school and college campuses to connect Jewish students of Color to one another

Youth cohorts of lay leaders for synagogues, spiritual, and cultural communities 

Who is Eligible?

• Projects led by and for Jews of Color, and projects serving JoC youth and/or young adults 
• Projects must be 501(c)(3) nonprofits, tax exempt organizations (schools, synagogues, etc.) or be  fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
• Program/project leaders must demonstrate a commitment to racial justice and equity
• Projects must have the ability to share learnings nationally with the wider Jewish community

Successful projects will empower young people to be active architects of the future of Jewish communal life through leadership development, mentorship, and community building. The JoCI approaches grantmaking collaboratively, and we are eager to meet with young leaders and adult mentors for guidance on how to bring your ideas to life. 

We encourage you to reach out to us at grants@thejoci.org with your ideas. Project ideas do not need to be fully developed to schedule a conversation with us.