PALM BEACH, Fla., March 28 — Jewish Funders Network today awarded the 2022 JJ Greenberg Memorial Award to Tova Katz of The One8 Foundation at its international conference in Palm Beach, Fla.

Katz is the 19th recipient of the annual award, which honors foundation professionals age 40 and under who are engaged in grantmaking and have demonstrated extraordinary leadership in Jewish philanthropy.

Watch Katz's acceptance speech here.

As Senior Portfolio Manager at One8, Katz is responsible for sourcing, supporting and managing the Foundation’s Israel Engagement and Jewish Life portfolios, made up primarily of North American-based grantees. She works closely with the leadership teams of her grantees, providing strategic planning and ongoing advisory support. Katz has led the foundation’s research in the area of Israel educational travel for non-Jews, which has resulted in market sizing and best practices used throughout the community. As part of her thought leadership on the area of trips, Katz has supported the convening of organizations and the measurement of trip results.

Katz “deeply believes in leaders ‘on the ground’ and works closely to help empower them to realize their vision,” said Faith Leener, the Founding Executive Director of Base, a program of Moishe House and grantee of One8. “She is a deep thinker and asks probing questions, but she always does this with humility, assuming the best intent of others … Tova treats her grantee partners with deep respect and fosters trust that allows for better work.”

Leener, who nominated Katz for the JJ Greenberg Award, described her as a “true steward of the foundation’s philanthropy. She is incredibly thorough in her research and due diligence and only takes projects on that she is willing to go to bat for 100 percent.”

Ethan Felson, who worked with Katz first when he was a staff member at the Jewish Council of Public Affairs and now as Executive Director of A Wider Bridge, a pro-Israel LGBTQ organization that is a One8 grantee, praised her for her warmth, strategic thinking, and dedication. Katz “has helped me refine and define our mission, articulate a clearer vision, and help us secure resources to reach transformational goals,” Felson said. “She thinks big – and helps others achieve big.”

Katz has served at One8 for almost 10 years. Before joining the foundation, she worked as Associate Program Manager at the Foundation for Jewish Camp. She earned an MBA from Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management, and a BA in history from Columbia University. She is also a Wexner Graduate Fellow and Davidson Scholar. Katz lives in Brookline, Mass., with her husband and four children. In her spare time, she enjoys being outdoors, cheering on her beloved Patriots and Bruins teams, and playing late-night ice hockey.

“I am humbled and deeply honored to receive this year’s JJ Greenberg Memorial Award,” Katz said. “JJ was a relationship builder who made every person he encountered feel truly seen and heard. In the Jewish philanthropic sector, relationships form the cornerstone of our work, and it is our responsibility to ensure that they are rooted in trust, genuine curiosity, and empathy. I’ve learned that the chavruta-style relationship modeled in the Talmud, where both parties feel encouraged, challenged, and elevated through honest, open dialogue, can lead to incredible insights and collaborations, propelling our organizations and communities to new heights.”

About the Award

The JJ Greenberg Memorial Award was created and endowed by his family, friends and colleagues as a memorial for Jonathan Joseph Greenberg following his untimely death in a traffic accident in 2002, when he was just 36. The Award is presented annually to a foundation professional engaged in grantmaking, age 40 or under, who, like JJ, has exemplified through words and deeds the highest of Jewish values and the relentless pursuit of excellence in all aspects of life. Learn more at www.jfunders.org/jj