JFN matching grants have generated over $100 million in new funding for Jewish causes.

JFN Matching Grants Initiatives are an innovative strategy to grow the base of significant funders for a given field of Jewish philanthropy. Sponsoring a matching grant initiative increases the pool of philanthropic supporters for that field.

JFN Matching Grant Initiatives leverage the sponsor's funds to encourage new donors to make their first ever (or significantly increased) grants to a specific field by offering matching funds directly to the organization that the new donors’ funding will support. Because new donors choose the specific organization within broad funding parameters, donors who participate understand that the matching funds are indisputably new money, entirely contingent upon the gifts they decide to make. At the same time by requiring that eligible donors be making their first ever (or significantly increased) gifts, the initiatives offer the sponsoring foundation the security that their gifts are genuinely generating new funds from the individual donors.  Sponsoring a matching grant initiative is a benefit of JFN membership.

Based on past matching grant initiatives, we have learned successful matching grant initiatives:

• Are broad enough to allow donors to choose the organizations they feel connected to, but narrow enough to control the scope. A minimum of 50 qualified organizations is recommended.
• Have clear parameters and defined criteria both for eligible donors and eligible organizations.
• Have a clear story to tell.
• Work in fields with enough capacity to raise and utilize the funds. Successful matching grant initiatives do not place complicated requirements on a field that does not have the capacity to implement them.

Newest Matching Grant Initiative

Israel’s impact ecosystem — a network of enterprises that use a financially sustainable business model to address unmet social and environmental needs — is now $2 million stronger, as a result of JFN's second Matching Grant collaboration with the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation. The Edmond de Rothschild Foundation is a visionary leader in this field, working to create a local language of impact and build the infrastructure required for the Israeli ecosystem. 

Congratulations to the 15 NGOs, from a variety of areas, including the Arab society, regional entrepreneurship development, impact real estate, and agricultural and food technology, that benefited from the matching grants. And thank you to the 22 generous funders who participated in this initiative, including 18 who, as a result of this initiative, made their first-ever gift to an NGO in this sector, and another four who significantly increased their gifts. Of the donors, 12 are Israeli, and 11 are new JFN members!

Past Matching Grant Initiatives

• The Genesis Prize Women's Empowerment Challenge   
  A 2018-2019 matching grant funded by the Genesis Prize Foundation, generation $2.67 Million in funds

• Building & Strengthening the Impact Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in Israel
  A 2018–2019 matching grant funded by the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation (Israel). 

• Enhancing the Israeli STEM Pipeline
  A 2017-2018 matching grant funded by the Ben & Esther Rosenbloom Foundation, generating $3.85 million in funds to 14 projects. 

• Breaking Barriers in Jewish Life for People with Disabilities
  Breaking Barriers (2016-2017) was funded by the Genesis Prize Foundation, generating $3.17 million in funds to 22 projects. 

• Intermarried Families
  Avenues to Jewish Engagement for Intermarried Couples and their Families in honor of 2015 Genesis Prize Laureate Michael Douglas (2015-2016) was funded by the Genesis Prize Foundation, generating $3.3 million in funds from 50 funders to 28 projects.

• Workforce Development
  This 2013-14 matching grant, funded by the Weinberg Foundation, generated more than $9 million in funds from 61 donors to 30 grantees.

• Jewish Social Change
  This 2013-14 matching grant, funded by the Nathan Cummings Foundation and others, generated more than $2 million in funds from 37 donors to 30 grantees.

• Jerusalem Renewal
  This 2013-14 matching grant, funded by the Leichtag Foundation, generated more than $2 million in funds from 31 donors to 26 grantees.

• MATCH: Jewish Day School 4
  This 2012-13 matching grant, funded by the AVI CHAI Foundation and Kohelet, generated close to $10 million in funds from 199 donors to 119 grantees.

• Mosaic: Israeli Jewish Renewal
  (2 grant cycles)
  These matching grants funded by the AVI CHAI Foundation and UJA-Federation of New York in 2010 and 2012, generated $4.5 million in funds from 92 donors to 63 grantees.

• Environment in Israel
  This 2009 matching grant funded by the Richard & Rhoda Goldman Fund, generated $1.5 million in funds from 23 donors to 13 grantees.

• Pro-Active, Pro-Israel
  This 2008-09 matching grant funded anonymously, generated $1.7 million in funds from 23 donors to 17 grantees.

• MATCH: Jewish Day School 3
  This 2007-08 matching grant, funded by a consortium, generated more than $9 million in funds from 199 donors to 147 grantees.

• Jewish Camping
  This 2007-08 matching grant, funded by the Foundation for Jewish Camp, generated $2.1 million in funds from 30 donors to 19 grantees.

• Jewish Elderly Poor
  This 2006-07 matching grant, funded by the Weinberg Foundation, generated $6.6 million in funds from 84 donors to 55 grantees.

• Israel
  (2 grant cycles)
  These matching grants funded by the Rashi Foundation in 2005-2007 generated $4 million in funds from 53 donors to 23 grantees.

• MATCH: Jewish Day School 2
  This 2005-06 matching grant, funded by a consortium, generated $26 million in funds from 296 donors to 167 grantees.

• Jewish Education
  This 2004 matching grant funded by the AVI CHAI Foundation generated $7.2 million in funds from 89 donors to 65 grantees.