By Nancy B. Greer
President & CEO
Wherever you go around our region, you will meet people whose lives have been touched by small but mighty Jewish organizations that create welcoming connections to Jewish life, grace our community with Jewish learning and culture, and put Jewish values into action every day of the year.
In the spirit of our organizational value of Kehilla/Areivut (community/mutual responsibility), your Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle supports smaller Jewish organizations through our Small Agency Sustainability Grants—up to $5,000 in unrestricted funds awarded annually to Jewish organizations in Western Washington with operating budgets of $150,000 per year or less.
Applications for 2022 Small Agency Sustainability Grants are now open! We encourage all eligible organizations to send us completed applications by the deadline of Friday, January 14, at 3 pm—less than four weeks from now. You can see grant recipients from 2021 and previous years here.
In today’s world, with all its uncertainties, Small Agency Sustainability Grants provide an extra measure of financial security for synagogues and agencies that quietly and effectively go about doing vital work that keeps Jewish life vibrant. Giving a hand up to Jewish families in need. Providing meaningful Jewish experiences to teens and young adults. Sharing the beauty of Jewish arts. Supporting Jewish life in communities both large and small in Western Washington. Those examples and so many more show vividly that smaller organizations do wonders in putting a spark into Jewish life!
The generosity of donors who care about assuring our shared Jewish future makes Small Agency Sustainability Grants possible. Funding for the grants comes, in part, from the Special Initiatives Fund, a Federation-managed endowment that ensures support for this and other grant programs is available in perpetuity.
An element of ensuring Jewish continuity is supporting smaller organizations that provide programs and services that so many value and depend on. Help us get the word out! If you know any staff, volunteers, or leaders of eligible organizations in Western Washington, please let them know about the Small Agency Sustainability Grant opportunity and encourage them to send us an application. Thank you for all that you do!
