The Jewish Women's Foundation (JWF) of South Palm Beach County has announced its second cycle of grant awards to improve the opportunities, choices, and status of Jewish women and girls.

The Foundation Trustees have allocated more than $21,000 to three projects for the coming year, including a renewal grant for the Jewish Education Commission (JEC) program J-GIFT - Jewish Girls Inspired for Tomorrow. The Foundation has also awarded first-time funding to the regional Hillel for Hillel Haverot - Bringing Jewish Tradition to Today's Young Women and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee's (JDC) Tel Aviv-based Girls-for-Girls Mentoring Training. 

The grants were announced recently at the JWF's annual "Granting Wishes" program and cocktail reception, which also featured an appearance by award-winning novelist, essayist and poet Erica Jong at The Old Course at Broken Sound.
 
The Jewish Women's Foundation has rapidly developed into a group of women of diverse ages, backgrounds, and interests, working together to make significant contributions to the lives of girls and women. "It was a concept for which our community's philanthropic women were clearly ready," says Roxane Lipton, who hosted the first exploratory meeting. "Now there are 58 Trustees contributing at different levels, with more than $320,000 in assets and total commitments of $580,000." 

"It's a great group of cutting edge, hands-on local philanthropists," said Carol Winig, Chair of the "Granting Wishes" reception.  "And it is steadily growing."

All Trustees participate in the grant-making decisions. This year, they received a total of twenty-three applications, nineteen for programs overseas and four for local projects. They chose innovative programs for young women, with impact that will extend well beyond those who will be directly served this year.

J-GIFT - Jewish Girls Inspired for Tomorrow, a Jewish Education Commission of South Palm Beach County program, will receive $8,275 to renew this already successful project and expand it to reach more girls. The program involves Jewish teens in monthly discussion/activity sessions that connect real life issues with Judaism within a female perspective, as well as mother/daughter programs and a "Tikkun Olam" volunteer project. The renewal funding will also enable development of a "How to Manual" and two "train the trainer" workshops for other organizations to initiate their own J-Gift programs.  In addition, a "Girl Empowerment Community Wide Day" for all local Jewish teenage girls will take place this autumn.
 
Hillel Haverot - Bringing Jewish Tradition to Today's Young Women, a project of Hillel of Broward and Palm Beach, will receive $2,800 for a series of six weekly programs for Jewish women ages 18-26 to find personal meaning in Shabbat and Havdalah, and develop leadership. These student-led sessions will focus on both traditional and contemporary interpretations and observances, leading to a special Shabbat experience. Participants will make ritual objects, experiment with Shabbat recipes, and create personalized siddurim. 
 
Girls-for-Girls Mentoring Training, a new component of American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee's Girls on the Map, will receive $10,000 for participant stipends. This grant will enable young women ages 16 _ to 20, who have overcome their difficulties through Girls on the Map, to learn to use their past experiences by becoming mentors and intermediaries to at-risk girls ages 12-17 who have not been successfully helped by traditional health and social services. The young women will receive training over nine months at Tel Aviv University School of Social Work, learning to help younger girls in distress to confront and resolve their problems. Through this process, the older youth will transition from program participants to staff members.
 
"The Jewish Women's Foundation Trustees are a passionate group of women who have organized to make a difference in the lives of Jewish women and girls for generations to come. They are empowered and wish to empower others to promote social change," summarizes current JWF Chair Francine Cole.

To learn how to get involved and become a Trustee, visit jewishboca.org or contact Jill Hagler, Associate Foundation Director, at (561) 852-5015 or jillh@bocafed.org.

The Jewish Women's Foundation is an initiative of The Jewish Community Foundation, the planned giving and endowment arm of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County, which serves the Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Highland Beach area, raising funds to help Jews locally, in Israel and more than 60 countries.