The latest edition of Slingshot, an influential national guide for philanthropists, profiles the Chicago-area’s REACH program, a collaborative effort to help local Jewish day schools better meet the needs of the whole child, including their academic, social-emotional and physical health needs.

In its just-released Midwest supplement, Slingshot 2014-15 highlights 21 organizations representing an array of Jewish life in the Midwest. The featured programs were chosen from among hundreds of finalists reviewed by 112 professionals with expertise in grant-making and Jewish communal life. The Slingshot Guide itself helps funders diversify their giving portfolios to include the most innovative and effective programs and organizations in North America.

Organizations were evaluated on their innovative approach, the impact they have in their work, the leadership they have in their sector, and their effectiveness at achieving results.

In its profile of REACH, the guide said “Day schools did not have the ability or know-how to serve students with special needs or different learning styles. REACH allows them to accomplish this.”

The program is a collaborative effort of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago and Associated Talmud Torahs of Chicago, and is being administered by Jewish Child & Family Services.

REACH Director Julie Gordon said the program builds the capacity of Chicago’s day schools to provide a quality education to all children by streamlining existing resources, establishing new systems and protocols, and delivering a range of assessment and consultation services.

It works with day schools across the Chicago area in four main areas: direct services, consultation, professional development and community collaboration, Gordon said. REACH connects students and families to affordable diagnostic testing and provides occupational, speech and language therapy to those who qualify through Chicago Public Schools. It also works to bring additional services to schools beyond what is paid for by public funds. Consultation and professional development occur in multiple formats for administrators, teachers and families. These services are each adapted and administered to meet the varying needs, cultures and ideologies of the day schools and the families they serve.

“REACH has been instrumental in providing many services to our school and students,” said the director of general studies at one day school. “REACH has become an integral player in professional development … providing workshops, teacher observation and coaching, and administrative consultations on an ongoing basis. I can say without reservation that our school is a better institution due to the efforts of REACH.”

“We are proud to be among the efforts included in this brand-new supplement as Slingshot expands its coverage to highlight the amazing work of organizations in the Midwest,” Gordon said. “For 10 years, some of the most innovative Jewish programs in the country have benefitted from the attention Slingshot has brought them.”

For organizations listed in the guide, the recognition often is a critical step toward obtaining much needed new funding and expanding their work. Selected organizations are eligible for grants from various Midwestern peer-giving networks of young donors that are identifying, highlighting and advancing causes that resonate with the next generation of philanthropists. The guide is a frequently used resource for donors seeking to support organizations transforming the world in novel and interesting ways.

“Introducing a Slingshot Guide focused specifically on the Midwest lets us highlight the breadth and depth of the Midwest’s innovative Jewish projects,” said Hilary Schumer, program manager at Slingshot. “It allows us to give these organizations the recognition they deserve and boost their presence among donors and volunteers in their local communities. The collaboration that results creates significantly more impact than what each of the individual organizations can achieve on its own.”

The supplement was supported through a generous partnership with The Crown Family Philanthropies and the Jack and Goldie Wolfe Miller Fund. Alicia Schuyler Oberman, foundation director of the Jack and Goldie Wolfe Miller Fund, said “There is a great deal happening in Jewish life across the Midwest, much of which people may be hearing about for the first time in this new edition of Slingshot. I am thrilled to showcase the amazing potential and impact of these 21 projects. Jewish innovation in the Midwest is at the forefront of entrepreneurial and entrepreneurial Jewish programming.”

The Midwest supplement is one of three accompanying this year’s Slingshot Guide. Another highlights organizations committed to impacting the lives of women and girls, and the third lists innovative projects in the Greater Washington, D.C., area.

About the Slingshot Guide

The Slingshot Guide, now in its 10th year, was created by a team of young funders as a guidebook to help funders of all ages diversify their giving portfolios to include the most innovative and effective organizations, programs and projects in North America. The Guide contains information about each organization’s origin, mission, strategy, impact and budget, as well as details about its unique character. The Slingshot Guide has proven to be a catalyst for next-generation funding and offers a telling snapshot of shifting trends in North America’s Jewish community – and how nonprofits are meeting new needs and reaching new audiences. The book, published annually, is available in hard copy and as a free download at www.slingshotfund.org.