Record-setting allocation

For Keshet’s CEO Jennifer Phillips, community isn’t just a buzzword-it’s the heart and soul of the organization that provides year-round programming to people with developmental and other learning challenges.

Made possible by JUF’s Young Adults Engagement Grants, Keshet’s new collaborative program with the Institute of Soil & Soul harvests and dries herbs to be packaged and donated to local food pantries and Keshet’s new culinary training program. “It’s meaningful all around,” Phillips said. “This grant allows us to do more and create a community of belonging.”

Fueled by the success of last year’s JUF annual campaign, the JUF Young Adult Engagement Grants pool soared from $8,000 to $145,000 for fiscal year 2025. This year’s expanded funding allows JUF to increase the number of grant recipients, reflecting the organization’s commitment to fostering new, creative opportunities for young adults in the Jewish community.

The review committee, which was made up of 18 lay leaders and co-chaired by Devra Shutan and Michael Oxman, used the 2020 Metropolitan Chicago Jewish Population Study data to identify opportunities for young adult programmatic growth. These include health and wellness, inclusion of young adults with disabilities, Jewish arts and culture, LGBTQ+ community programs, suburban young adult programs, educational programs and community-building activities that foster a strong sense of pride in Jewish heritage, and professional and leadership development.

“I think these grantmaking opportunities are really exciting because you get to invest in new innovation, take risks, try new things, and partner with new organizations.” Oxman said. “And maybe that develops into a long-term sustainable program.”

“There was a lot of grant material to pore through and you’re not comparing apples to apples, you’re comparing apples to oranges,” Shutan added. “We remained focused on collaborative proposals that met the needs of the community.”

A common thread running through proposals was service to diverse communities within Jewish Chicago. “An interesting trend that I’m personally excited about is that we’re funding several projects in the interfaith space, which we have not previously done through these grants,” said Michelle Lawner, Senior Associate Vice President, Planning and Allocations at JUF.

Among interfaith-related grantees was Mishkan Chicago. Its collaborative program with Honeymoon Israel and 18Doors will prompt critical conversations between interfaith partners, build community and peer relationships among interfaith couples, and explore aspects of Jewish culture and tradition. Mishkan’s Associate Rabbi Steven Philp will lead the program this fall.

“The basis of the curriculum uses texts that talk about interfaith relations from Torah to Netflix,” said Philp, referencing Netflix’s hit show Nobody Wants This . “There will be opportunities for partners to dialogue with each other and then inter-partner dialogue to help people build a community, get a variety of perspectives, and realize there is camaraderie around this issue.”

Community is also a key theme of Sharsheret’s grant, Shabbat in Pink: Awareness, Strength, Action. Held in partnership with Repair the World and OneTable, Shabbat in Pink will include a Shabbat dinner in November for Jewish adults in their 20s and 30s that educates participants about hereditary cancer risk in the Jewish community. Trained Shabbat hosts from various Jewish organizations will lead a discussion and present action steps that young adults can take to safeguard their health, all within a Jewish lens. Organizations participating in Shabbat in Pink include, but are not limited to, Anshe Emet, Anshe Sholom B’nai Israel 20s and 30s, Avodah, Norton & Elaine Sarnoff Center for Jewish Genetics, and Temple Shalom’s Makom.

“Shabbat is a way for people to come together,” said Jenny Stein, Director of Sharsheret’s Midwest Region. “Young adults will have the opportunity to gather around tradition and examine Jewish texts to examine the idea of pikuach nefesh [saving a life].”

Since its inception in 2022, JUF has awarded $172,000 in grants, supporting 31 innovative Young Adult Engagement projects across 19 organizations.

Young Adult Engagement Grants are open to all local and national organizations serving Jewish young adults, ages 22 to 35 years of age, in the Chicago area. Eligible organizations include nonprofits that maintain a current 501(c)(3) status or organizations that apply with an appropriate fiscal sponsor with 501(c)(3) status. Multi-organization and collaborative projects are prioritized.

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Young Adult Engagement FY25 Grantees

American Jewish Committee: ALEF ACCESS Leadership Fellowship

Anshe Emet Synagogue: Nobody Wants This: Couples Interfaith Programming

Avodah: Jewish Learning through Service

BBYO: Jewish Adulting: Life Hacks for the 20/30-something

Hadar: Community Groups

Hebrew Seminary: The Power of Sparks: Illuminating Knowledge through Connection

Jewish National Fund: JNFuture Midwest

YLD: Chicago Jewish Young Adult Shabbaton

Keshet: Deeply Rooted: Jewish Gardening for Young Adults

Melton: What’s Mine is Yours

Mishkan: Everybody Wants This: Cultural Touchstones in Interfaith Relationships

Mem Global: Embark in Chicago

OneTable in Chicago: Innovative Strategies to Engage the Unengaged

Shalva: Do No Harm: Empowering Professionals from Awareness to Action

Sharsheret: Shabbat in Pink: Awareness, Strength, Action