Are you a fan of the hit TV show Shark Tank ? Want to participate in a philanthropic version right here in Chicago, and select the innovative local Jewish nonprofit that will receive an impactful grant?

The Jewish Women’s Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago (JWF) invites Jewish women for a special “pop-up” giving circle event on May 3-a pitch night featuring live presentations about a select group of nonprofit grant proposals, with the opportunity to vote which one will receive funding. The one-of-a-kind night offers a chance to connect with Chicago-area women of all ages to try out hands-on grantmaking and collective philanthropy in a dynamic environment.

To make it work, each participant contributes a minimum of $500 all of which goes toward JWF’s “Frame the Future” grant, which will be awarded at the end of the night-making this the single largest grant awarded in the Foundation’s 20-year history. In keeping with JWF’s mission, the competing nonprofits all share a common goal of changing the landscape for Jewish women and girls.

The featured organizations include:

1. Sharsheret supports Jewish women and families facing breast and ovarian cancer. Their proposed project is to open Sharsheret Chicagoland and make it the expert resource for local Jewish women affected by breast or ovarian cancer as well as their spouses, partners, parents, children, extended family members, and friends; medical and Jewish communal professionals; and the community at large.
2. Orot: Center for New Jewish Learning empowers Jews of all backgrounds to discover new entry points into Judaism through mindfulness and immersive learning. This proposed new project engages Jewish women of all ages in answering the question: How might Jewish women, through an intergenerational community, use Jewish wisdom to imagine a revitalized future for Jewish women in the Chicagoland area?
3. Sacred Spaces is a Jewish cross-denominational initiative to systemically address sexual and other abuse in Jewish institutions. Their program, new to Chicago, will unite local institutions across the denominational spectrum in a guided process for preventing abuse through comprehensive policy development and education for lay leaders, clergy, staff, and the community.
   

Want to cast your vote? For more information, visit juf.org/jwf/Frame-The-Future-Grant.aspx.

The Jewish Women’s Foundation is an independent project of the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago. For more information, visit www.juf.org/jwf/ .