Voices: The Jewish Teen Foundation
This prestigious, ten-month-long program offers Jewish high school students from across the greater Chicago area the opportunity to learn the ins-and-outs of philanthropy and grant-making through a Jewish lens.
Members of the Voices Jewish Teen Foundation Board allocate at least $25,000 to affect real change to the issues they care about most.
In Voices, you will
- Explore important issues
- Gain a deeper understanding of community needs in Chicago and around the world
- Learn important professional skills such as how to review proposals, read budgets and make presentations
- Grow your critical thinking skills by evaluating funding applications and debating with other passionate teens
Voices 101
Consider supporting the work of this group of ambitious teens, currently participating in one year of intensive philanthropy training!
Learn moreFAQs
Applications for Voices are now closed
Nominators will receive an email confirming that their nomination was submitted successfully. Nominees will receive an email within the same week notifying them that they have been nominated and providing information about the application process and next steps.
We encourage nominators to let their nominee know they have been nominated so they can keep an eye out for our email.
Voices is open to Jewish students in 9th-12th grade who live in the greater Chicago area. Our program is a welcoming space for any teen looking to make a difference!
Of course! Snacks are an important part of the work, and we make sure all dietary needs (like kosher food and allergies) are accommodated.
Although Voices meeting are really fun, they definitely require focus and commitment. Before you apply, you must be ready to make Voices a priority and you must be ready to read, write, listen, think, debate, wrestle and apply yourself throughout the year-long program. We do our best to keep outside work to a minimum, but you many have “homework” sometimes (never more than an hour, we swear). Success of the program depends upon your FULL participation because your fellow board members will depend on you throughout the year.
It’s true! Thanks to an anonymous donor, Voices is able to support teen philanthropists with $25,000 a year for grant-making purposes. In addition, each teen board member is asked to make a meaningful personal monetary contribution to the total amount as well. That way, each board member has a personal stake in the final grants.
YES! Please see our Voices Alumni page for more information.
Call Olivia Patinkin at 312-631-2036 or write an email to [email protected] and we will get back to you ASAP!