Announcing Three Impact Grants to Outstanding Jewish Engagement Programs in Marin County
Earlier this month we announced three new Marin-based grants to outstanding organizations through our Marin Impact Grants Initiative designed to connect Marin families to Jewish life. The Federation’s trailblazing Impact Grants Initiative (IGI) program employs a high engagement and empowerment approach to grant-making modeled on social venture philanthropy. The IGI program provides donor-participants with a hands-on way to make a real difference in their community by making high impact grants that focus on pressing community needs.
“With these grants through our Marin IGI, the Federation is advancing very important work to deepen and enhance Jewish life in Marin, where so many Jewish families feel disconnected from their heritage,” said Jennifer Gorovitz, CEO of the Federation. “Our goal is to ensure that Marin’s Jewish community has real access to the warm embrace and rich potential of Jewish culture, practice, and identity.”
“These grants will, hopefully, seed the start of what Jewish life in Marin could be,” said Deborah Stadtner, a Marin IGI committee member. “We are on the cutting edge of how Judaism will manifest into the next generations. It’s truly an exciting time and we are fortunate to be able to have these grants to take advantage of the opportunities and address the needs of our community. I feel so lucky to have been part of this process.”
The three grantees are:
Jewish LearningWorks: Kesher initiative: North Bay ($65,000). This program will bring to the North Bay Jewish LearningWorks’ successful South Peninsula Kesher initiative, which aims to help families with young children explore Jewish life and community. Through e-newsletters, social media, coffee get-togethers and individualized referrals, this program will help engage Jewish families with young children who are not strongly connected to the Jewish community. 
Osher Marin JCC: Pop-Up Jewish Marin ($25,000). This JCC project will feature 11 pop-up Jewish events throughout Marin over three years. Events will engage local Jews across Marin in fun activities and share information about ways to connect with Jewish life. Each event will include at least one other Jewish organization as a program partner, as well as a host institution where the event will take place. Specific areas include Novato, Central Marin, Fairfax, and West Marin.
Congregation Rodef Sholom + URJ Camp Newman: baseCamp ($110,000). Congregation Rodef Sholom in San Rafael and URJ Camp Newman have teamed up to offer an innovative hybrid educational model, baseCamp, to bring the joy and energy of Jewish summer camp to unaffiliated Jewish families in Marin. Using camp as a model in which Judaism comes alive every day, this program will engage children and families by providing opportunities to feel excitement about – and connection to – Judaism at home and in their daily lives.
