Awards

We salute the outstanding people working to enhance Jewish life in all facets of our community.

Through the many awards we grant each year, we recognize some of these exemplary people and the great value of their contributions.

See a complete list of past recipients or read more about previous winners on our blog. 

Awards distributed annually are:    

Robert Sinton Award for Distinguished Leadership

In honor of Robert Sinton, a businessman and community leader whose dedication to the Federation and other Bay Area organizations spanned more than five decades, this leadership award embodies his passion for Jewish communal volunteerism and includes a financial stipend to a Jewish agency or organization chosen by the recipient. For more information, contact us.

 

Judith Chapman Memorial Women's Leadership Award

In memory of Judith Chapman, an esteemed volunteer leader, friend, and member of our Jewish community, this award honors a woman who exemplifies significant and sustained volunteer leadership, and who values her Jewish identity and the importance of tzedakah in her life. For more information, contact us.

 

Lloyd W. Dinkelspiel Award

Honoring the first president of the Jewish Community Federation, the annual Lloyd W. Dinkelspiel Award for Young Leadership, inaugurated in October of 1959, recognizes an outstanding young leader in the local Jewish community. For more information, contact us.

 

Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards

The Diller Teen Awards recognize young changemakers who have significant impact in leading initiatives that embody the values of tikkun olam, repairing the world. Every year, the Helen Diller Family Foundation awards up to 15 Jewish teens (ages 13-19) with $36,000 each for their leadership efforts. For more information, contact DillerTeenAward@sfjcf.org

 

Diller Education Awards

Helen Diller cared deeply about the future of the Jewish community and understood the key role that exceptional educators play in assuring the next generations are proud, knowledgeable, and connected. With this in mind, the Federation and the Helen Diller Family Foundation created an awards program that puts a spotlight on Jewish educators and elevates their important role in the community. Each year we honor outstanding educators with the Diller Education Awards and will open nominations for the Diller Prize for Distinguished Lifetime Achievement for the first time in 2020. Learn More

The Anne and Robert Cowan Writer's Prize

Established at the Federation in 2004, this award recognizes writers who have made an exceptional impact in the Bay Area through their uniquely Jewish perspective. Awardees must be emerging published Jewish writers who live in the Bay Area, are considered exceptionally gifted by their peers and readers, write with a high degree of creativity and intelligence, and engage thoughtfully with Jewish themes in their work. The Cowan Writer’s Prize includes a grant of $5,000. Please see the blog post announcing the 2022 Prize winners.   

Winners of the 2024 Cowan Prize will be announced in early 2025. Please contact Robyn Carmel with questions.