Women’s Alliance Endowment Fund members allocate grants to make a difference

The Women’s Alliance Endowment Fund held its annual meeting on May 23 to determine this year’s grant recipients. As they do every year, the WAEF members in attendance had some difficult decisions to make. The 16 proposals (4 local and 12 overseas) received totaled nearly $30,000 in requests; $7,600 was available to allocate.  As a result, some very worthwhile programs went unfunded. 

This year’s grant recipients were tightly connected to the WAEF mission. The nine programs that will receive grants are compelling initiatives that members of the Women’s Alliance Endowment Fund believe will provide lasting impact and social change for women and girls throughout Rhode Island and Israel.

The Jewish Federation Foundation holds the community’s $56 million endowment assets including the assets of the Women’s Alliance Endowment Fund.  As of June 30, 2016, the fund’s value was $145,111.13. This year’s strategy to grow the fund was successful through recruiting new members and encouraging membership renewals.

Each spring, over the last several years, the Women’s Alliance Endowment Fund membership has been able to allocate the Fund’s interest via a request for proposals process, and has sought proposals for innovative programs and services that benefit Jewish women and girls and have the potential for long-term impact. Educational, civic, cultural, religious and inter-group programs are considered, as well as services in the health and social service fields.

Locally, projects receiving awards include Temple Habonim’s mikveh field trip, Jewish Community Day School’s Girls Power Lunch, Jewish Family Service’s training collaborative, and Congregation Beth Sholom’s Women, Torah, and Scholarship Series.  Overseas awards include Jaffa Institute’s Steppingstone, a program for at-risk teenage girls, and the Public Association of Friends of the Neve Kineret – Ram Homes’ Therapuetic Greenhouse.

JENNIFER ZWIRN works in allocations and endowment for the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island. She also is the AccessJewishRI vocational services contact.