What
Reflect Cincy grant funding—powered by the Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati (TJF)—intends to spark meaning and connections to Jewish life with underrepresented segments in the community, specifically young adults without children, interfaith families with children, and families with young children.
Why
In 2019, the Cincinnati Jewish Community Study found that nearly half of Jewish adults seek more connection to Jewish community but experience barriers to participating in traditional Jewish institutions. Because many of these individuals and families are not in positions of influence and decision-making in Cincinnati’s formal Jewish community, current policies and programs may not reflect their actual needs and desires. This means that our traditional methods for building strong Jewish communities are currently leaving many people out.
TJF saw these findings as an opportunity to experiment with funding priorities in complement to its support of existing institutions.
We believe that:
- Every Jewish Cincinnatian should be able to see themselves reflected in the community in some way.
- Placing underrepresented segments in positions of influence will create more compelling ways to form Jewish connections.
How
- For this money to make a difference, we recognized that the people we wanted to engage would need to be at the table.
- The Creative Team—the leading force behind Reflect Cincy—shifts the philanthropic model by giving more influence to those most affected by funding decisions.
Context
The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati (TJF) is a private grantmaking foundation with a broad mandate to strengthen the Cincinnati Jewish Community. TJF invests approximately $20 million per year to support operations, programs, and initiatives that further Jewish education, deepen Jewish engagement, and address unmet social service needs in the local Jewish Community.
The Grantees
Learn more about the inaugural cohort of Reflect Cincy Grantees!