Federation Eager to Allocate Grant Money

SALEM — The Jewish Federation of the North Shore has begun issuing needs-based scholarships to North Shore families to help offset the cost of Jewish preschool, day school and overnight camp. Thanks to a generous grant from the San Francisco-based Jim Joseph Foundation, the JFNS will distribute nearly $500,000 over the next two years.

The $250,000 grant received this year has been broken down as follows: $152,000 will be awarded for day school scholarships, $43,000 will go for preschool scholarships, and $36,000 will be allocated for camp scholarships. The committee granted $18,750 for marketing and a part time grant administrator, and $250 is unallocated.

When the Salem-based Jewish Federation of the North Shore learned in mid-March that it was one of five organizations nationwide chosen to administer and distribute emergency education funding from the Jim Joseph Foundation, it quickly formed an oversight committee to discern how to divvy up the funds. Before making any decisions, the four-person committee, Bob Goldman, Nate Dalton, Stephanie Simon and Melissa Kaplowitch, carefully examined how San Francisco, Washington, Los Angeles and Boston (also recipients of Jim Joseph Foundation funding) chose to allocate their funds.

Following their lead, the committee earmarked the majority of the windfall for Jewish day school education.

“We’ve done our research and homework. A lot of careful thought went into the matrix,” Federation Executive Director Liz Donnenfeld said.

Camp Scholarships
Although it is mid-May, Donnenfeld stresses that it is not too late for people to apply for financial assistance for overnight camp for summer 2009.
“A lot of families haven’t paid their camp fees yet,” she said, noting that the deadline for applications is June 1.

So far, Federation has received 20 applications for camp assistance. They are being processed as soon as they come in, and grants are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Scholarships go directly to the camps, and can be awarded in addition to any other financial aid the youths may be receiving. Eligible local camps include: Pembroke, Tevya, Tel Noar, Avoda, Bauercrest, Yavnah, Ramah, Kingswood, Eisner, Crane Lake and Young Judea.

Those interested in a camp scholarship should visit the Federation website at http://www.jewishnorthshore.org, download an application, and mail it to the Federation as soon as possible with a copy of the family’s 2008 federal income tax return. The process is completely confidential.

Preschool Scholarships
At this point, Donnenfeld said Federation has received just a handful of applications for preschool scholarships for the 2009/2010 school year. The deadline to apply is August 1.
There are five eligible North Shore Jewish preschools: Congregation Shirat Hayam, the JCCNS, the NSJCC, Temple Ner Tamid and Beth Shalom, and the awards will be sent directly to the schools.

Applicants must be no less than 24 months old and in a bona fide preschool, as opposed to an infant/toddler program. Applicants should follow the same procedure as those interested in camp scholarships.

Day School Scholarships
The procedure for securing Jewish day school funding is a little different. Applications should NOT be sent to Federation, but should be made directly through the day school, which already has financial aid processes in place.

Eligible day schools include: Cohen Hillel Academy, Gann Academy, Maimonides, Hebrew Academy and Torah Academy. The breakdown of the money being allocated for the school year 2009/2010 is as follows: Cohen Hillel Academy will receive $107,008, Gann Academy will receive $19,277, Maimonides Brookline will get $14,504, New England Hebrew Academy of Brookline will get $9,448 and Torah Academy of Brookline will get $1,763. The schools themselves will distribute these funds to deserving North Shore families.

There are certain eligibility requirements, mandated by the Jim Joseph Foundation, for all three scholarships. Applicants must reside in one of the 23 communities served by the Federation, at least one of the children’s parents must be Jewish, and they must be raised Jewish. Other pre-conditions include the fact that the total household income of those applying for preschool and camp grants cannot exceed $150,000. (This criterion does not apply to day schools.) The camps and schools chosen must be non-profit, and cannot reduce their own financial aid programs in light of this additional funding. And in all cases, families must contribute at least 10 percent of the total tuition.

Bob Goldman, a member of the oversight committee that helped decide how to allocate the funds, is pleased with what the oversight committee has accomplished.

“We did what we could on a short turnaround,” he said. “Even with all these grants, we know there will still be families who cannot afford Jewish schools or camp. This may not be enough to solve the problem, and we may not have allocated the funds perfectly, but this is fantastic news for our community, and we are thrilled that this generous gift was made,” Goldman added.