The Auerbach Entrepreneurial Grant Program at Reconstructing Judaism supports innovators in creating bold experiments that seek to reconstruct the Jewish experience for increased access and meaning, encourage forward-thinking growth in the Jewish community, and explore the connection between the 21st-century environment and traditional Jewish values.
Students currently enrolled at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and recent graduates (in the past two years) can apply for Auerbach Ignition Grants and Auerbach Launch Grants.
Descriptions and applications below.
Reconstructing Judaism’s Auerbach Ignition Grant 2023–2024
Reconstructing Judaism is delighted to award multiple Auerbach Ignition Grants to support innovation that strengthens Jewish community and engages the un/under-engaged. We support change makers in the Reconstructionist community who shape new pathways to meaningful Jewish life.
Multiple awards up to $1,500 each will be given to seed small-scale projects led by a student(s) presently enrolled at RRC, or a recent graduate(s) (2021 or later).
Timeline
Ignition Grant applications will be accepted on a rolling basis from May 15, 2023, through December 13, 2023. Proposals should be submitted to Cyd Weissman, cweissman@reconstructingjudaism.org. Award emails will be sent within 10 days of receipt. Projects should conclude by June 2024.
Grant Criteria
- Project tests an innovative pilot for Jewish living and engagement in America;
- Must serve Jews outside of New York City and Los Angeles;
- Demonstrate potential for expansion into a larger-scale project; and
- Welcomes women, LGBTQ+ and Jews of Color among all other applicants.
Grant funds cannot be used to employ staff from Reconstructing Judaism. Students can receive a maximum of one Ignition Grant per application cycle.
Recipients will provide a final grant report about what they were able to accomplish and, most importantly, what they learned. We may ask recipients to share the stories of their work with the communications department at Reconstructing Judaism.
Be bold. Be willing to fail and to learn to meet a challenge or explore an opportunity in the Jewish community. Learn the stories of previous grantees.
Click here for the Reconstructing Judaism’s Auerbach Ignition Grant Application Instructions
Reconstructing Judaism’s Auerbach Launch Grant 2023–2024
Reconstructing Judaism is delighted to award one $18,000, 2:1 matching grant to support innovation that strengthens Jewish community and engages the unengaged and/or under-engaged. We support change makers in the Reconstructionist community to spark emerging expressions of Jewish life in our changing world.
Multiple forces at work in our times demand that we reconstruct opportunities to immerse in Jewish life. This grant will support an innovative endeavor that responds to one or more of the following forces: 1) rising generations that seek connections and yearn for new entry points; 2) technological advances insisting we find ways to harness their power; 3) increasing diversity that cries out for inclusion; and, or 4) social and political upheaval that insists on action.
Your initiative should respond to shifts in the American Jewish landscape and seek to engage and create community for the unengaged and/or under-engaged.
One $18,000, 2:1 Matching Grants
Reconstructing Judaism is offering one $18,000 Auerbach Innovation Launch Grant. This grant is offered as a 2:1 matching grant. To receive the full $18,000, the recipient will independently raise or develop income totaling $9,000. Up to $1,500 of the $9,000 can be attributed to in-kind services. If the grantee generates less than the total required, then the grant award will be proportionately reduced.
Applicants are encouraged to work with partners. However, the team leader must be a current RRC student or a recent RRC graduate (graduated 2022 or 2021). Grant recipients will provide two grant reports, mid-year and end of year, including financial accounting.
Grant payments are distributed three times throughout the year.
Award Decisions
A three-judge panel will review all applications and make award decisions. The panel reserves the right not to award the grant if proposals do not adequately meet grant criteria.
Application Timeline
By October 10, 2023, send proposal to Cyd Weissman, Cweissman@reconstructingjudaism.org. Grant awards will be announced via email during the week of August 20, 2023. The project must have an anticipated start date no later than October 2023. The project needs to be completed within one year of the initial financial disbursement.
Grant Criteria:
- Project tests an innovative approach to Jewish living and engagement in America;
- Must serve Jews outside of New York City and Los Angeles;
- Has potential for expansion into a larger-scale project; and
- Welcomes women, LGBTQ+ and Jews of Color among all other applicants. Project will need to build community around the challenges and opportunities you address.
Be bold. Be willing to fail and to learn. Be prepared to celebrate your successes and build from the misses. Grant funds cannot be used to employ staff from Reconstructing Judaism. You can include salary for yourself as part of the budget. We honor serial entrepreneurs, but the Auerbach Launch Grant will only be awarded once to an individual. Learn the stories of previous Auerbach Launch Grantees.
Questions
Connect with Cyd Weissman, Vice President, Engagement and Innovation, Reconstructing Judaism Cweissman@reconstructingjudaism.org
Click here for the Reconstructing Judaism’s Auerbach Launch Application Instructions
