OJCF Announces 2025 Community Endowment Fund Grants

The Oregon Jewish Community Foundation (OJCF) Community Endowment Fund awarded 17 grants totaling $187,190 for Fiscal Year 2025. The average grant size was approximately $11,000.

What is the Community Endowment Fund?

The Community Endowment Fund supports vital and impactful community organizations and initiatives in Oregon and Southwest Washington. The fund has been seeded largely through generous legacy gifts, with the goal of making a continued impact on the organizations that serve our community.

This year, the Community Endowment Fund focused on supporting collaborative and innovative programs that addressed one or more of the following categories:

• Dialogue and Discourse
• Antisemitism
• Intergeneration Philanthropy
• Jewish Continuity and Connection

Why is the Community Endowment Fund important?

Grants from the Community Endowment Fund provide organizations with additional funding to address issues they see as vital to the vibrancy and continuity of our community. The grants also help organizations pursue new opportunities and create new access points for those seeking to engage with our community.

2025 Community Endowment Fund Grant Awards

BB360 - $2,000

To support the BB360 overnight campers to learn about philanthropy and make grants to organizations in Lane County.

BB360 and Kol Ami - $10,000

To support the establishment of BB360 summer camp at Congregation Kol Ami in Vancouver.

Chabad of Oregon - $7,500

To support Morah Rochel’s Shabbat Hugs, a volunteer program packing and delivering Shabbat packages to the community.

Co/Lab - $19,400

To support Art/Lab: A 9-month creative laboratory for Portland area contemporary Jewish artists that explores the intersection of art and Judaism.

Congregation Shaarie Torah - $5,000

To support the Jewish Learning Experience: A Jewish education experience for High School students discussing topics such as Introduction to Community Dialogue and Introduction to History, Culture, and the People of Israel. Participating students are eligible to receive college credit.

Eastside Jewish Commons - $10,740

To support collaboration with two theatre companies to present a series of staged readings of Jewish-themed plays and/or plays by Jewish playwrights.

Jewish Family & Child Service - $15,000

To support Arts Generation Engage: A program to support intergenerational events focused on addressing isolation, mental health, and strengthening community bonds through art.

Jewish Federation of Greater Portland - $35,000

To support community wide security initiatives.

Jewish Federation of Greater Portland - $5,000

To support a seven-session program that invites young couples of mixed heritage into a welcoming space for self-discovery, rejuvenation, deepening relationships, and to make meaningful connections with community members.

Jewish Federation of Greater Portland and Co/Lab - $12,000

To support a “Day of Jewish Renaissance”: A collaboration of Co/Lab and Jewish Federation of Greater Portland, that brings the Portland community together to celebrate Jewish learning, artistry, and culinary traditions.

Jewish Federation of Lane County - $4,950

To support the senior brunch program: enabling social and educational interaction for Jewish community seniors and engaging community volunteers in Lane County.

Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education - $10,000

To support an exhibit that highlights the intersection of lesbian and Jewish stories while exploring the powerful ways Eugene’s lesbian community carved our a life and culture that profoundly altered Oregon history.

ORA NW Jewish Artists - $3,600

To support of The Modern Mishkan - a unique art installation with a menu of activities and educational programming opportunities for community members to gather and actively explore their religious connections and values.

PDX Hillel - $5,000

To support the Jewish Women’s Retreat, bringing college aged-women together from all Portland area universities, University of Oregon, and Oregon State University, to recharge, connect, celebrate sisterhood, creativity, and empowerment.

PJ Library - $12,000

To support the delivery of free Jewish children’s books to families every month, which forges connection between parents and children by offering tales that spark conversations about values and traditions.

Temple Beth Israel, Eugene - $15,000

To support a lecture series that will engage Jewish community locally and globally, exploring cultural identity and antisemitism through in-person events, live-streams, and podcasts.

TischPDX - $15,000

To support of the Emerging Jewish Leadership Incubator, a program that focuses on the emerging landscape of DIY Jewish organizing and community building by young and marginalized Jews primarily on the Eastside of Portland.

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