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Tikvah Fund

Annual Giving
$22.8M
Grant Range
$6K - $12.5M

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $22.8 million (2023)
  • Total Assets: $86 million
  • Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
  • Grant Range: Varies significantly - from fellowship stipends ($6,000) to major institutional grants ($12.5 million)
  • Geographic Focus: United States and Israel
  • Application Method: No public application process

Contact Details

Address: 165 East 56th Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10022

Phone: 212-796-1672

Website: https://tikvah.org

Email: For university program inquiries: jmack@tikvah.org

Overview

Founded in 1992 by businessman and philanthropist Zalman Bernstein, the Tikvah Fund is a politically conservative nonprofit foundation committed to supporting the intellectual, religious, and political leaders of the Jewish people and the Jewish State. As of 2023, the organization held assets totaling $86 million with annual expenses of $22.8 million. The organization's budget has grown significantly, with the U.S. program budget expanding from approximately $19.3 million in 2024 to $24.5 million in 2025. In September 2025, Tikvah received the largest grant in National Endowment for the Humanities history—$10.4 million—for its Jewish Civilization Project to combat antisemitism through education. The organization describes itself as "politically Zionist, economically free-market oriented, culturally traditional, and theologically open-minded." CEO Eric Cohen has led the organization since 2007, previously founding and serving as editor-at-large of the New Atlantis, and now serving as publisher of Mosaic.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Tikvah Fund does not operate traditional grant programs with public applications. Instead, the organization strategically funds initiatives through trustee discretion and established relationships. Their funding falls into several categories:

Institutional Grants: Major grants to universities and educational institutions

  • Provided $12.5 million (four-year grant) to Shalem Center to establish Shalem College, Israel's first American-style liberal arts college (2011)
  • Sponsors autonomous scholarly institutes at Princeton University, NYU Law School, University of Toronto, and Jewish Theological Seminary
  • Partners with universities to develop Western Civilization BA programs and Jewish humanities courses

Publications and Media:

  • Long-term funding for Commentary magazine
  • Founded and funded Mosaic magazine (Eric Cohen serves as publisher)
  • Previously funded Jewish Review of Books (now independent as of 2022)
  • Funded Jewish Ideas Daily (predecessor to Mosaic)
  • Funded Mida (Israeli publication)
  • Supported Hebraic Political Studies and Toronto Journal of Jewish Thought

Educational Institutions:

  • Founded and operates Emet Classical Academy, a K-12 classical Jewish day school on Manhattan's Upper East Side
  • Provides scholarships for middle and high school students
  • Operates fellowship programs for college students, young professionals, graduate students, and rabbis

Fellowship Programs: (Note: These have public applications - see Application Process section)

  • Tikvah Academic Fellowship: For scholars engaged in teaching and research supporting Jewish and Western Civilization
  • Solomon Fellowship: For emerging leaders, admitted on rolling basis
  • Beren Summer Fellowship: Stipends up to $6,000
  • Krauthammer Fellowship: Named after Charles Krauthammer for aspiring writers, journalists, scholars, and policy analysts
  • Tikvah Legal Fellowship: For first-year law students
  • Tikvah Scholars Program: For high school students

Priority Areas

  • Jewish intellectual excellence and thought leadership
  • Traditional Jewish religious practice in the modern age
  • Jewish and Western civilization education
  • Combating antisemitism through education and understanding of Jewish contributions to Western culture
  • Conservative Jewish political and cultural ideas
  • Israel advocacy and Zionist education
  • Classical liberal arts education with Jewish and Western emphasis

What They Don't Fund

While the Tikvah Fund does not publish explicit exclusions, their mission and documented grants reveal a focused funding approach:

  • Organizations outside the nexus of Jewish education, thought leadership, and Western civilization studies
  • Progressive or left-leaning Jewish organizations (their conservative political orientation is well-documented)
  • Projects unrelated to their core mission of supporting Jewish intellectual, religious, and political leadership

Governance and Leadership

Board of Trustees

Chairman: Elliott Abrams - Senior Fellow at Council on Foreign Relations; previously served in multiple presidential administrations

Vice Chairman: Gary Rosenthal - Partner at The Sterling Group

Board Members:

  • Raanan Agus - Global co-head of Alternative Investments at Goldman Sachs Asset Management
  • Mem Bernstein - Chairman of The AVI CHAI Foundation
  • Terry Kassel - Head of Strategic Human Resources at Elliott Investment Management
  • Shelly Kassen - Past President of Washington Institute for Near East Policy
  • Moshe Koppel - Computer Science professor at Bar-Ilan University
  • Jay Lefkowitz - Senior Litigation Partner at Kirkland & Ellis
  • Steven Price - Co-founder and CEO of 25Madison, LLC

Trustees Emeriti:

  • Roger Hertog - Chairman Emeritus, President of Hertog Foundation; founding partner of Sanford C. Bernstein & Co.; served as president before its merger with Alliance Capital Management in 2000
  • Arthur Fried z'l - Former CEO of The AVI CHAI Foundation

Executive Leadership

Eric Cohen - President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO since 2007; compensation: $665,000)

  • Founded and remains editor-at-large of the New Atlantis
  • Publisher of Mosaic magazine
  • On the $10.4 million NEH grant, Cohen stated: "At this weighty moment in the history of the West, we believe that Jewish ideas are essential to strengthening the best of our shared American culture and answering the perverse ideology of antisemitism with the enduring majesty of Jewish civilization."

Other Key Leadership:

  • Rabbi Hershel Lutch - Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
  • Dr. Jonathan Silver - Senior Vice President & Chief Programming Officer
  • Sean Clifford - Chief Strategy Officer
  • Rabbi Mark Gottlieb - Chief Education Officer
  • Malka Groden - Chief Development Officer
  • Alexandra Rosenberg - Senior Director of Development
  • Alan Rubenstein - Executive Director of the Rosenthal-Levy Scholars Program
  • Avi Snyder - Senior Director of Tikvah Ideas

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

For Institutional Grants: The Tikvah Fund does not have a public application process for organizational or institutional grants. Their major grants to universities, publications, and educational institutions appear to be initiated through trustee discretion, strategic relationships, and direct outreach by Tikvah leadership.

For Individual Fellowship Programs: Tikvah operates multiple fellowship programs with formal public applications through their online portal at tikvahfund.smapply.io. These programs include:

  • Tikvah Academic Fellowship (applications typically open June-August)
  • Solomon Fellowship (rolling admissions)
  • Beren Summer Fellowship (applications open September, deadline typically February)
  • Krauthammer Fellowship (annual cycle)
  • Tikvah Legal Fellowship (for first-year law students)
  • Tikvah Scholars Program (for high school students)

Getting on Their Radar

University Partnership Approach: Tikvah has established partnerships with select major academic institutions including Princeton University (through the James Madison Program), NYU Law School, University of Toronto, and Jewish Theological Seminary. The University of Dallas is noted as a "preferred educational partner" of Tikvah's Lobel Center for Jewish Classical Education. These partnerships suggest Tikvah seeks institutions aligned with their mission of supporting classical liberal arts education, Jewish studies, and Western civilization programs.

Contact Strategy: For universities or institutions interested in partnership opportunities, direct inquiry to the Associate Director of University Programs at jmack@tikvah.org or the main office at 212-796-1672. Given the organization's strategic approach, any outreach should demonstrate clear alignment with Tikvah's mission of advancing Jewish excellence, traditional Judaism in modern contexts, and Western civilization education from a conservative intellectual perspective.

Board Connections: The board includes prominent figures in finance, law, policy, and Jewish organizational leadership. Building relationships with board members through existing networks in these sectors may provide pathways to Tikvah's consideration.

Decision Timeline

Decision timelines are not publicly disclosed. Major institutional grants appear to develop over extended periods through relationship-building and strategic conversations with Tikvah leadership.

Success Rates

According to Form 990 data analyzed by Instrumentl, Tikvah made a limited number of organizational grants: 1 award in 2023, 4 awards in 2022, and 5 awards in 2021. This indicates highly selective institutional grant-making with very low success rates for organizations seeking funding.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable given the absence of a public application process. Organizations declined for funding would need to rebuild relationships and reapproach through appropriate channels.

Application Success Factors

For Institutional Partnerships

Ideological Alignment: Tikvah's conservative political orientation is central to their funding decisions. Organizations must demonstrate alignment with their "politically Zionist, economically free-market oriented, culturally traditional, and theologically open-minded" philosophy.

Focus on Excellence: CEO Eric Cohen's statement about supporting "Jewish excellence and Jewish flourishing in the modern age" reflects the organization's emphasis on supporting top-tier institutions, publications, and programs that elevate Jewish intellectual leadership.

Western Civilization Focus: Recent initiatives, including Emet Classical Academy and the $10.4 million Jewish Civilization Project, emphasize classical education and the intersection of Jewish thought with Western civilization. Projects connecting Jewish contributions to Western culture, classical education, or the humanities align with current priorities.

Long-term Strategic Value: Major grants like the $12.5 million to Shalem College and sustained funding for publications like Mosaic and Commentary indicate Tikvah seeks transformative, sustained impact rather than one-time projects.

Track Record of Impact: Partnerships with prestigious institutions (Princeton, NYU Law, University of Toronto) suggest Tikvah values established credibility and demonstrated capacity for excellence.

For Individual Fellowship Applicants

Academic Merit: Fellowship programs emphasize "exceptional scholars" and "exceptional first-year law students," indicating high academic standards.

Engagement with Jewish Thought: Fellows are expected to engage deeply with Jewish ideas, texts, and civilization in relation to contemporary challenges and Western thought.

Leadership Potential: Programs explicitly aim to nurture "the next generation" of intellectual, religious, and political leaders of the Jewish people.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No public institutional grants process: Tikvah operates through invitation, board discretion, and strategic relationships rather than open applications. Building relationships with leadership and board members is essential.

  • Conservative orientation matters: The organization's well-documented conservative political and cultural stance is inseparable from funding decisions. Progressive organizations should not pursue Tikvah funding.

  • Think transformation, not projects: Major grants ($12.5 million to Shalem College, sustained publication funding) indicate interest in institution-building and long-term cultural impact rather than discrete projects.

  • Western civilization nexus is current priority: The $10.4 million NEH grant for the Jewish Civilization Project and the launch of Emet Classical Academy signal intensified focus on connecting Jewish thought with Western civilization studies and classical education.

  • Fellowship programs are accessible: Unlike institutional grants, individual fellowship programs have clear application processes and deadlines, offering direct engagement opportunities with Tikvah's intellectual community.

  • Quality over quantity: With only 1-5 organizational grants annually based on 990 data, Tikvah is highly selective, focusing resources on strategic, high-impact partnerships.

  • Publication and media support: Sustained funding for Commentary, Mosaic, and previously Jewish Review of Books indicates receptivity to supporting quality Jewish intellectual journalism and scholarship platforms.

References

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