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Jewish Federation Of Cleveland

Annual Giving
$87.5M
Grant Range
$0K - $13.4M

Jewish Federation of Cleveland

Quick Stats

  • Annual Campaign: $38.1 million (2025 Campaign for Jewish Needs)
  • Annual Allocations: $34.7 million (2025-26 allocations)
  • Total Annual Giving: $87.5 million (2023, including all grants and allocations)
  • Decision Time: Annual allocations process
  • Geographic Focus: Greater Cleveland area (local), plus national and international Jewish causes
  • EIN: 34-0714445

Contact Details

Address: Jewish Federation of Cleveland, Mandel Building, 25701 Science Park Drive, Cleveland, OH 44122

Phone: 216-593-2900

Email: info@jewishcleveland.org

Website: www.jewishcleveland.org

Overview

The Jewish Federation of Cleveland has served the Jewish community for nearly 120 years, operating as the central philanthropic organization for Jewish Cleveland. Founded to promote the well-being of the community, the Federation has evolved into a major grant-making institution with significant assets and annual giving. The Federation's mission is to promote the well-being of the community and its members, enhance the continuity, security, and unity of the Jewish community, increase understanding of Jewish values and their application to improve people's lives, encourage members to fulfill the responsibility of Tikkun Olam (to make the world a better place), support Israel as a Jewish and Democratic state, and promote collective action by individuals and organizations. In 2023, the Federation distributed $87,463,703 in allocations and grants for charitable, educational, and religious purposes. Recent major initiatives include a $180 million Jewish Day School Transformation Initiative (supported by a $90 million matching grant from the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Supporting Foundation announced in January 2025) and the Israel Emergency Campaign which raised over $33 million in 2024.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Annual Campaign Allocations (Campaign for Jewish Needs) The primary grant-making vehicle distributing approximately $34.7 million annually through the allocations committee process. For 2025-26:

  • Local Human Services: $9,860,543
  • Local Education: $8,676,256
  • National Agencies: $706,020
  • Community Security: $1,500,000
  • Overseas Partners: $13,416,674 (including Jewish Federations of North America and Cleveland Overseas Projects)

Donor Advised Funds Donors can establish funds with a minimum initial gift of $100, then make grant recommendations with a $100 minimum distribution ($500 minimum for Israeli charities without a "friends of" organization). Grants must go to qualified public charities with purposes consistent with the Federation's mission.

Supporting Foundations Donors can create a Supporting Foundation with a minimum gift of $1 million. Trustees meet at least annually to decide on grant-making, and donors can recommend support for specific causes and organizations.

Saltzman Youth Panel Each year, 40 area high school juniors and seniors allocate approximately $43,000-$45,000 to worthy organizations, with 85% awarded to programs serving the Jewish community.

Priority Areas

Local Beneficiary Agencies:

  • Educational institutions (Jewish day schools including Fuchs Mizrachi School, Hebrew Academy of Cleveland, Gross Schechter Day School, Joseph and Florence Mandel Jewish Day School, Yeshiva Derech HaTorah, @Akiva High School)
  • Human services organizations (Jewish Family Service Association, Bellefaire JCB, Hebrew Shelter Home, Menorah Park, Montefiore)
  • Community and cultural organizations (Mandel Jewish Community Center, Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, Jewish Education Center of Cleveland, Cleveland Hillel Foundation)
  • Campus organizations (Hillel chapters at CWRU, Kent State, Miami University, Ohio University)

National Agencies: Anti-Defamation League, Hadassah, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, American Jewish Committee, BBYO, Jewish War Veterans, and other organizations

Overseas Partners: Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), Cleveland Overseas Projects

What They Don't Fund

  • Pre-existing financial obligations
  • Distributions resulting in more than incidental private benefit
  • School tuition or scholarships sent to or earmarked for specific individuals (from donor advised funds)
  • Membership fees
  • Benefit tickets
  • Goods bought at charitable auctions

Governance and Leadership

President: Erika B. Rudin-Luria has served as president since 2019, making her only the fifth person to serve in this role in the Federation's nearly 120-year history. Prior to her appointment, she served as the organization's senior vice president and chief strategy officer. On her commitment to Jewish communal professionals, Rudin-Luria stated: "The demands on Jewish communal professionals are only growing. As Chair, I'm committed to growing JPro's capacity to support professionals in today's world, to develop skills, connections, and build leadership pipelines across our field."

Board Chair: Jeff Wild was elected board chair in May and stated: "Jewish Cleveland is a truly special place and it is an honor — and privilege — to serve in this capacity."

Former President: Stephen H. Hoffman served for 44 years with the Federation, including 35 years as president (1983-2018). Hoffman emphasized the collaborative nature of Federation leadership: "I always understood that it is a partnership. There is a role you play to provide the management and historical experience, provide options on how to confront a particular challenge and shape the consensus that we strove to achieve on big decisions." He also noted: "Cleveland is special to me. We are Zionists who live the concept of Kol Israel arevim ze lazeh, or all Jews are responsible for each other."

Allocations Committee: Recommends allocation of funds from the Campaign for Jewish Needs that support the community's objectives for health and human services, education, national and overseas agencies. The Committee helps ensure effective and efficient use of funds by Federation's beneficiary agencies and surfaces systemic and agency-specific issues for community review and consideration.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

For Annual Campaign Allocations: The Jewish Federation of Cleveland does not have a public application process for its annual Campaign for Jewish Needs allocations. Funds are distributed to established beneficiary agencies through an allocations committee process. The Federation has liaison teams that visit each agency throughout the year to determine how they're doing financially and programmatically. The allocations committee tracks systemic and agency-specific issues year over year and carefully analyzes the community's needs and proposals from beneficiary partners.

For Donor Advised Funds: Individuals can establish donor advised funds and make grant recommendations to qualified public charities. Applications are processed through the Federation's donor portal at jewishcleveland.donorsphere.org.

For Saltzman Youth Panel Grants: Organizations can apply for funding from the Saltzman Youth Panel when the panel issues its Request for Proposal. The panel is comprised of 40 high school juniors and seniors who allocate approximately $43,000-$45,000 annually.

Decision Timeline

Annual Campaign Allocations: The allocations process occurs annually, typically in the summer. For example, 2024-2025 allocations were announced in July 2024, and 2025-2026 allocations were announced in July 2025. The committee begins by recommending a base allocation to each agency and program equal to what they received the previous year, then distributes additional funds raised across various categories.

Saltzman Youth Panel: Applications for organizations seeking funding from the youth panel are accepted according to the RFP timeline set by the panel each year. The panel meets approximately eight times throughout the year to review applications and make funding decisions.

Success Rates

Specific success rates are not publicly available. However, the Federation maintains a stable list of beneficiary agencies, with new agencies being added infrequently to the allocation process. The 2025 campaign raised $38,087,175 from 9,206 gifts representing 12,275 donors.

Application Success Factors

For Organizations Seeking to Become Beneficiary Agencies:

The Federation prioritizes stability and continuity in its funding relationships. The allocations committee recommended a base allocation to each agency and program equal to what they received the previous year, indicating a preference for maintaining existing partnerships. New agencies appear to be added infrequently, suggesting that becoming a beneficiary agency requires demonstrating alignment with the Federation's mission over time and building relationships with Federation leadership and liaison teams.

Key Considerations:

  • Mission Alignment: Organizations must support the Federation's objectives for health and human services, education, and Jewish community continuity. The Federation verifies that all charitable organizations receiving grants have purposes not inconsistent with their mission.

  • Financial and Programmatic Stability: The Federation's liaison teams assess agencies throughout the year on their financial health and programmatic effectiveness.

  • Community Needs: The allocations committee takes various needs into consideration, ranging from staffing shortages to learning loss to mental health concerns.

  • Unrestricted Funding Philosophy: All money allocated through the annual campaign is unrestricted, meaning organizations can use the funds in any way they choose. This reflects the Federation's trust in beneficiary agencies to apply resources where most needed.

  • Systemic Impact: The committee surfaces systemic and agency-specific issues for community review and tracks trends year over year, suggesting they value organizations that can contribute to addressing broader community challenges.

Recent Funding Examples:

In the 2025-2026 allocations, the Federation distributed funding across diverse organizations:

  • Jewish Family Service Association of Cleveland received funding for human services
  • Multiple Jewish day schools received education allocations
  • Bellefaire JCB received support for child and family services
  • Mandel Jewish Community Center received funding for community programming
  • Hebrew Shelter Home (a program of JFSA) received support for housing services

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • This is not a traditional grant-making foundation with an open application process - the Federation primarily funds established beneficiary agencies through an annual allocations committee process with liaison team oversight throughout the year.

  • Donor Advised Funds offer an alternative pathway - while the annual campaign allocations are limited to beneficiary agencies, individuals can establish donor advised funds (minimum $100) and recommend grants to any qualified public charity aligned with the Federation's mission.

  • The Federation values long-term partnerships - beneficiary agencies receive base allocations equal to the previous year, with additional funds distributed based on community needs and agency performance. New agencies are rarely added.

  • Unrestricted funding demonstrates trust - all campaign allocations are unrestricted, allowing organizations maximum flexibility in addressing community needs. This suggests the Federation seeks reliable partners with strong track records.

  • Youth philanthropy creates opportunities - the Saltzman Youth Panel allocates $43,000-$45,000 annually through a more accessible RFP process, potentially offering a pathway for newer organizations.

  • Relationship building is essential - liaison teams conduct regular visits to assess beneficiary agencies, making ongoing communication and relationship maintenance critical for existing partners.

  • The Federation responds to community crises - the $33 million Israel Emergency Campaign in 2024 demonstrates capacity for rapid mobilization and significant additional funding when urgent needs arise.

References

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