Thanks to the generosity of more than 1,800 members of the community, Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City allocated nearly $2 million to 42 local programs and nearly $1.5 million to more than 30 overseas programs serving those in need in 2015. These funds were made possible by a strong increase in the amount raised via the Jewish Federation’s 2014 community campaign.
The programs funded this year serve many purposes, including helping families have enough food, aiding with chronic financial challenges, helping seniors stay in their homes, assisting children and families via Jewish preschool or camp scholarships, assisting the developmentally disabled, working with youth at risk and enabling enhanced security at the Jewish Community Campus. Some of these crucial programs are well known in the community, in Israel or around the world, while others may be less well known.
“An important component of Jewish Federation’s mission is to sustain and enhance Jewish life here in Kansas City,” says Amanda Morgan, immediate past chair of the volunteer Allocations Committee of Jewish Federation. “Through a thoughtful and productive local allocations process that includes review of grant proposals, question-and-answer sessions, as well as in-depth discussion, we are confident we are fulfilling this piece of our mission.”
Jewish Federation funds local programs that fall into at least one of its five local allocations focus areas, which are: safety net services, senior adult services, youth and family services, Jewish identity and Jewish education.
“The other key component of Federation’s mission is to sustain and enhance Jewish life around the world,” says Jerry Enslein, chair of the Israel & Overseas (I&O) Committee of Jewish Federation. “The I&O Committee members are dedicated to funding diverse, impactful programs that make a real difference in our partnership communities in Israel, Bulgaria and Romania, in addition to our overseas core funding that makes possible life-saving programs across the globe.”
Jewish Federation’s Israel & Overseas Committee electively funds overseas programs that fall into at least one of four focus areas: safety net services (including youth at risk)/senior adult services; Jewish identity & education; diversity, pluralism and inclusion; and people to people/leadership development. Jewish Federation also collectively funds overseas programs carried out by its partners the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, the Jewish Agency for Israel and World ORT.
The next cycle of local grant requests will be submitted to Jewish Federation in January and February of 2016, with funding decisions made by summer 2016. The Federation’s volunteer Allocations Committee consists of more than 20 carefully selected community members, and is currently chaired by Liz Hjalmarson, a member of the Jewish Federation’s board of directors.
For more information, contact Kathleen Daily at or 913-327-8108.
