Jewish LearningWorks

What Jewish LearningWorks does

Jewish LearningWorks is a 125-year-old San Francisco-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that elevates Jewish education in the Bay Area by serving as a central professional development and capacity-building hub for the regional Jewish education ecosystem. The organization operates a platform-plus-programs model, delivering year-round services to more than 140 day schools, congregations, JCCs, camps, and youth programs, with awareness of 600+ educators across denominations and roles. Its core offerings are organized around four professional development formats — training programs, cohort learning, coaching and mentoring, and communities of practice — supported by proprietary curricular assets including the On the Map Israel education framework, the Source Sheets Library, and the More Than Minds Social, Emotional, and Spiritual Learning (SESL) workshop series developed with Dr. Nancy Parkes. Specialized programs include the two-year Voices for Good Fellowship for women leaders in Jewish communal organizations (35 graduates, currently in its third cohort), the Bay Area Jewish Youth Resilience Roundtable, the Kesher teen leadership fellowship, and a microgrant program disbursing $3,000-$5,000 to early childhood schools for innovation projects. The organization is also a local liaison for the national ElevatEd early childhood educator pipeline, a partnership with JCC Association, JFNA, and URJ, and a 2026 partnership with Sequential Development Consulting to deliver inclusion services to neurodivergent learners.

Jewish LearningWorks runs a hybrid revenue model dominated by philanthropy. Donations and charitable contributions (online, sustaining monthly, and legacy giving) are the primary funding mechanism, supplemented by institutional grants from anchor supporters such as the Jim Joseph Foundation, Jewish Federation Bay Area, and JFNA. Program-generated revenue is small but diversified: Voices for Good Fellowship ($2,000 participant fee, paid by employers), More Than Minds cohort ($396 per participant, donor-subsidized), Bay Area Jewish Youth Resilience Roundtable memberships ($72 individual, $180 organization, up to four participants), and self-serve digital downloads of On the Map ($180 one-time). The go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, leveraging direct field engagement, professional learning networks, content marketing, and word-of-mouth referrals. Geographic reach is concentrated in the Bay Area, with selected programs extending to the Pacific Northwest and Denver-Boulder, and the On the Map digital download available nationally. The organization is led by CEO Dana Sheanin and governed by an independent board of directors; it has no parent company, subsidiaries, or institutional investor ownership.

Name

Jewish LearningWorks

Legal name

Jewish LearningWorks

Website

https://jewishlearning.works

Company type

Private

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Jewish LearningWorks is a 125-year-old San Francisco nonprofit professional development hub serving 140+ Bay Area Jewish day schools, congregations, JCCs, and camps through training programs, coaching, proprietary curricula, fellowships, and microgrants for 600+ educators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Jewish Education Professional Development

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Community Center Education Programs (EDAAAFAB)

Keywords

• Jewish education
• Educator professional development
• Curriculum design
• Community learning
• Jewish literacy programs

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization relies heavily on donations and charitable contributions from supporters. Their website features prominent donate buttons and multiple giving opportunities including online donations, sustaining monthly gifts, and other ways to give.
2. Program Fees: Revenue generated from participant fees for various programs and professional development offerings, including workshops, cohorts, and fellowships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Jewish LearningWorks is a Bay Area nonprofit that delivers professional development, curricula, fellowships, and microgrants to Jewish educators and communal organizations across early childhood, day school, congregational, camp, and teen-program settings. It runs training programs, cohort learning, coaching and mentoring, communities of practice, and proprietary curricula such as the On the Map Israel education framework, serving 140+ organizations and 600+ educators annually.

Product overview

Jewish LearningWorks is an educational nonprofit organization that elevates the field of Jewish education by nurturing educators, inspiring innovation, and building Jewish literacy. The organization operates as a platform-plus-programs model, offering professional development services (Training Programs, Cohort Learning, Coaching & Mentoring, Communities of Practice), curated educational curricula (On the Map, Source Sheets Library), fellowship programs (Voices for Good Fellowship), youth-focused initiatives (Bay Area Jewish Youth Resilience Roundtable), and grant funding (Microgrants). Their offerings serve Jewish educators across the Bay Area and beyond, with programs spanning early childhood through teen education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Training Programs Professional development programs offering workshops and training sessions in community for Jewish educators across early childhood, day school, congregational, camp, and teen-program settings.
• Cohort Learning Cohort-based learning experiences where Jewish educators connect and grow together through structured group programs such as the More Than Minds SESL series.
• Coaching & Mentoring One-on-one and group coaching and mentoring services supporting Jewish educators in their professional practice and leadership development.
• Communities of Practice Professional learning networks where Jewish educators deepen their learning through peer collaboration, including the Bay Area Jewish Youth Resilience Roundtable and ECE Directors' gatherings.
• On the Map Curriculum A curricular framework and activity guide for teaching Israel to middle and high school students, organized thematically around seven units with maps and learning activities; available as a digital download with consultation.
• Voices for Good Fellowship Two-year fellowship for women leaders in Jewish communal organizations to build collegial relationships, explore Jewish values in leadership, and address challenges unique to women in Jewish professional life; includes monthly seminars, regional meetings, and a California retreat.
• Bay Area Jewish Youth Resilience Roundtable Monthly professional learning network for professionals at the intersection of Jewish education and adolescent well-being, with individual and organizational membership tiers.
• More Than Minds SESL Workshop Series Workshop series on Social, Emotional, and Spiritual Learning (SESL) for Jewish educators, facilitated by Dr. Nancy Parkes as a hybrid cohort program integrating spiritual development with educational practice.
• Microgrants Program Grant program providing $3,000-$5,000 in funding for innovative projects in staff recruitment, retention, mentorship, family engagement, inclusion training, or wellness initiatives at Jewish early childhood schools and communal organizations.
• Curricula & Guides Educational resources including the Source Sheets Library and teaching guides grounded in Jewish wisdom for Jewish educators working with today's learners.

Quantifiable outcome

• 140+ organizations strengthened annually
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ElevatEd (JCC Association, JFNA, URJ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerElevatEd is a groundbreaking collaborative initiative to recruit, train, mentor, and support over 300 new teachers in diverse pioneer communities across North America. Jewish LearningWorks serves as the local community liaison, partnering with East Bay Jewish early childhood centers for an 18-month training and mentorship program.
• BeWell and Jewish Federations of North AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Kesher Fellowship was born out of collaboration with BeWell and the Jewish Federations of North America, through funding, curricular and programmatic support. This partnership supports mentorship and leadership programs for Jewish teens.
• Sequential Development Consulting (SDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to provide inclusion support to Jewish early childhood settings. SDC's interdisciplinary team of speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and mental health clinicians work with five Bay Area schools receiving inclusion grants.
• Dr. Nancy ParkescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Nancy Parkes, a nationally recognized expert in Jewish education and Social, Emotional and Spiritual Learning (SESL) integration, serves as facilitator for the More Than Minds workshop series. She earned her doctorate from the William Davidson School at Jewish Theological Seminary.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hadar Institute: Jewish learning and leadership organization offering Torah study, professional development, and community-building programs for Jewish educators and lay leaders—comparable to Jewish LearningWorks' combination of learning content, fellowship, and community programming.
• The iCenter: National organization dedicated to Israel education with curricula and professional development for Jewish educators—directly competes with Jewish LearningWorks' On the Map program and shares the same target market of day schools and congregational schools.
• Institute for Jewish Spirituality: Organization providing spiritual development training for Jewish clergy, educators, and communal professionals—closely aligned with Jewish LearningWorks' More Than Minds SESL framework and educator wellness offerings.
• Jewish Education Project: New York-based Jewish education support organization providing professional development, coaching, and resources for Jewish educators—directly comparable in mission, programmatic structure, and target audience to Jewish LearningWorks, but operating in a different region.
• Lookstein Center for Jewish Education: Bar-Ilan University-affiliated center providing professional development, curriculum, and leadership training for Jewish educators worldwide—closely comparable to Jewish LearningWorks' training, coaching, and cohort-based offerings for educators.

Broad incumbents

• Hillel International: Global Jewish campus organization serving college students—operates outside the K-12 educator space but is comparable in mission (sustaining Jewish life) and engages a Jewish professional workforce that intersects with Jewish LearningWorks' alumni networks.
• Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion: Jewish seminary training rabbis, cantors, and educators—operates at a higher-education level but is comparable in professional-development and curriculum-design mission, and serves a national Jewish professional audience.
• JCC Association of North America: National federation supporting the JCC movement across North America—broader in scope but a strategic partner of Jewish LearningWorks through ElevatEd, and operates at the intersection of Jewish education, early childhood, and communal programming.

Emerging players

• PJ Library: Jewish family-literacy program distributing children's books and educational content—operates at a younger age level but comparable in building Jewish literacy, works with similar communal partners, and represents a complementary pipeline for Jewish LearningWorks' early childhood programs.
• Behrman House Publishing: Jewish educational publisher producing textbooks, curricula, and digital resources for Jewish schools—overlaps with Jewish LearningWorks' curriculum work (On the Map, Source Sheets) but as a content publisher rather than a service provider.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@jewishlearningworks
• Facebookfacebook.com/JewishLearningWorks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jewishlearningworks
• Instagraminstagram.com/jewishlearningworks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Jewish LearningWorks