Clal

What Clal does

Clal — The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit pluralistic Jewish think tank and leadership training institute founded in 1974 by Rabbi Irving "Yitz" Greenberg, Dr. Elie Wiesel, and Rabbi Steven Shaw, headquartered at 440 Park Avenue South in New York City. The organization delivers a portfolio of 14+ interconnected programs organized around two audiences: individual leaders (rabbis, cantors, chaplains, seminary students, lay leaders) and institutional clients (Jewish Federations, synagogues, denominational bodies, the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps, and corporate ERGs). Signature offerings include The Belonging Project (a research-based belonging measurement framework piloted with Springtide Research Institute across 30+ congregations and 5,000+ respondents), Spark (a design-thinking training program deployed across 40+ institutional teams in 15 cities), Leading Through Innovation (a seminary course offered through 14 rabbinical schools), LEAP (an annual fellowship with the University of Pennsylvania's Katz Center), Go Forth (a chaplaincy training partnership with the U.S. Army reaching 2,000+ active-duty chaplains), Stand and See (Holy Land pilgrimages for Christian clergy), and Glean Network (a faith-rooted entrepreneurship program partnering with Columbia Business School). Underlying methodologies — design thinking, adaptive leadership, user-centered design, pluralism frameworks, and the proprietary "Noticed, Named, Known, Needed" belonging framework — are delivered through consulting engagements, cohort-based fellowships, seminary courses, retreats, and digital platforms including The Wisdom Daily online magazine.

The business model is a hybrid of professional services and philanthropic funding. Revenue streams include customized consulting and training engagements (multi-year contracts with Federations, congregations, and denominational bodies), tuition-bearing seminary course delivery (seminaries pay for student participation), publication royalties, and a substantial base of charitable contributions from individuals, foundations (John Templeton Foundation, Templeton Religion Trust, Henry Luce Foundation, Emanuel J. Friedman Philanthropies, Lucius N. Littauer Foundation), and institutional partners. Pricing is custom and non-transparent, structured around engagement scope, duration, and participant count. Go-to-market is relationship-led and consultative, driven by faculty business development, referrals from existing partners, conference presence, and earned media coverage in major outlets. Clal operates with a lean core staff of approximately 12-15 supported by an extended faculty network of rabbis and scholars, with wholly-owned program subsidiaries including Sinai and Synapses (science-religion), Glean Network (spiritual entrepreneurship), and Stand and See (interfaith pilgrimages).

Name

Clal

Legal name

Clal – The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, inc.

Website

https://clal.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Clal is a 50-year-old pluralistic Jewish think tank and leadership training institute offering consulting, fellowships, and programs on belonging, innovation, and pluralism to rabbis, seminaries, Jewish Federations, congregations, the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps, and corporate ERGs across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Consulting and Training Services: Clal generates revenue through customized consulting engagements, training programs, and professional development services delivered to Jewish communal institutions, Federations, synagogues, and other organizations seeking leadership development and organizational transformation.
2. Leadership Fellowship Programs: Revenue from fee-based fellowship programs including LEAP, Faculty Fellows, Leading Through Innovation, and other cohort-based leadership initiatives. Seminaries pay tuition for students to participate in programs like Leading Through Innovation.
3. Publications and Content Sales: Revenue from book sales, research reports, and educational resources published by Clal faculty and published through major publishers.
4. Donations and Charitable Support: Significant funding from individual donations, foundation grants, and organizational support. The organization encourages charitable contributions through its website and direct outreach.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Clal is a pluralistic Jewish think tank and leadership training institute that delivers customized consulting, immersive leadership fellowships, and thought leadership content to strengthen leaders and communities. It serves Jewish communal institutions, seminaries, clergy, and select interfaith partners (including the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps) through proprietary frameworks such as The Belonging Project, Spark innovation training, and cohort-based fellowships like LEAP and Glean Network.

Product overview

Clal – The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership is a pluralistic Jewish think tank and leadership training institute offering a portfolio of interconnected programs. The core offerings include leadership fellowships (LEAP, Faculty Fellows, Emerging Leaders), innovation training (Spark, Leading Through Innovation), community engagement programs (The Belonging Project, Jewish@Work), interfaith initiatives (Stand and See, Sinai and Synapses), military chaplaincy support (Go Forth), and spiritual entrepreneurship support (Glean Network). Clal also provides thought leadership through The Wisdom Daily digital platform, publications, events and keynotes, and organizational consultation services. These programs work together to translate Jewish wisdom into practical tools for leaders and communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Belonging Project

Quantifiable outcome

• 92% of Spark participants reported increased confidence in their ability to create institutional innovations
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship, major and minor.

• Springtide Research InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpringtide Research Institute partnered with Clal on The Belonging Project pilot in 2022, conducting the first scientifically-based quantitative study of belonging in the Jewish community with 1,100 respondents across seven synagogues. Rabbi Julia Appel serves on Springtide's advisory board. The partnership focuses on research on spirituality, mental health, and Gen Z. Rabbi Elan Babchuck is a founding Board Member.
• Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at University of PennsylvaniaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Katz Center partners with Clal on the LEAP Fellowship, bridging the rabbinate and academic Judaic studies. The annual theme-based fellowship brings together 10 outstanding rabbis with Katz Center academic fellows for dialogue and collaboration. LEAP was founded by Clal's President in partnership with Thomas and Elissa Katz.
• U.S. Army Chaplain CorpsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe U.S. Army Chaplain Corps enlisted Clal as a lead contributor to develop Go Forth, enhancing skills of 2000+ active-duty chaplains. This unprecedented partnership addresses spiritual readiness of Army personnel, including the mental health crisis affecting military branches. Clal also developed Stand and See pilgrimages for chaplains to Israel.
• Columbia Business SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlean Network, a Clal initiative, partners with Columbia Business School. Glean Network brings together leaders to reimagine ministry through tools, experiences, and coaching. The START program is described as an MBA-level entrepreneurship and design thinking course for faith-rooted leaders.
• 14 Partner SeminariescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClal partners with 14 Jewish seminaries for the Leading Through Innovation course, including: Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, Academy for Jewish Religion (NY and CA), Aleph Alliance, Hebrew College, Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), Leo Baeck College, Maharat, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, Yeshiva University, and Ziegler. The cross-seminary collaboration was developed with input from all partners.
• UJA Federation of Greater TorontomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUJA Federation of Greater Toronto partnered with Clal on research regarding newly-connecting Jews in Toronto. The partnership produced a custom qualitative research report on success factors for Jewish community newcomers. UJA also supports Belonging Project initiatives.
• Federation CJA of MontrealmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederation CJA of Montreal partnered with Clal on Spark Montreal, a design thinking cohort focused on better serving interfaith families, couples, and individuals. The custom-designed program was delivered through Federation CJA.
• Union for Reform JudaismmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnion for Reform Judaism partnered with Clal on The Belonging Project, co-developing programming for Reform congregations. The partnership supports URJ's commitment to building belonging in synagogue communities.
• Jewish Federation of Greater RochestermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJewish Federation of Greater Rochester partnered with Clal on the Jay Birnbaum Leadership Development Program, a custom cohort of young Jewish leaders to develop Rochester's leadership pipeline. Also partnered on Spark Rochester design thinking cohort.
• UJA Federation of New YorkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUJA Federation of New York partnered with Clal on The Belonging Project and Spark programs, supporting innovation and belonging initiatives for New York Jewish institutions.
• Religious Action Center of Reform JudaismminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism partnered with Clal on the Balfour Brickner Rabbinic Fellowship, a joint program integrating Jewish textual tradition with modern social and political issues.
• Chautauqua InstitutionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChautauqua Institution invited Rabbi Elan Babchuck to speak on the 'rebundling' of religion in America as part of their Interfaith Lecture Series.
• Eagles' Wings / Moral Hearts AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEagles' Wings, in partnership with Moral Hearts Alliance, hosted Solidarity Sunday 2026 featuring Clal's President Rabbi Brad Hirschfield as Global Keynote Speaker. The event was broadcast to 1,200 churches reaching 250,000+ viewers.
• Chaplaincy Innovation LabminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChaplaincy Innovation Lab partnered with Clal on the Mapping Spiritual Innovation national research study, examining the growing field of spiritual innovation.
• Starts With UsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStarts With Us is a movement to counteract toxic polarization in America. Rabbi Elan Babchuck serves as a Founding Partner of this initiative.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• IFYC (Interfaith Youth Core): Organization building interfaith cooperation on college campuses and beyond. Comparable to Clal in its focus on training emerging leaders (especially young adults) in religious pluralism and bridging divides across faith traditions.
• Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion: Reform movement seminary training rabbis, cantors, and educators. Comparable as both a rabbinic-education provider and a co-development partner (Clal teaches Leading Through Innovation through HUC and 13 other seminaries), competing for the same rabbinical student mindshare.
• Hillel International: Largest Jewish campus organization serving college students worldwide with leadership development, Jewish education, and community building. Comparable as a Jewish leadership-development organization serving emerging adult leaders, with overlapping target segments (Jewish students, young professionals, lay leaders).
• Hadar Institute: Jewish learning and leadership organization offering Torah study, rabbinic training, and fellowship programs. Comparable to Clal in its mission to develop Jewish leaders and translate Jewish wisdom for contemporary contexts, with a similar direct-to-rabbi and lay-leader audience.
• Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies: Jewish learning institute offering text-study programs, rabbinic training, and leadership development. Comparable in serving emerging and established Jewish leaders through immersive educational programs and in producing alumni who go on to rabbinic and communal-leadership roles.
• Interfaith America: National interfaith leadership organization founded by Eboo Patel that trains college, civic, and religious leaders in interfaith collaboration. Comparable to Clal's interfaith offerings (Stand and See, Sinai and Synapses) in target audience (clergy and civic leaders) and methodology (cohort-based leadership development).
• Auburn Theological Seminary: Multifaith seminary and leadership incubator training faith leaders for social impact. Comparable to Clal's Glean Network in equipping clergy with innovation, entrepreneurship, and adaptive-leadership skills for 21st-century ministry.
• Jewish Theological Seminary: Conservative movement seminary training Conservative rabbis, cantors, and scholars. Comparable as a Jewish educational institution that partners with Clal on Leading Through Innovation while also competing for Jewish thought-leadership influence and rabbinic-student attention.
• Shalom Hartman Institute: North American Jewish think tank and leadership training institute offering rabbinic fellowships, scholarly research, and educational programs across denominations. Directly comparable as a pluralistic Jewish thought-leadership and leadership-development organization targeting rabbis, congregations, and Jewish communal institutions.

Emerging players

• Chaplaincy Innovation Lab: Brandeis-based lab supporting spiritual innovation in professional chaplaincy through research, training, and convening. Directly comparable to Clal's Go Forth program in addressing the professional development of chaplains, and co-partnered with Clal on the Mapping Spiritual Innovation research study.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clal-the-national-jewish-center-for-learning-and-leadership-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Clal