Birmingham Jewish Foundation

What Birmingham Jewish Foundation does

The Birmingham Jewish Foundation is a non-profit supporting foundation integrated with The Birmingham Jewish Federation under a formal 2022 Administrative Services Agreement, operating as a unified entity led by CEO Danny Cohn from its headquarters at 3966 Montclair Road in Birmingham, Alabama. Founded circa 1935 (with broader Birmingham Jewish community roots to 1873), the organization serves the Jewish community of Birmingham and the broader Southeast United States through a portfolio of engagement, education, security, and philanthropic programs including PJ Library, BBYO teen programming, Young Leadership Program, Women's Philanthropy, the Security Initiative (in partnership with the Secure Community Network), Momentum Israel engagement, Israel Bonds, the Jewish Community Relations Council, and Shalom Birmingham newcomer outreach. Its core digital asset is a community calendar and events platform hosted at bjf.org that aggregates Jewish communal programming across partner organizations.

The Foundation's business model is a traditional Jewish federation non-profit model: it does not sell products or services but raises revenue through annual community campaigns, emergency appeals (e.g., $1.6M raised for the Israel Emergency Campaign), grants from national partners (Jewish Federations of North America, Harold Grinspoon Foundation), and endowment management. Distribution is performed directly by Federation staff and through a network of partner organizations including the Levite Jewish Community Center (operating budget over $6M), Collat Jewish Family Services, N.E. Miles Jewish Day School (~$1M budget, 17 employees), and local synagogues. There is no proprietary technology platform of note; the organization uses Constant Contact for email communications, a standard WordPress-based website, and basic Facebook/Instagram social media. The Foundation is currently executing a multi-year strategic plan aimed at deeper integration of constituent organizations, with feasibility work completed in July 2024 by consulting firm Panoramic Strategy.

Name

Birmingham Jewish Foundation

Legal name

The Birmingham Jewish Federation

Website

https://bjf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1935

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Birmingham Jewish Foundation is a non-profit supporting foundation integrated with The Birmingham Jewish Federation, raising annual campaign funds and managing endowment assets to support Jewish education, community programming, security, and Israel engagement for the Birmingham, Alabama Jewish community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Jewish Community Federation and Philanthropic Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Religious Organizations (813110), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ)

Keywords

• Jewish community federation
• Community philanthropy services
• Jewish education programming
• Community security coordination
• Israel engagement programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Birmingham Jewish Foundation, in integration with the Birmingham Jewish Federation, functions as a community federation that raises and stewards philanthropic funds and delivers Jewish communal programming for the Birmingham, Alabama Jewish community. Its core offerings include Jewish education for all life stages (PJ Library, BBYO, Young Leadership, Women's Philanthropy), community security coordination with Secure Community Network, Israel engagement (Momentum trips, Israel Bonds, Partnership2Gether with Rosh Ha'ayin), social services via CJFS partnerships, and advocacy through the Jewish Community Relations Council.

Product overview

The Birmingham Jewish Federation operates a multi-program community platform centered around its Events Calendar system, which serves as the primary digital hub for the Jewish community in Birmingham, Alabama. The organization offers a portfolio of engagement programs including the PJ Library (free children's books), BBYO teen programming, Young Leadership Program, Women's Philanthropy, and Young Jewish Philanthropy. Additional services include the Security Initiative for community safety, Momentum Israel engagement programs, Israel Bonds investment opportunities, and Shalom Birmingham welcome programming. The Federation also supports the Jewish Community Relations Council for advocacy work. The organization has undergone integration with the Birmingham Jewish Foundation for unified operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Calendar and Events Platform A comprehensive community calendar system that aggregates and displays Jewish community events including Shabbat services, educational programs, social gatherings, and organizational meetings across Birmingham, Alabama.
• PJ Library Program A free Jewish family program that sends Jewish children's books and music monthly to families with young children, supporting early Jewish education and engagement.
• BBYO (B'nai B'rith Youth Organization) Jewish teen programming providing leadership development, community service, and social activities for young people through BBYO chapters in Birmingham.
• Young Leadership Program A structured leadership development program for young adults that provides education about Jewish community organizations, governance training, and Israel travel experiences.
• Women's Philanthropy Philanthropic giving circles and programs that engage women in charitable giving, community leadership, and Jewish communal support.
• Security Initiative Community security programs including incident reporting mechanisms, security training coordination, and partnership with Secure Community Network for threat monitoring.
• Momentum Program Israel engagement programming including travel experiences, women's leadership journeys, and ongoing community connection to Israel.
• Young Jewish Philanthropy Youth philanthropy education program teaching charitable giving, Jewish values, and grantmaking for children ages 9-13.
• Israel Bonds Investment and philanthropy program enabling community members to purchase Israel bonds while supporting Israeli economic development.
• Shalom Birmingham Community outreach and welcome programming designed to engage Jewish residents and newcomers in Birmingham's Jewish community.
• Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) Advocacy and community relations programming addressing antisemitism, legislative engagement, and interfaith dialogue.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Birmingham Jewish FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022The Birmingham Jewish Foundation and the Federation entered into a formal Administrative Services Agreement that integrated their operations, while preserving the independent status of the Foundation in order to maximize asset protection and honor individual donor commitments. This integration better allowed serving donors and agencies with higher level stewardship and philanthropic opportunities.
• N.E. Miles Jewish Day SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022The Day School has responded positively to pursuing integration with the Federation through an MOU approved by its Board. The Day School is an operating entity with 17 employees and an annual budget of approximately $1 million. Federation is exploring integration and a reimagined Day School that provides first-rate education to increased student count and long-term financial sustainability.
• Levite Jewish Community Center (LJCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLJCC is the largest Jewish organization with an operating budget in excess of $6 million. Discussions regarding collaboration toward implementation of the Strategic Plan include Jewish programming integration. The LJCC directly hired a Director of Jewish Life and Learning with two new individuals sharing those responsibilities.
• Collat Jewish Family Services (CJFS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization providing social services including the CARES Respite Program for people with memory and movement disorders, caregiver support groups, and Senior Grocery Initiative in partnership with Community Foodbank of Central Alabama.
• Harold Grinspoon FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational foundation providing matching grants that help towards financial resource development outside campaign dollars to benefit the Birmingham Jewish community.
• Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational federation organization providing matching grants and support for local community campaigns and initiatives.
• Secure Community NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for community security coordination. The Federation hired a Regional Security Director for the entire Jewish Community who works actively with all agencies and synagogues to ensure highest level of safety, training and security.
• Community Foodbank of Central AlabamaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner6-year partnership providing The Senior Grocery Initiative food deliveries directly to client's doorsteps, with one Sunday per month volunteer grocery transport and wellness visits.
• Temple Beth-ElminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal synagogue partner for programming including Young Jewish Philanthropy, Shabbat services, and religious education.
• Temple Emanu-ElminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal synagogue partner for programming including Shabbat services, Love Pray Eat Shabbat experience, Temple Circles, Kesher Hebrew High School, and Women's Philanthropy.
• Alabama Holocaust Education CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederation is a proud funder of the Alabama Holocaust Education Center as part of its commitment to Jewish education.
• Panoramic Strategy (David Kaplan)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConsulting firm led by David Kaplan engaged to study feasibility of implementing the Strategic Plan for community integration, interviewing Boards of all constituent organizations and delivering recommendations to the New Committee.
• PrizmahminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization of US Jewish Day Schools engaged to provide comparative study of elements and issues facing the N.E. Miles Jewish Day School with others of similar size.
• MOMentumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJewish women's empowerment organization enabling Federation to send women on Israel experiences. The MOMentum Year-Long Journey empowers women to connect to Jewish values, engage with Israel, take action, and foster unity.
• BBYOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Jewish youth organization with local Birmingham chapter. Federation is committed to ensuring a vibrant BBYO for young teens and funds national leadership opportunities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• UJA-Federation of New York: The largest Jewish Federation in North America, operating a comprehensive federation-foundation model with deep Israel engagement, security, and social service programming, representing the upper-bound scale of Birmingham's category.
• Jewish Community Federation & Endowment Fund: One of the largest Jewish federations and foundations in the US, operating an integrated federation-endowment model similar in structure to Birmingham but at substantially greater scale, providing a benchmark for the integrated model Birmingham aspires to.
• Combined Jewish Philanthropies: The central Jewish Federation and foundation for Greater Boston, operating an integrated model with similar programmatic pillars (education, Israel engagement, security, social services) at a significantly larger scale.

Others

• Harold Grinspoon Foundation: A national Jewish foundation that is an active programmatic partner of the Birmingham Federation (via PJ Library matching grants) and represents a comparable grantmaking peer in the same philanthropic ecosystem.
• Jewish Federations of North America: The national umbrella organization of which the Birmingham Federation is a member, providing matching grants and national coordination — a peer in the sense of representing the shared federation system Birmingham operates within.

Direct peers

• Jewish Federation of St. Louis: A similarly sized Jewish Federation serving a mid-sized American Jewish community with an integrated federation-foundation model and similar programming around education, Israel engagement, and community security.
• Greater Miami Jewish Federation: A regional Jewish Federation with an integrated foundation, broad programmatic portfolio, and significant Israel engagement focus — closely aligned with the Birmingham model but at a larger scale.
• Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta: A mid-sized Southeast US Jewish Federation with a similar integrated federation-foundation structure, comparable programmatic portfolio (youth, Israel engagement, security, philanthropy), and analogous donor base dynamics, making it the most directly comparable peer to Birmingham.
• Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia: A larger established Jewish Federation with an integrated foundation, comprehensive programming across the Jewish lifecycle, and a security initiative, providing a scaled-up comparable to Birmingham's structure.
• Jewish Foundation of Memphis: A small-city Jewish community foundation in the Southeast US with a comparable endowment and grantmaking mandate, mirroring Birmingham's role as a supporting foundation within a regional Jewish community.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/birminghamjewishfederation
• Instagraminstagram.com/jewishbirmingham
• Xx.com/bjf_uptweet

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Birmingham Jewish Foundation