Kehillah Fund

What Kehillah Fund does

Kehillah Fund is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2004 and headquartered in Skokie, Illinois. It operates as a unified communal fundraising platform for 11 Orthodox Jewish day schools in the Chicagoland area, serving over 3,300 students from preschool through 8th grade. The organization channels 100% of donor contributions directly to its partner schools, replacing fragmented individual school fundraising appeals with a single, community-wide giving mechanism. Its mission is to ensure every Jewish child has access to Torah-based education regardless of financial circumstance.

The organization's core products and programs include a Monthly Giving Program as the recurring-revenue backbone, the Dr. Yosef Walder Legacy Achdus Fund providing $2,000-$2,250 per eligible student to bridge tuition gaps, a Planned Giving program (life insurance, stock, real estate, bequests), Day of Learning Sponsorships at $360, the Women of Kehillah sub-brand, a Campaign Ambassador volunteer network, and annual events including 5K runs and the Achdus Concert. Underlying technology is limited to standard non-profit donor management tools—website, email marketing, and social media—with no proprietary software, AI/ML capabilities, or platform integrations disclosed.

Revenue mechanics rely on diversified streams: monthly recurring donations (~1,700 annual donors), one-time gifts, employer matching, event-based fundraising (5K registrations at $180-$360, concert tickets at $18-$54), and planned giving vehicles. The go-to-market model is community-led, leveraging personal outreach, Campaign Ambassadors, synagogue partnerships across 40 congregations, women-focused programming, and event-driven engagement. Donor relationships are characterized by generational loyalty, with families documented as contributing since the organization's founding. The organization has distributed approximately $15 million to schools over 18 years, with notable recent milestones including a $3.6 million Legacy Achdus Fund raise in October 2024 and $1.26 million distributed to schools in November 2024.

Name

Kehillah Fund

Legal name

Kehillah Jewish Education Fund

Website

https://kehillahfund.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kehillah Fund is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that unifies Chicagoland's Orthodox Jewish community in fundraising for 11 partner day schools serving 3,300+ students. It channels 100% of donations directly to schools through monthly giving, the Legacy Achdus Fund, events, and planned giving programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Education Fundraising

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Jewish education fundraising
• Nonprofit charitable giving
• Tuition assistance programs
• Communal donor stewardship
• Day school funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Skokie

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Monthly Recurring Donations: Monthly giving is positioned as the best way to support schools, creating sustainable, predictable revenue. Donors join the 'Kehillah Fund family' through scheduled monthly gifts. Monthly givers are described as 'the foundation of the show' who ensure bills can be paid.
2. One-Time Donations: Direct gifts that make an immediate difference, supporting Jewish education and empowering students. Both large and small gifts are accepted.
3. Employer Matching: Many employers match employee charitable contributions, multiplying the impact of donations. Gifts from spouses and retirees may also be eligible.
4. Planned Giving: Alternative giving vehicles including life insurance beneficiary designations, stock gifts (avoiding capital gains), real estate donations, and will bequests. A Declaration of Intent form allows donors to plan ahead while keeping responses confidential.
5. Event-Based Fundraising: Revenue generated through event activities including 5K race registrations and concert ticket sales. Ticket sales for the Achdus Concert ranged from $18-$54 with $10 student discount, with 100% of sales benefiting schools.
6. Sponsorships: Day of Learning sponsorships at $360 provide recognition through personalized certificates and community-wide emails. Event sponsorships for concerts and other programs offer various tiers from Fan to Platinum levels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Kehillah Fund is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that serves as a unified communal fundraising vehicle for 11 Orthodox Jewish day schools in the Chicagoland area. The organization collects donations from community members through monthly recurring gifts, one-time contributions, planned giving, and events, then distributes 100% of funds directly to its network of partner schools serving 3,300+ students. Its flagship initiative, the Dr. Yosef Walder Legacy Achdus Fund, provides up to $2,250 per eligible student to bridge tuition gaps for families unable to afford Jewish education.

Product overview

Kehillah Fund is a unified fundraising organization supporting 11 Orthodox Jewish day schools in Chicago, serving over 3,300 students. The organization operates as a centralized giving platform with multiple products: the core Achdus Fund provides tuition gap assistance for families in need; the Monthly Giving Program offers recurring donation options; Planned Giving enables legacy gifts through insurance, stocks, and real estate; and Day of Learning Sponsorships allow donors to dedicate Torah study. The Women of Kehillah sub-brand creates community engagement programs beyond financial support, while the Campaign Ambassador Program mobilizes volunteers for outreach. The 5K Run Event provides an additional fundraising channel. All donations are directed 100% to schools with no administrative deduction.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Women of Kehillah: An initiative of the Kehillah Fund that aims to increase women's engagement in the fund's mission, unifying women around Jewish education.
• Dr. Yosef Walder Legacy Achdus Fund
• Day of Learning Sponsorship

Products and services

• Dr. Yosef Walder Legacy Achdus Fund A tuition gap assistance fund that helps Orthodox Jewish families who cannot meet minimum tuition payments after scholarships. The fund provides up to $2,250 per qualifying student to ensure no Jewish child is excluded from Jewish education due to financial hardship. Approximately 600+ families and 35% of students in affiliated K-12 schools are eligible.
• Monthly Giving Program A recurring donation program allowing donors to make consistent monthly contributions to support Jewish education across all 11 partner schools, providing reliable and predictable funding. Monthly givers are described as 'the foundation of the show' who ensure school bills can be paid.
• Planned Giving Program
• Day of Learning Sponsorship A sponsorship option at $360 to dedicate a Day of Learning at all partner schools in honor of a loved one. Includes a personalized certificate and community-wide email recognition.
• Women of Kehillah An initiative that unifies women in the Orthodox community around Jewish education, creating programs that support schools beyond financial assistance, including sold-out concerts (700-867 attendees), Hakaras Hatov projects, teacher appreciation, and student enrichment activities.
• Campaign Ambassador Program A volunteer program where parents, grandparents, and alumni represent the diverse voices of the Orthodox community, connecting with networks during campaigns to share impact stories and inspire donations.
• 5K Run Fundraising Event An annual fundraising race to support the 11 K-8 Day schools, with adult registration at $180 and family registration at $360. Includes race bibs, professional timing chips, T-shirts, finisher medals, and post-race refreshments. Funds go directly to vital school programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,300 students benefit from Kehillah Fund-supported schools
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Reiss Diamonds Co.minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Platinum sponsor for Women of Kehillah Achdus Concert, demonstrating corporate community support for Jewish education initiatives.
• The Orange SquareminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Gold sponsor for Women of Kehillah Achdus Concert supporting community unity and Jewish education.
• Zisa Zimmerman a"h AneinucoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Co-organizer of Women of Kehillah Achdus Concert featuring performances and community fundraising for 11 local Jewish Orthodox schools.
• Walder EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Women of Kehillah's Hakaras Hatov Project is led in partnership with Walder Education's Curriculum and Creative Arts Department. The collaboration combines Torah learning with artistic expression for 8th-grade students.
• Associated Talmud Torahs (ATT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerREACH operates under the auspices of Associated Talmud Torahs, Chicago's central body coordinating Orthodox Jewish day schools, serving as the organizational umbrella for inclusive education initiatives.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• RAVSAK: RAVSAK is the Jewish Community Day School Network supporting day schools through leadership, affordability, and communal-support programs. Comparable as a day-school network partner but operates at the national level rather than as a single-metro fund.

Broad incumbents

• UJA-Federation of New York: UJA-Federation of New York is the largest Jewish communal fundraising organization in the U.S., distributing hundreds of millions annually including significant allocations to Jewish day schools and tuition assistance. Functions as a much larger, broader analog of Kehillah Fund's communal-fund model.
• Scholarship America: Scholarship America is one of the largest U.S. nonprofit scholarship administrators, helping companies, foundations, and communities fund education. Comparable as a large-scale community/scholarship-grantmaking infrastructure provider, though secular and not denomination-specific.

Direct peers

• The Jewish Education Project: The Jewish Education Project (which absorbed PEJE – Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education) supports Jewish day schools through capacity-building, affordability initiatives, and communal funding models. Highly comparable as a Jewish day-school funding/affordability organization, though serving a multi-region audience rather than a single metro.
• Catholic Education Foundation: The Catholic Education Foundation provides tuition assistance and fundraising support for inner-city Catholic schools in Los Angeles, a structurally parallel faith-based communal fund for K-8 religious schools. Same operating model (unified giving channeling 100% to schools) applied to a different faith community.
• Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago: The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago (JUF) is the dominant communal fundraising body serving Chicago's Jewish community, including Jewish day schools. It is the most directly comparable organization in terms of mission, geography, and donor base, but operates at significantly larger scale and across the broader Jewish community rather than exclusively Orthodox day schools.
• Combined Jewish Philanthropies: Combined Jewish Philanthropies is the Greater Boston Jewish federation running a similar communal fundraising model that allocates significant resources to day-school education and tuition assistance. Comparable in operating model (federation-style unified giving) but serves a different geography.

Regional players

• Hebrew Free Loan Society: Hebrew Free Loan Society provides interest-free loans to Jewish community members including for education costs, operating a parallel tuition-affordability mechanism. New York-based but offers a comparable Jewish-community financial-assistance model.

Others

• Walder Foundation: The Walder Foundation is a Jewish-focused family foundation that has provided the dollar-for-dollar match for Kehillah Fund's largest campaign. Functions as a strategic funding partner and connected entity rather than a competitor, but represents the broader family-foundation ecosystem Kehillah Fund operates within.
• Associated Talmud Torahs (ATT): ATT is Chicago's central coordinating body for Orthodox day schools and an existing strategic partner (REACH program operates under its auspices). Closely connected ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KehillahJewishEducationFund
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kehillahfund
• Instagraminstagram.com/kehillahfund
• Xx.com/Kehillah_Fund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Kehillah Fund