Jewish Heritage Fund

What Jewish Heritage Fund does

Jewish Heritage Fund (JHF) is a private grantmaking foundation established in 2012 and headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. It was seeded with $100 million in 2012 and supplemented with an additional endowment contribution in 2017, and it currently manages assets of approximately $300 million. The foundation operates with a small staff of 1–10 employees and has, since inception, distributed more than $112 million through 600+ grants to 120+ organizations.

JHF concentrates its grantmaking in three focus areas: Adolescent Health & Wellness, Jewish Life, and Medical Research. Its portfolio includes multi-year, multi-million-dollar commitments to anchor partners such as the University of Louisville's School of Medicine and Center for Translational Research, Goodwill of Kentucky, Volunteers of America, the YMCA, and Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana (the latter jointly with Humana at $3.6 million for financial literacy). The foundation also supports a wide range of smaller community organizations, consistent with its broad 120+ grantee base.

The organization is led by founding President & CEO Jeff Polson, Program Director Tiffany Fabing, and Director of Finance & Operations Gregg Carter. As a private foundation, JHF does not generate commercial revenue; its economic model is endowment-driven, with annual grantmaking paced by investment returns and spending policy rather than by sales or contracts. Strategic activity centers on identifying, vetting, and funding nonprofit and research partners that advance its three programmatic priorities.

Name

Jewish Heritage Fund

Legal name

Jewish Heritage Fund

Website

https://jewishheritagefund.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Jewish Heritage Fund is a Louisville-based private foundation (est. 2012) with approximately $300 million in assets that awards grants across Adolescent Health & Wellness, Jewish Life, and Medical Research, having distributed $112M+ to 120+ organizations through 600+ grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Community health funding
• Medical research grants
• Jewish community support
• Nonprofit foundation grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Louisville

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Endowment-based grantmaking: Jewish Heritage Fund operates as a philanthropic endowment established in 2012 with an initial $100 million seed from Jewish Hospital organization proceeds. The fund grows through investment returns and additional endowment dollars (another significant infusion in 2017), distributing grants from investment income rather than generating revenue through products or services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Jewish Heritage Fund is an independent private foundation that distributes grants from an approximately $300 million endowment across three funding focus areas: Adolescent Health & Wellness, Jewish Life, and Medical Research. The foundation awards more than 600 grants totaling over $112 million to 120+ organizations in the Louisville, Kentucky region since its founding in 2012, supporting nonprofit missions through a relationship-based, application-driven grantmaking process.

Product overview

Jewish Heritage Fund is a grantmaking organization (not a technology product company) that provides funding across three primary focus areas: Adolescent Health & Wellness, Jewish Life, and Medical Research. The organization does not offer a unified software platform but rather operates grant programs supporting community health, Jewish community development, and biomedical research. The Grants Portal provides self-service access for applicants to manage their submissions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Adolescent Health & Wellness Grant Program A funding priority focused on improving mental and physical health outcomes for youth, supporting initiatives such as adolescent mental health programs, crisis stabilization services, and youth summer employment programs for Louisville-area organizations.
• Jewish Life Grant Program A funding priority supporting Jewish community development, Jewish studies programs, Holocaust education, overnight camps, and Jewish identity-building initiatives across Kentucky for synagogues, Jewish community centers, and cultural organizations.
• Medical Research Grant Program A funding priority supporting biomedical research, clinical trials, and research enhancement programs, particularly at the University of Louisville, to strengthen Louisville's distinction as a center for leading-edge medical research.
• Grants Portal An online portal allowing grant applicants to apply for funding, manage their applications, and track grant status through the Jewish Heritage Fund's grantmaking process.

Quantifiable outcome

• Distributed over $112 million in grants to 120+ organizations since 2012
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered major, flagship and core.

• Humana FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2025Humana Foundation partnered with Jewish Heritage Fund and University of Louisville's Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute to open a Health and Well-being Center at Junior Achievement of Kentucky. The center aims to engage nearly 10,000 students annually with mental health education integrated into financial literacy and career planning.
• University of Louisville - Christina Lee Brown Envirome InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2025University of Louisville's Envirome Institute contributed expertise in environmental and emotional wellness as a key partner in establishing the Health and Well-being Center at Junior Achievement Finance Park.
• Junior Achievement of KentuckymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2025Junior Achievement of Kentucky hosts the Health and Well-being Center that integrates mental health education into their existing JA Finance Park interactive learning model.
• University of LouisvilleflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 May 2024Decade-long partnership with UofL focused on advancing health. JHF has provided over $40 million in combined funding and in-kind donations, resulting in $165 million in new external research funding. The $3 million gift supports core research facilities and infrastructure.
• Humana Inc.majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 May 2024Humana Inc. led the strategic build and design of the Health and Well-being Center at JA Finance Park, with JHF providing strategic funding and vision for equitable health outcomes.
• University of Kentucky - Jewish StudiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Kentucky's Jewish Studies program and College of Education partner with JHF on the Holocaust Education Initiative, a train-the-trainer model for K-12 Holocaust education mandated by Kentucky law.
• Goodwill Industries of KentuckymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJHF provided $500,000 toward Goodwill's $50 million Opportunity Center in West Louisville, a 124,000 sq ft facility housing multiple social service agencies serving 50,000+ people annually.
• Volunteers of America Mid-StatesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJHF provided $500,000 grant for transitional housing for homeless young adults (ages 18-24) at VOA's Community Campus in the Smoketown neighborhood, with 15 units created through renovations.
• YMCA Safe Place ServicesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJHF provided $150,000 to YMCA Safe Place Services for job placement services and housing navigation for young adults experiencing homelessness.
• Bellarmine UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJHF provided $105,000 grant to Bellarmine's MS in Clinical Psychology program to expand adolescent mental health care through student fellowships covering 600 hours of clinical training.
• University of Louisville (Dept. of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearchers Sara Choate and Brian Schaefer received $125,000 grant to plan a 23-hour Crisis Observation and Stabilization Services space for adolescents and families.
• Filson Historical SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJHF support resulted in creation of Jewish Community Archives and Community History Fellows Program, preserving Jewish community records and training history advocates.
• Planned ParenthoodcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJHF funding helped create local Teen Council Peer Education program and support Community Outreach Educator position for reproductive health education.
• BernheimcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Bridge Kids International and Play Cousins Collective to develop a Rites of Passage program empowering adolescents through nature-based experiences rooted in Black culture.
• Louisville OrchestracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJHF supported 'Together in Song' concert exploring parallel themes in Black and Jewish musical traditions, building cultural bridges in the community.
• Louisville BalletcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJHF funded 'A Time Remembered' Holocaust commemoration featuring 'Light/The Holocaust & Humanity Project' ballet and Kentucky Opera performance.
• SummerWorksmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJHF provides private funding for Louisville's youth summer jobs program, which serves young people ages 16-21 with job training and employment opportunities.
• Jewish Federation of LouisvillecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for One Happy Camper grants extended statewide to all Jewish youth in Kentucky, supporting Jewish identity building through overnight camp and Israel travel.
• Backside Learning CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJHF supports Creciendo Juntos youth program for backstretch workers' children, focusing on leadership development and awareness about trafficking prevention.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation: Large national private foundation focused on housing, health, jobs, and education for low-income and vulnerable populations. Comparable as an established private grantmaking foundation with overlapping priorities in vulnerable youth services, community health, and nonprofit capacity building.
• Greater Kansas City Community Foundation: Large regional community foundation managing charitable assets and distributing grants across health, education, and community development. Comparable as a sizable, multi-issue endowment-based grantmaker with a similar hybrid donor-advised / community-impact funding model.

Regional players

• Jewish Federation of Cincinnati: Regional Jewish federation and grantmaking organization serving Greater Cincinnati. Comparable as a peer Jewish community grantmaker operating in a similar Midwestern metro footprint with overlapping priorities in Jewish education, identity building, and community services.
• James Graham Brown Foundation: Large private foundation also based in Louisville, Kentucky, focused on community improvement, civic leadership, and economic development. Directly comparable as a regional grantmaking peer operating in the same geography and frequently co-funding Louisville initiatives (e.g., the $13M Wellspring Neighborhood Housing Project).
• Community Foundation of Louisville: Regional community foundation serving the Louisville metro with grantmaking across health, education, and community development. Comparable as a co-geographic peer operating with the same Louisville-based nonprofit partners and similar programmatic themes.

Direct peers

• Jewish Federation of Louisville: Local Jewish federation in Louisville that partners with JHF on Jewish identity programs (One Happy Camper). Comparable as a peer Jewish community organization supporting overlapping faith-based programming and cultural preservation in the same geography.
• The Jewish Foundation of Greater New York: Major Jewish community foundation managing charitable funds and distributing grants across New York-area Jewish and broader nonprofit causes. Highly comparable as a faith-based, asset-pooling grantmaking foundation with Jewish Life and community focus areas.
• Humana Foundation: Corporate foundation of Humana Inc., focused on health equity and community well-being. Directly comparable as a Louisville-based grantmaker that co-funds adolescent mental health and youth workforce programs with JHF and partners on the JA Finance Park Health and Well-being Center.
• Combined Jewish Philanthropies: Major Jewish federation and grantmaking organization serving the Boston-area Jewish community and beyond. Closely comparable to JHF as a faith-based, community-focused grantmaking body supporting Jewish life, education, and social services.
• Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles: Large Jewish community foundation managing charitable assets for the LA Jewish community. Directly comparable as a Jewish-focused, endowment-based grantmaking organization with a similar donor-advised and community-impact funding model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Jewish Heritage Fund