Shomer Collective

What Shomer Collective does

Shomer Collective is a US-based nonprofit organization founded in 2020 that develops and distributes Jewishly-grounded programs, training, and resources addressing end-of-life conversations, advance care planning, mourning, and grief. Its portfolio centers on five core programs: What Matters (a Jewishly-inflected advance care planning program), Death Over Dinner: Jewish Edition (a facilitated dinner conversation format co-developed with Reboot), Shiva Circle (a mourning support initiative with trained Shiva Guides and a dedicated digital platform at shivacircle.org), the Grief Lab (a national professional convening), and the Jewish End-of-Life Doula Directory (a searchable marketplace launched in mid-2024). It also publishes a curated resource library and Jewish Guides for Supporting Individuals through Traumatic Death in partnership with the Blue Dove Foundation.

The organization operates as a community-led movement rather than a software business, relying on a distributed model of trained facilitators, partner-hosted programming, and an ecosystem of 35+ Jewish communal organizations (synagogues, JCCs, hospices, seminaries, and foundations) that co-deliver and extend its reach. Core technology is limited to a Squarespace-hosted website, virtual event delivery via Zoom, and digital platforms for the Doula Directory and Shiva Circle; there is no proprietary AI, no mobile app, and no disclosed API. Programmatic content is created in collaboration with rabbis, theologians, palliative-care experts, and Jewish educators, and is grounded in Jewish wisdom, ritual, and tradition.

Shomer Collective's business model is a hybrid nonprofit funding structure. The majority of programs are offered free of charge to participants; revenue is generated through charitable donations, program sponsorships, and paid facilitator training ($475 per participant for the What Matters facilitator training, with cost assistance available). The organization is funded by a diversified base of Jewish foundations including Aviv, Covenant, Lippman Kanfer, Natan, Steinhardt, UpStart, Sephardic Foundation on Aging, and the Harold and Rebecca Weinberg Foundation. Its primary customer segments are Jewish individuals and families, Jewish communal professionals (clergy, chaplains, doulas, educators, funeral directors), Jewish organizations and synagogues, and—more recently—healthcare settings and workplaces. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the organization is governed by a board chaired by Lindsay Bressman.

Name

Shomer Collective

Legal name

Shomer Collective

Website

https://shomercollective.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Shomer Collective is a US-based nonprofit founded in 2020 that develops Jewishly-grounded programs, training, and resources to normalize end-of-life conversations, advance care planning, and grief support within Jewish communities across more than 20 synagogues and 35 partner organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Jewish End-of-Life Education and Community Support

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Hospice-Affiliated/Independent) (HLADAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Palliative Care, Hospice & Serious Illness Support (BPAGACAK), End-of-Life Planning & Hospice/Palliative Care Coordination (HLADALAL), End-of-Life Emotional & Spiritual Support (Chaplaincy/Counseling) In-Home (HSABAFAH), Bereavement, Grief & Family Support Services (Hospice-Linked) (HLAFAEAO)

Keywords

• Jewish end-of-life education
• Advance care planning
• Grief support programs
• End-of-life doula directory
• Death literacy training

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: Shomer Collective accepts charitable donations from individuals to support operations and mission delivery.
2. Sponsorship: Organizations and funders can sponsor specific programs, events, or organizational operations.
3. Training Fees: The organization charges fees for facilitator training programs such as the What Matters facilitator training at $475 per participant.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Shomer Collective delivers Jewish end-of-life education and support programs including What Matters (advance care planning), Death Over Dinner: Jewish Edition (conversation facilitation), Shiva Circle (mourning support), Grief Lab (professional gathering), facilitator trainings, the Jewish EOL Doula Directory, and guides for traumatic death support. Programs are offered free to participants and delivered via virtual sessions, in-person trainings, and partner-hosted events, with funding from donations, foundation grants, sponsorships, and training fees.

Product overview

Shomer Collective operates as a collective of Jewish end-of-life programs and resources rather than a unified software product. The organization offers a portfolio of educational and support programs centered around Jewish approaches to death, dying, and grief. Core offerings include: What Matters (advance care planning), Death Over Dinner: Jewish Edition (conversation facilitation), Shiva Circle (mourning support), Grief Lab (professional education), and the Jewish EOL Doula Directory. Programs are delivered through virtual events, facilitator trainings, and resource materials, with content grounded in Jewish wisdom and tradition.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• What Matters: A Jewishly-inflected advance care planning program that helps individuals think about, plan for, and document their end-of-life wishes, integrating Jewish wisdom into the process.
• Death Over Dinner: Jewish Edition
• Shiva Circle

Products and services

• What Matters: Caring Conversations about End of Life An advance care planning program that provides Jewish wisdom, knowledge, tools, and resources to help individuals think about, plan for, and document their end-of-life wishes including healthcare agents and advance directives. Originally hosted at Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan and now operating in more than 20 local synagogues and partner agencies.
• Death Over Dinner: Jewish Edition A virtual gathering program co-developed with Reboot that creates a brave, healing space for honest conversations about what matters most in life, recognizing its finitude, guided by Jewish wisdom and created by rabbis, theologians, wellness, and palliative care experts.
• Shiva Circle A program designed to ensure no one grieves alone, connecting mourners with trained Shiva Guides, providing curated educational resources, and offering a digital platform at shivacircle.org to help organize shiva.
• Jewish End-of-Life Doula Directory A searchable directory connecting individuals with Jewish end-of-life doulas in their area, launched in mid-2024.
• Grief Lab A national online gathering of Jewish communal professionals and grief specialists for learning, reflecting, and visioning around grief support in Jewish communities. July 2025 gathering convened 75 people representing 54 organizations.
• Jewish Guides for Supporting Individuals through Traumatic Death Comprehensive guides for individuals and professionals providing guidance on how to support people grieving a traumatic death (including suicide, violence, and natural disaster), rooted in Jewish wisdom and tradition.
• Facilitator Training Programs Virtual training programs (including two 3.5-hour online sessions for What Matters at $475 per participant) to train individuals to facilitate Death Over Dinner: Jewish Edition or What Matters programs in their own communities. Cost assistance is available upon email request.
• Educator Fellowship A training program for Jewish educators to learn how to facilitate end-of-life conversations and bring Jewish wisdom about death and dying into educational settings.
• Death Talk in the Workplace

Quantifiable outcome

• According to The Conversation Project, 92% of Americans say it's important to discuss end-of-life care wishes, but only 32% have had such conversations. What Matters program aims to move this needle in Jewish communities.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Death Over Dinner: Jewish EditioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed Death Over Dinner: Jewish Edition program with Reboot (arts and culture non-profit). Created by rabbis, theologians, wellness, and palliative care experts, the program provides a unique Jewish lens for building beliefs about life and death through structured dinner conversations.
• Shiva CirclecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShiva Circle is a new initiative created by Shomer Collective to make sure 'no one grieves alone.' The initiative includes trained Shiva Guides, curated educational resources, and a digital platform customized to help organize shiva. Operates at shivacircle.org.
• Blue Dove FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Blue Dove Foundation to develop Jewish Guides for Supporting Individuals Through Traumatic Death, including guides for individuals and professionals covering suicide, violence, and natural disaster. Funded by UpStart grant.
• What Matters (Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWhat Matters originated at Marlene Meyerson JCC in Manhattan, in partnership with Plaza Jewish Community Chapel, Center for Pastoral Education at JTS, and UJA Federation of NY. Now transitioned to Shomer Collective as a signature national program offering advance care planning to Jewish communities.
• Institute for Jewish Spirituality (IJS)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerOngoing partnership for Meditations on Mortality series aligned with Yom Kippur, bringing together mindfulness meditation and contemplation of death from a Jewish spiritual perspective.
• Network Partners (35+ organizations)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of partner organizations including: AJAS, Ariyael Jewish Healing Center, Blue Dove Foundation, Da'at Institute, Dorot, Gamliel Institute, Hadar, Hebrew Senior Life, JCMHI, Jewish Education Project, IJS, JCCA, Jewish Board, Jewish Grandparent Network, Jewish Hospice, Jewish Learning Collaborative, JSAN, JSP, JTS, Kavod v'Nichum, JCC Manhattan, MJHS, NAJC, Network JHSA, New Jewish Home, Reconstructing Judaism, ReCustom, Ritualwell, and others who extend reach and deliver programming.
• AriYael Jewish Healing CentersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAriYael provides teaching content for Jewish End-of-Life Doula meetups, including resources on El Malei Rachamim and other Jewish healing and mourning practices.
• RebootcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Reboot, an arts and culture non-profit reimagining Jewish thought and traditions, to host Death Over Dinner: Jewish Edition programs.
• Lab/ShulsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Lab/Shul for grief writing workshop series, offering space for engaging with death of loved ones through writing.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• The Conversation Project: Public engagement campaign dedicated to helping people talk about end-of-life wishes. Shomer Collective's What Matters program explicitly aligns with the 92/32 awareness-vs-action gap The Conversation Project cites.
• National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO): National industry association for hospice and palliative care providers. Comparable as a broader end-of-life education and advocacy organization, but non-denominational and provider-focused.

Direct peers

• Death Over Dinner: Original Death Over Dinner organization; Shomer Collective partnered with Reboot to co-develop the Jewish Edition. Comparable as a conversation-format death education platform.
• Gamliel Institute: Provides Jewish end-of-life, funeral, and Chevra Kadisha education and training — the closest direct peer to Shomer Collective's advance care planning and Jewish end-of-life education programming.
• Kavod v'Nichum: Jewish nonprofit advancing the Jewish end-of-life tradition, including Taharah and Chevra Kadisha practice. Directly comparable as a Jewish end-of-life education and community-building organization.
• Institute for Jewish Spirituality (IJS): Jewish spiritual and contemplative education nonprofit; Shomer Collective partner for the Meditations on Mortality series. Comparable as a Jewish communal education organization with contemplative practice focus.
• Blue Dove Foundation: Jewish organization focused on mental health and addiction, including Jewish Guides for traumatic death co-developed with Shomer Collective. Comparable as a Jewish communal education nonprofit in adjacent subject matter.
• Reboot: Arts and culture nonprofit reimagining Jewish life; co-developer of Death Over Dinner: Jewish Edition with Shomer Collective. Directly comparable as a Jewish cultural programming organization.

Regional players

• Reconstructing Judaism: Jewish denominational movement focused on progressive Jewish education and engagement; partnered with Shomer Collective as a network partner. Comparable as a Jewish communal education institution.

Emerging players

• GYST (Chanel Reynolds): Positive death enterprises led by Chanel Reynolds; former employer of Shomer Collective's Media Strategist. Comparable as a small organization focused on normalizing death and end-of-life planning conversations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shomer-collective

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Shomer Collective