United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto

What United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto does

United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto, operating as UJA Federation of Greater Toronto (also branded as Jewish Toronto), is a Canadian charitable federation founded in 1917 and headquartered at 4600 Bathurst Street in Toronto. It functions as the central philanthropic and coordinating body for the Greater Toronto Jewish community, pooling donor resources through its Annual Campaign to fund more than 100 affiliated partner agencies, schools, Jewish Community Centres, the Toronto Holocaust Museum, the Ontario Jewish Archives, and overseas programs in Israel and globally. The organization's six stated priorities are caring for the vulnerable, forging connections with Israel, advocating for Israel and Jewish people, galvanizing the community, inspiring younger generations, and maintaining leadership in Jewish education.

UJA's product and program portfolio is delivered through the jewishtoronto.com digital portal (built on the FEDWEB Central content management platform) and on the ground via flagship initiatives including the Annual Campaign, the Walk with Israel community event, the ShinShinim Israel Engagement program (the largest such delegation worldwide, reaching 12,000+ community members across 40+ institutions), the Jewish Security Network (JSN) 24/7 antisemitism and incident reporting hotline, UJA Tribute Cards, and the Sherman Campus multi-phase community facility. It maintains a wholly-owned planned-giving subsidiary, the Jewish Foundation of Greater Toronto. Major donor, volunteer, and government partnerships — including a $10.2 million federal grant for Sherman Campus Phase 2 through the Building Canada Fund — underpin the organization's infrastructure.

UJA's business model is federated philanthropy: it does not sell commercial products, charge for core services, or pursue venture funding. Revenue streams consist of Annual Campaign donations, tribute card sales, stock donations, and Jewish Foundation endowments. Distribution is executed through a partner agency network across the GTA and via overseas allocation to organizations including the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), IsraAID, and Keren Hayesod. The organization is led by President & CEO Adam Minsky (since 2017), Board Chair Morris Perlis, and a network of volunteer leadership committees.

Name

United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto

Legal name

United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto

Website

https://jewishtoronto.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1917

Operating status

Operating

Short description

United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto (UJA Federation) is a Toronto-based charitable federation, founded in 1917, that coordinates fundraising and community programs to support Jewish life, security, education, and Israel engagement for the Greater Toronto Jewish community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Philanthropy and Charitable Federation Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Federated Giving Organizations (e.g., United Way-type) (BPAGAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Fundraisers & Charity Events (Gala/Walks excluded) (MPAGAEAK), Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ), Cultural Centers & Community Cultural Organizations (BPAGAHAD)

Keywords

• Community philanthropy
• Jewish fundraising
• Annual campaign donations
• Community security services
• Israel engagement programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Annual Campaign Donations: The primary fundraising mechanism for UJA, collecting pooled donations from the Jewish community in Greater Toronto to support local and global Jewish causes, including poverty relief, mental health programs, security initiatives, and Israel engagement.
2. Tribute Cards: Sale of greeting cards for various occasions (bar/bat mitzvah, new baby, sympathy, etc.) as a way to send messages while contributing to UJA's charitable work.
3. Stock Donations: Acceptance of stock donations as a vehicle for charitable giving, providing tax advantages to donors while generating resources for the organization.
4. Jewish Foundation Endowments: Planned giving and endowment programs through the Jewish Foundation of Greater Toronto, supporting long-term charitable objectives and legacy giving.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

UJA Federation of Greater Toronto is a charitable federation that runs the Annual Campaign to pool donations from the Greater Toronto Jewish community and allocate those resources across 100+ partner agencies. Core activities include funding social services for vulnerable community members, Jewish education, community security and antisemitism response, Israel engagement programs including the flagship ShinShinim initiative, and operating the jewishtoronto.com digital community hub.

Product overview

UJA Federation of Greater Toronto operates as a comprehensive nonprofit federation serving the Toronto Jewish community through a multi-faceted digital platform and program portfolio. The core offering is the jewishtoronto.com portal, which serves as the central community hub integrating directory services, calendar, news, and donation functionality. Key programs include the Annual Campaign (primary fundraising engine), Walk with Israel (flagship annual event), ShinShinim (largest Israel engagement youth program in the Diaspora), Jewish Security Network (24/7 community security hotline), and Tribute Cards (digital greeting card service). The organization also operates partner programs through affiliated institutions including Jewish Community Centres, the Toronto Holocaust Museum, and the Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Education. Communications products include The Catalyst action newsletter and SNAPSHOT regular updates. The federation supports young leadership development through UJA Young Leaders and MIT programs. All services are delivered via the FEDWEB Central content management platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• UJA Annual Campaign The primary annual fundraising initiative that powers community services, security, and support programs across the Greater Toronto Jewish community. Focuses on four urgent priorities: helping Israelis recover from October 7th, fighting antisemitism, strengthening community security, and investing in Jewish identity.
• ShinShinim Program A flagship Israel engagement program deploying young Israeli leaders who defer army service for one year to volunteer in the GTA. Active in over 40 day schools, synagogues, supplementary schools, youth movements, community programs, and summer camps, engaging 12,000+ community members annually.
• Walk with Israel

Quantifiable outcome

• Support for more than 100 organizations serving Jews in Toronto, Israel, and globally
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

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 core and minor.

• Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary overseas partner for Israel engagement and ShinShinim program. Works with UJA to select and place young Israeli volunteers in Toronto Jewish community.
• American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOverseas partner providing humanitarian aid and support services in Israel, distributing UJA funds for emergency relief and community programs.
• IsraAIDminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational humanitarian aid organization partnered for Israel emergency response and overseas programming.
• Keren HayesodminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIsrael-focused fundraising organization aligned with UJA for overseas allocation of funds.
• Jewish Federations of Canada-UIAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational federation body coordinating Jewish community support across Canada, with UJA as the Toronto affiliate.
• Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational advocacy organization working with UJA on antisemitism response, advocacy, and policy initiatives.
• Government of CanadacoreOthersProvided $10.2 million in funding through the Major Infrastructure Component of the Building Canada Fund for Sherman Campus Phase 2.
• Jewish Family & Child Service of Greater Toronto (JF&CS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor social service agency providing family services, counseling, and community support within the GTA.
• Jewish Vocational Services (JVS) TorontocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmployment and career services organization helping Jewish community members with job training and placement.
• Jewish Community Centres (Miles Nadal JCC, Prosserman JCC, Schwartz/Reisman Centre)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor recreational and community centers providing fitness, cultural programming, and family services across the GTA.
• Hillel OntariocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJewish student organization on university campuses in Ontario, partnered for young adult engagement and Israel programming.
• Miles Nadal Jewish Community CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor JCC providing fitness, cultural programming, and community services in downtown Toronto.
• Prosserman Jewish Community CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor JCC on Sherman Campus providing comprehensive family and community programming.
• ReenacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit supporting individuals with developmental disabilities within a framework of Jewish culture and values.
• Circle of CarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial service agency providing community care programs and services to vulnerable populations.
• Koffler ArtsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJewish arts and cultural organization providing programming and exhibitions.
• Birthright IsraelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFree Israel trips for Jewish young adults, coordinated through UJA for Canadian participants.
• Toronto Holocaust MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMuseum operated by UJA providing Holocaust education and remembrance programs.
• Ontario Jewish Archives (Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchives preserving Jewish community history and heritage in Ontario.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles: Major U.S. Jewish federation using the same federated Annual Campaign structure to fund a large partner agency ecosystem, security initiatives, and Israel overseas programming.
• Federation CJA (Montreal): Canadian Jewish federation serving Greater Montreal with the same Annual Campaign pooled-giving model, partner agency network, and Israel engagement programs. The closest geographic and structural peer.
• United Way Greater Toronto: Toronto's principal non-Jewish federated giving organization. Operates the identical community-wide pooled fundraising model funding 200+ partner agencies, providing a structural (non-sectarian) analogue for UJA's approach.
• Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia: Mid-Atlantic Jewish federation employing the same Annual Campaign federated-giving structure for community services, Israel engagement, and antisemitism response.
• Combined Jewish Philanthropies (Boston): Federated giving organization for Greater Boston's Jewish community, operating a near-identical Annual Campaign model with pooled donor resources funding partner agencies and overseas allocations.
• Jewish Federation of Vancouver: Western Canadian Jewish federation with parallel Annual Campaign structure, partner agency funding model, and Israel engagement programming. Closest peer in British Columbia.

Broad incumbents

• UJA-Federation of New York: The largest Jewish federation in North America; directly comparable federated giving model pooling community resources for local agencies, Israel overseas allocations, and security/antisemitism response. Same structure, larger scale.

Others

• Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI): Strategic overseas partner that executes Israel engagement and ShinShinim placements on behalf of UJA. Not a peer in fundraising terms but a deeply intertwined ecosystem partner sharing the same donor community.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/UJAFederation
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCSzPqZW3CBW79kDhHILt2_Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/UJAFederationToronto
• LinkedInca.linkedin.com/company/uja-federation-of-greater-toronto
• Instagraminstagram.com/ujafederation/?hl=en
• TikToktiktok.com/@jewishtoronto

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto