The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati

What The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati does

The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati is a private grantmaking foundation established in 1995 with approximately $70 million in assets from the Jewish Hospital of Cincinnati. Following the 2010 sale of Jewish Hospital to Bon Secours Mercy Health, the Foundation's asset base expanded to over $500 million, enabling an annual grantmaking budget of approximately $20 million. The Foundation invests in the Greater Cincinnati Jewish community across four pillars: Jewish engagement, education, social services, and communal infrastructure, with a portion of funding also allocated to select civic, cultural, and social impact initiatives via its 3CI grant pool.

The Foundation operates as a data-driven organization, employing a dedicated Director of Impact Assessment (PhD in Social Psychology) and using formal evaluation frameworks including Evaluation 101/201 workshops, Demonstrable Outcomes, and KPIs, anchored by external research such as the 2019 Cincinnati Jewish Community Study from Brandeis University. Its signature programs include Cincy Journeys (Israel travel grants up to $11,500 per individual, administered in partnership with Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, having served over 2,000 Jewish youth since 2000), Overnight Jewish Camping grants (up to $2,250 first-year), Reflect Cincy (experimental funding for underrepresented demographics), the Youth Mental Health Services Initiative (embedded clinicians in 32 partner organizations), and Charitable Purpose Awards. Most grant funding is by invitation only — the Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications.

Governed by 11 trustees and led by a small staff of approximately 7-10 employees including a CEO, Chief Program Officer, CFO, Director of Impact Assessment, and program officers, the Foundation is nimbler than fundraising-dependent federations because it does not need to raise annual dollars. Its go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, with marketing via the Foundation's website, annual reports, community events, and partnership channels. The Foundation's value proposition is trust-based, relational grantmaking targeting larger-scale Jewish communal challenges such as professional talent attraction, family engagement, and early childhood Jewish education.

Name

The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati

Legal name

The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati

Website

https://thejewishfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati is a private grantmaking foundation established in 1995, deploying approximately $20 million annually from its $500M+ asset base to strengthen Jewish life in Greater Cincinnati across engagement, education, social services, and civic programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Foundation / Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Jewish community funding
• Charitable foundation grants
• Nonprofit grant programs
• Community foundation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Foundation Investment Returns: The Foundation generates revenue from its investment portfolio, which currently exceeds $500 million in assets. Established in 1995 with approximately $70 million from the Jewish Hospital of Cincinnati. In 2010, the sale of Jewish Hospital to Bon Secours Mercy Health significantly increased the asset base. Returns on investment are deployed as grants to the community.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati is a private grantmaking foundation that invests approximately $20 million annually from its investment portfolio (currently exceeding $500 million in assets) to fund Jewish engagement, education, social services, and civic/cultural initiatives in Greater Cincinnati. Its grant programs include Cincy Journeys Israel travel grants, Overnight Jewish Camping grants, Reflect Cincy, 3CI Grants, Youth Mental Health Services Initiative, and Charitable Purpose Awards.

Product overview

The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati operates as a private grantmaking foundation that provides multiple grant programs to strengthen Jewish life in Greater Cincinnati. The core offerings include: Cincy Journeys (Israel travel grants up to $11,500 per individual), Overnight Jewish Camping grants (up to $2,250 for first-time campers), Reflect Cincy (experimental funding for underrepresented populations), 3CI Grants (civic and cultural funding), Youth Mental Health Services Initiative, and Charitable Purpose Awards. The Foundation invests approximately $20 million annually and does not accept unsolicited applications—funding is by invitation only for most programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cincy Journeys: Israel travel grants program offering up to $11,500 for two separate Israel travel opportunities for Jewish youth from Cincinnati - one grant for up to $6,500 in high school and another for up to $5,000 following high school graduation (up to age 26).
• Reflect Cincy
• 3CI Grants

Products and services

• Cincy Journeys Israel travel grants program providing up to $11,500 for two separate Israel travel opportunities—up to $6,500 for high school students and up to $5,000 for young adults following high school graduation (up to age 26). Administered in partnership with the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati.
• Overnight Jewish Camping Grants Through Cincy Journeys, provides grants of up to $2,250 for first-time overnight Jewish campers (up to $1,125 for two-week sessions) and up to $1,250 for second-time campers (up to $625 for two-week sessions), supporting children ages 6 to 16 in the Cincinnati Jewish community.
• Reflect Cincy Experimental funding initiative targeting underrepresented demographics in the Jewish community—specifically young adults without children, interfaith families with children, and families with young children—to spark connections to Jewish life through creative, community-driven approaches.
• 3CI Grants (Civic, Cultural, Community Impact) Annual funding pool for civic, cultural and community impact grant requests from community partners, including organizations such as School Board School, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, United Way of Greater Cincinnati, Interact for Health, ArtWorks, and Green Light Fund. By invitation only after Foundation staff conducts due diligence.
• Youth Mental Health Services Initiative Expanded mental health support initiative in partnership with Jewish Family Service (JFS) of Cincinnati, providing embedded clinicians in community organizations, Youth Mental Health First Aid training, public awareness campaigns, and support services for youth ages 6-30.
• Charitable Purpose Awards Annual recognition program providing charitable grants to organizations that align with the Foundation's funding pillars of Jewish engagement, education, social services, and communal infrastructure.

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Jewish Federation of CincinnaticoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Jewish Foundation works very closely with the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati. The Federation serves as the backbone organization that catalyzes the community. The Foundation is an enthusiastic investor in the Federation's Annual Campaign through a dynamic gift matching program. The Federation administers the Cincy Journeys program on behalf of the Foundation.
• Jewish Federation of Cincinnati (Cincy Journeys Administration)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Jewish Federation administers the Cincy Journeys Israel travel grants program, handling marketing, vetting applications, administering grants, and facilitating pre- and post-trip engagement programming. The Foundation provides 100% of the funding.
• Jewish Family Service of CincinnaticoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation funding enabled JFS to expand youth mental health efforts, establishing partnerships with more than 30 local community organizations. JFS embeds clinicians in schools, camps, Hillel, and congregations to provide accessible mental health support.
• School Board SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPast example of 3CI (Civic, Cultural, Community Impact) grant funding partnership for civic and cultural initiatives.
• Cincinnati Playhouse in the ParkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPast example of 3CI grant funding partnership for cultural programming.
• United Way of Greater CincinnatiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPast 3CI grant partner for community impact initiatives including Project LIFT.
• Interact for HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPast 3CI grant partner for mental health and well-being initiatives.
• ArtWorksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPast 3CI grant partner for arts and cultural programming.
• Green Light FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPast 3CI grant partner for social impact initiatives in Cincinnati.
• Brandeis UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Foundation uses data from the 2019 Cincinnati Jewish Community Study conducted by Brandeis University's Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies to inform funding strategies.
• Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family PhilanthropiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Foundation uses the Data Playbook resource created by Schusterman Family Philanthropies as a reference for its own data analytics model.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• The Greater Cincinnati Foundation: General-purpose community foundation serving the Greater Cincinnati region across all causes. Operates the same place-based community foundation model as the Foundation but for the broader (non-Jewish) community. Useful as a structural peer for endowment management, grant cycles, and impact assessment.
• United Way of Greater Cincinnati: Past 3CI civic grant partner of the Foundation. Operates across the same Cincinnati footprint with comparable civic, health, and social-service focus from a community-impact lens; useful as a peer for measuring scale and reach in the same geography.

Direct peers

• Harold Grinspoon Foundation: Jewish foundation that runs PJ Library and other community-wide engagement programs. Directly comparable in the model of running or funding communal programs that build Jewish identity and engagement across a regional Jewish population.
• Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles: Jewish place-based grantmaking foundation managing donor-advised funds and deploying philanthropic capital to Jewish and secular causes in a defined metro area. Closest functional analog to the Foundation's endowment-based, place-based grantmaking model, scaled to a larger Jewish population.
• Mandel Foundation: Cleveland-based Jewish foundation supporting Jewish education, leadership development, and communal infrastructure. Comparable in mission focus (Jewish education, leadership, communal engagement) and in operating as a private foundation with significant endowment.
• Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta: Atlanta-based Jewish communal organization where the Foundation's CPO Danniell Nadiv previously worked on Jewish engagement and journeys programming. Directly comparable in mission, programmatic structure, and grantmaking scope to the Cincinnati Jewish ecosystem.
• Jewish Federation of Cincinnati: Strategic operating partner and primary grant administrator for the Foundation. Both are Cincinnati-based Jewish communal organizations that fund Jewish engagement, education, and social services within the same community. The Federation raises annual dollars while the Foundation deploys endowment, making them functionally complementary rather than competing, but they are the closest organizational analog in the same market.
• Combined Jewish Philanthropies: Greater Boston's central Jewish communal organization and grantmaker, funding Jewish engagement, education, and social services. Comparable in mission to the Foundation's "strengthen Jewish life" mandate, with a larger geographic footprint and combined fundraising plus grantmaking function.
• The Jewish Foundation of Greater Philadelphia: Regional Jewish foundation managing endowments, donor-advised funds, and grants to support Jewish life in Greater Philadelphia. Operates the same model of stewardship plus grantmaking to a Cincinnati-like Jewish community but at a larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• Schusterman Family Philanthropies: National Jewish family philanthropy whose Data Playbook the Foundation explicitly uses. Operates at a larger scale across Jewish engagement, education, and Israel connection. A source of frameworks and a broader-incumbent peer in the Jewish philanthropic space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-jewish-foundation-of-cincinnati

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati