Jewish Children's Regional Service

What Jewish Children's Regional Service does

Jewish Children's Regional Service (JCRS) is a 501-C-3 nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1855 and headquartered in Metairie, Louisiana, recognized as the oldest continuously operating Jewish charity in the nation. It serves Jewish children and families across seven southern states (Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Oklahoma) through a portfolio of programs including Camp Scholarship Aid (300+ children annually), College Aid via grants and loans, a Special Needs Program and Special Friends Club, PJ Library book subscriptions (800+ children), the Oscar J. Tolmas Hanukkah Gift Program (150-250 recipients), and Disaster Relief. Operations are delivered directly by a small staff of 3-5 full-time and 5-7 part-time personnel in coordination with Jewish federations, synagogues, camps, JCCs, and schools across the region.

JCRS is funded almost entirely through private philanthropy. Revenue streams include individual donations from over 2,000 households at tiered giving levels from $36 (Friends) to $50,000 (Annual Program Benefactor), permanent named scholarship funds starting at $10,000, planned giving instruments (bequests, donor-advised funds, IRA/pension gifts, life insurance), vehicle donations processed through CARS, AmazonSmile contributions, and annual fundraising events including the Jewish Roots Gala and Latkes with a Twist. The organization reports no technology platform or proprietary software product; service delivery is human-coordinated and relationship-based.

The organization is governed by a Board of Governing Members and currently led by Executive Director Mark Rubin, who succeeded longtime leader Ned Goldberg in 2022 after Goldberg's 33-year tenure. JCRS operates as an independent, autonomous regional charity with no parent organization or controlling entity, and it maintains no public-facing revenue, app, or API integrations.

Name

Jewish Children's Regional Service

Legal name

Jewish Children's Regional Service

Website

https://jcrs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1855

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Jewish Children's Regional Service (JCRS) is a 170-year-old nonprofit headquartered in Metairie, Louisiana, providing scholarships, camp aid, special needs support, and holiday programs to Jewish children and families across seven southern states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Metairie

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Annual contributions from over 2,000 households supporting JCRS programs. Donation levels range from $36 (Friends) to $50,000 (Annual Program Benefactor), with named scholarship funds starting at $10,000.
2. Planned Giving: Legacy gifts including donor advised funds, bequests, appreciated assets, IRA/pension plan donations, and life insurance policies to create perpetual financial support.
3. Vehicle Donations: Car, truck, boat, motorcycle donations through CARS (Charitable Adult Rides & Services) with proceeds supporting JCRS services.
4. Amazon Smile: Amazon donates 0.5% of eligible purchases to JCRS through AmazonSmile program.
5. Gala Fundraising Events: Annual Jewish Roots gala events with sponsorship levels from $150 (Fan Club) to $25,000 (Grammy Award), plus patron ticket sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Jewish Children's Regional Service (JCRS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides Jewish children and families across seven southern U.S. states with camp scholarships (300+ children annually), college grants and loans, individualized special needs support, holiday gift packages through the Hanukkah Gift Program (150-250 children annually), free children's books via PJ Library (800+ youngsters), disaster relief, and inclusion programming through the Special Friends Club. All services are delivered at no cost to qualifying beneficiaries, funded by individual donations from over 2,000 households, planned gifts, foundation grants, vehicle donations, gala sponsorships, and AmazonSmile contributions.

Product overview

Jewish Children's Regional Service (JCRS) is a charitable organization offering a portfolio of programs for Jewish children and families across seven southern states. The core service offerings include Camp Scholarship Aid (providing funding for 300+ children annually to attend Jewish summer camps), College Aid (grants and loans for undergraduate education), Special Needs Program (individualized assistance for children with special needs), PJ Library (free book subscriptions for 800+ Jewish children), and the Oscar J. Tolmas Hanukkah Gift Program (distributing gifts to 150-250 children annually). Supporting services include Disaster Relief, College Loan Repayment assistance, Special Friends Club, Planned Giving, Car Donation, and annual fundraising events including the Jewish Roots Gala, Latkes with a Twist, and Hanukkah Wrap-a-thon.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Camp Scholarship Aid

Quantifiable outcome

• 300+ children provided partial scholarship funding for Jewish summer camp annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Congregation Gates of PrayercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for annual Hanukkah Wrap-a-thon event; provides space for community volunteer activity wrapping holiday gifts for low-income children.
• Jewish Federation of Greater New OrleanscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional Jewish federation partner providing community support, referrals, and collaborative programming for Jewish families in the Greater New Orleans area.
• New Orleans Jewish Community CentercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner location for PJ Library events and community programming serving Jewish families in the New Orleans area.
• URJ Greene Family CampcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJewish summer camp partner in Houston area; receives scholarship support from JCRS for camperships and collaborates on Latkes with a Twist events.
• CARS (Charitable Adult Rides & Services)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThird-party processor for vehicle donations; handles vehicle pickup, sale, and tax documentation for car donation program.
• AmazonSmileminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAmazon program where 0.5% of eligible purchases are donated to JCRS; provides passive income stream from existing Amazon customers.
• M.S. RauminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWorld-renowned fine art, antiques, and jewelry dealer providing jewelry showcase at Jewish Roots Gala events.
• Dillard'sminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDepartment store partner providing runway-style fashion show at Jewish Roots Gala fundraising events.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Broad incumbents

• Jewish Federation of North America: JFNA is the national umbrella for 146 Jewish federations, providing centralized programming and fundraising that competes with regional charities like JCRS for national Jewish donor mindshare and foundation grant dollars.
• Hillel International: Hillel is the largest Jewish campus organization serving Jewish college students globally with scholarships, programming, and aid. Comparable to JCRS's College Aid program but operating as a much larger, national incumbent with broader scope.
• UJA-Federation of New York: UJA-Federation is the largest local philanthropy in the US, raising and distributing hundreds of millions annually to Jewish causes. While it operates at vastly greater scale than JCRS, it competes for the same Jewish philanthropic donor dollars and funds similar educational and welfare programs.

Direct peers

• Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans: A regional Jewish federation partner of JCRS operating in the same Louisiana geography with overlapping donor and beneficiary bases. While federations raise and allocate larger community-wide funds, both organizations serve the southern Jewish community with comparable programmatic overlap.
• Harold Grinspoon Foundation (PJ Library): The Harold Grinspoon Foundation operates PJ Library nationally, the same program JCRS delivers regionally. Both organizations are Jewish-focused children's education charities, making them direct comparables in mission, beneficiary profile, and donor base.
• Hebrew Free Loan Society: Hebrew Free Loan Society provides interest-free loans to individuals in need, with a Jewish-focused mission comparable to JCRS's college loan and grant programs. Both serve Jewish community members requiring financial assistance for education and life needs.
• Jewish Family Service of Greater New Orleans: JFS of Greater New Orleans is a regional peer social services agency serving the same Greater New Orleans Jewish community as JCRS. Both provide case management, financial assistance, and social support to Jewish families in the same geographic catchment.
• Foundation for Jewish Camp: Foundation for Jewish Camp is the national umbrella for Jewish summer camps and administers scholarship programs that fund Jewish children's camp attendance — directly comparable to JCRS's Camp Scholarship Aid program serving 300+ children annually.

Emerging players

• Keshet (Jewish Special Needs Programs): Keshet focuses on Jewish special needs inclusion and programming — directly comparable to JCRS's Special Needs Program and Special Friends Club, though Keshet operates at national scale while JCRS serves regionally with comparable beneficiary profiles.
• Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger: Mazon is a national Jewish anti-hunger organization that addresses food insecurity, overlapping with the disaster-relief and family-assistance aspects of JCRS's mission. Both are Jewish-focused social welfare nonprofits with overlapping donor demographics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Jewish Children's Regional Service