Hillel Brown Foundation

What Hillel Brown Foundation does

Brown RISD Hillel (BRH), the public-facing identity of the Hillel Brown Foundation, is a nonprofit Jewish campus organization serving students at Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design from its headquarters at 80 Brown Street in Providence, Rhode Island. The organization delivers a broad portfolio of Jewish life programming including weekly Shabbat dinners that draw hundreds of students, multiple denominational minyanim on Friday nights and Shabbat mornings, daily morning minyanim, kosher dining services through a dedicated kitchen at Brown's Sharpe Refectory (opened Fall 2023), and observances across the full Jewish holiday calendar. BRH also runs Israel engagement programs such as Birthright trips and College Hill Abroad in Israel (CHAI) scholarships, the College Hill Eruv that extends the Providence Eruv onto campus, and the BRH Arts Initiative - anchored by a dedicated Director of the Arts role endowed in 2022 by Hillary Blumberg (RISD '92) and Alex Ginsburg. Ancillary community services include the Soup Me kosher care package program for sick students, space rentals at the Hillel building, a Jewish History at Brown digital timeline, and an online BRH swag store.

The organization is governed by a Board of Trustees comprising alumni from Brown and RISD, parents, community members, student trustees, and honorary trustees. Day-to-day leadership sits with Executive Director Rabbi Sam Weiss, who assumed the role from Rabbi Josh Bolton (Executive Director 2019-2026), supported by Managing Director Molly Goldmeier, the Judith Green Blumberg z\"l Director of the Arts Deborah Forman, rabbinic staff, and development and operations personnel. BRH operates as part of the broader Hillel International ecosystem and partners with Brown's Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life and Chabad of College Hill to deliver pluralistic Jewish life on campus.

Financially, BRH is funded primarily through donations from alumni, parents, friends, and partners, supplemented by endowment income and special-event fundraising. The organization does not publicly disclose revenue figures. Its technology footprint is minimal and limited to a Squarespace website, form-based intake systems, social media presence on Instagram and Facebook, and a third-party swag storefront. BRH does not operate any technology product, AI system, or commercial software.

Name

Hillel Brown Foundation

Legal name

Brown RISD Hillel

Website

https://brownrisdhillel.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Brown RISD Hillel is a nonprofit Jewish campus organization serving Brown University and RISD students with Shabbat programming, kosher dining, Israel engagement, arts initiatives, and community services funded by donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Jewish Campus Life and Religious Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Other Schools and Instruction (6116), Educational Support Services (611710)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Dining & Meal Plans (EDALADAA)

Keywords

• Jewish campus programming
• Kosher dining services
• Religious education services
• Campus arts programs
• Community cultural programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Providence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: BRH operates as a nonprofit organization funded primarily through donations from alumni, parents, friends, and partners. The organization hosts special events for alumni, parents, and friends, and maintains a board of trustees who provide financial support. A dedicated donation page exists for supporters to contribute.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Brown RISD Hillel (BRH) provides Jewish life programming, religious services, kosher dining, Israel engagement programs, and arts initiatives to Jewish students at Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design. Programming includes weekly Shabbat dinners and services, daily minyan, full holiday observances, Birthright and CHAI scholarships, the College Hill Eruv, a kosher kitchen at Sharpe Refectory, the Soup Me care package program, and the BRH Arts Initiative, all delivered free of charge to students.

Product overview

Brown RISD Hillel is a non-profit campus organization (not a technology product company) serving Jewish students at Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design. The organization offers a portfolio of Jewish life programming including Shabbat dinners and services, kosher dining through its Kosher Kitchen, Israel travel programs (Birthright and CHAI scholarships), daily and holiday prayer services, the College Hill Eruv, and the BRH Arts Initiative featuring exhibitions and creative programming. Additional services include the Soup Me care package program, space rentals, and a merchandise store. These are community programs and services, not technology products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kosher Kitchen

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life (OCRL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe OCRL at Brown University aims to make available pastoral care and advice for students, staff, faculty and alumni, and to increase religious literacy within the Brown community—seeking to ensure that a diversity of beliefs have voice and vitality throughout the University community. BRH partners with OCRL as part of its campus Jewish life programming.
• Chabad of College Hill (ROHR CHABAD HOUSE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe ROHR CHABAD HOUSE serves Jewish students at Brown, RISD, and J&W. BRH partners with Chabad as part of the broader network of Jewish life providers on College Hill, working together to serve the diverse needs of Jewish students.
• Brown UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBRH serves students from Brown University and operates in partnership with the university. The OCRL at Brown connects students to pastoral care and religious life resources. Brown opened a dedicated Kosher Kitchen at the Sharpe Refectory in Fall 2023 to support BRH's kosher dining program.
• Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBRH serves students from RISD and has developed a unique arts engagement model connecting RISD and Brown students with Jewish arts programming. The Judith Green Blumberg z"l Director of the Arts position was established with support from RISD alumna Hillary Blumberg '92.
• Lighthouse KosherminorOthersProvidence is described as a hidden gem of Kosher-certified restaurants and cafes, with Lighthouse Kosher certifying local establishments for kosher dining options accessible to BRH students.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Penn Hillel: Hillel chapter at the University of Pennsylvania. Rabbi Josh Bolton previously directed the Jewish Renaissance Project at Penn Hillel, and Penn Hillel is a comparable peer serving an Ivy League campus with similar programming breadth.
• Columbia/Barnard Hillel: Hillel chapter serving Columbia University and Barnard College students. It is a direct peer operating the same model of Jewish student engagement at an urban Ivy League campus with comparable scale and programming.
• Cornell Hillel: Hillel chapter at Cornell University. Comparable peer organization serving Jewish students at a major research university with similar programming, kosher dining, and Israel engagement offerings.
• Harvard Hillel: Hillel chapter serving Harvard University students. As a direct peer in the same Hillel network serving an elite university campus, it offers comparable Jewish life programming including Shabbat services, kosher dining, and Israel engagement.
• Princeton Hillel: Hillel chapter at Princeton University. Directly comparable as a Hillel serving an Ivy League undergraduate population with similar religious, cultural, and kosher programming needs.
• Chabad on Campus International Foundation: Operates Chabad houses on college campuses including the ROHR Chabad House that BRH partners with on College Hill. Chabad serves overlapping Jewish student populations with similar Shabbat, kosher, and holiday programming but through a different organizational model.
• Yale Hillel: Hillel chapter serving Yale University students. Comparable to BRH as an Ivy League campus Hillel with a full programming slate including Shabbat, kosher dining, and arts/cultural offerings.

Others

• New Israel Fund: Jewish nonprofit supporting Israeli civil society and progressive Jewish life. BRH's Birthright and CHAI Israel scholarship programs position it within the broader Jewish organizational ecosystem that NIF engages with through grants and partnerships.
• Jewish Federation of Rhode Island: Regional Jewish community federation. While not a direct Hillel competitor, it operates in BRH's same Providence geography and is a potential funder, partner, or community resource for BRH alumni and programming.

Broad incumbents

• Hillel International: The umbrella nonprofit for the Hillel movement. BRH operates as an affiliated Hillel chapter, and Hillel International provides shared resources, training, and network reach that shape BRH's operations and positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HillelBrownRisd
• Instagraminstagram.com/brownrisdhillel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/brownrisdhillel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Hillel Brown Foundation