Hillel of Greater Philadelphia

What Hillel of Greater Philadelphia does

Greater Philly Hillel Network (operating as Philly Hillel) is a regional 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in summer 2019 (EIN 83-4279840) that serves Jewish undergraduate and graduate students across the Greater Philadelphia area from its headquarters at 215 S. 39th Street, Philadelphia. The organization operates Hillel campus chapters at Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College, West Chester University, Villanova University, Thomas Jefferson University (East Falls), and St. Joseph's University, reaching more than 800 Jewish undergraduates. It also runs the Jewish Graduate Student Network, which supports more than 3,000 graduate students and young professionals across the region through campus-based and city-wide programming.

The programming portfolio comprises campus Jewish life activities (Shabbat dinners, holiday celebrations, social justice initiatives, student leadership development), Jewish learning courses, Israel education, Birthright Israel trips, and graduate/young professional networking events, delivered via a student-driven model in which a small core professional staff supports volunteer-led campus initiatives through direct outreach including a 'Coffee on Us' engagement program. No proprietary technology platform underpins these activities; the organization relies on standard web and social media tools for outreach, event coordination, and donor engagement. As a Hillel International affiliate, it sits within a global network of 850+ campus Hillels but is independently funded and governed.

The business model is donation-based, funded primarily through individual contributions from alumni, parents, faculty, and community members — with the option to designate gifts to a specific campus or program — alongside institutional support from the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia and legacy/estate gifts. The Philly Hillel Phamily Circle membership program offers tiered benefits for monthly donors at $60/month for six months or $360 annual gifts, creating a structured recurring-revenue channel on top of one-time annual appeals. The organization has more than doubled its full-time staff and grown its budget by 50%+ since 2021, and in December 2025 received the Richard M. Joel Exemplar of Excellence Award from Hillel International.

Name

Hillel of Greater Philadelphia

Legal name

Greater Philly Hillel Network

Website

https://phillyhillel.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Greater Philly Hillel Network is a Philadelphia-area nonprofit operating Jewish campus chapters across six universities and a regional graduate network, serving 800+ undergraduates and 3,000+ graduate students through community programming, Jewish learning, and Israel education.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Campus Religious Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDALAHAC

Campus Events, Programming & Student Engagement

Education/Student Services & Campus Operations/Student Activities, Clubs & Campus Life

Keywords

• Jewish student engagement
• Campus community programs
• Jewish education services
• Religious student organizations
• Cultural identity programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Primary funding source from alumni, parents, faculty, staff, community members and friends of Jewish life on campus. Accepts one-time and monthly recurring donations with designated giving options for specific campuses or programs.
2. Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia: Major institutional funding partner providing significant financial support for campus programming and operations.
3. Legacy Gifts and Estate Planning: Accepts planned giving and legacy gifts designated for programs, services, and future student support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Greater Philly Hillel Network operates multi-campus Jewish student engagement organizations at five Philadelphia-area universities (Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College, West Chester University, Villanova University, and Thomas Jefferson University), delivering weekly Shabbat dinners, holiday programming, Jewish learning courses, Israel education, Birthright Israel trips, student leadership development, and community-building events. The network also runs a Jewish Graduate Student Network serving 3,000+ graduate students and young professionals across the Philadelphia region. Programming is pluralistic and student-driven, supported by professional staff, and offered free of charge to participants.

Product overview

Greater Philly Hillel Network is a multi-campus Jewish student engagement organization (not a single software product) that provides a coordinated portfolio of campus-based Hillels and programs. The core offering consists of campus Hillel organizations at Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College, Thomas Jefferson University (East Falls), Villanova University, and West Chester University, plus the Jewish Graduate Student Network supporting 3,000+ graduate students. These campus organizations are supported by shared services including Israel Education and Birthright Israel travel programs, Shabbat and holiday programming, Jewish learning courses, community building activities, and student leadership development. The organization was established in summer 2019 and serves over 800 Jewish undergraduates across its campuses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Jewish Graduate Student Network: A nationally recognized program under Greater Philly Hillel Network that supports over 3,000 graduate students across the Philadelphia region through campus-based and city-wide events.

Products and services

• Bryn Mawr College Hillel Campus Hillel organization serving over 150 Jewish students at Bryn Mawr College, providing Shabbat meals, social justice programs, and opportunities to explore Jewish identity in a pluralistic environment.
• Haverford Jewish Student Union Campus Jewish student organization serving 175+ Jewish students at Haverford College, offering student-driven programs including Shabbat meals, social action projects, and educational events.
• West Chester University Hillel Campus Hillel at West Chester University offering Shabbat dinners, holiday celebrations, Israeli cooking classes, and pop-up bagel brunches for diverse student engagement.
• Villanova University Hillel Jewish student organization at Villanova University providing Shabbat dinners, holiday celebrations, Israeli cooking classes, and bagel brunches for student community building.
• Thomas Jefferson University Hillel (East Falls) Jewish student engagement program at Thomas Jefferson University's East Falls campus, part of the Greater Philly Hillel Network campus coverage.
• Jewish Graduate Student Network (Grad Network) Nationally recognized program supporting over 3,000 graduate students and young professionals across the Philadelphia area through campus-based and city-wide events including social, educational, cultural, leadership, and networking opportunities.
• Birthright Israel Program Free 10-day trips to Israel offered in partnership with Hillel International, providing an introduction to the land, people, culture, and customs of Israel for students.
• Shabbat & Holiday Programming Weekly Shabbat dinners with services, plus holiday celebrations including Rosh Hashanah and Passover meals. All Shabbat and holiday meals are Kosher style and open to all students.
• Israel Education Israel programming providing students opportunities to learn about Israel as a country and culture, understand Israel beyond the headlines, and explore travel and study opportunities.
• Jewish Learning Programs Educational opportunities including courses like History of Jewish Resistance, Purim and Consent, and All About Israel dinner and discussion series, led by Rabbis and educators.
• Student Leadership Development Leadership opportunities for students including service on leadership boards, committee chair positions, program leadership, and internships through Hillel.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly doubled undergraduate reach since 2021
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hillel InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization providing support, standards, and programming frameworks. Greater Philly Hillel Network was created in 2019 as a successor to Hillels of Greater Philadelphia after the latter produced Penn Hillel, Drexel Hillel, and Temple Hillel. Hillel International operates at more than 850 colleges and universities worldwide.
• Reconstructionist Rabbinical CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual partnership to provide Rabbinic Interns for the entire school year. Students gain knowledge and experiences while helping better prepare each rabbinical student for their career.
• Birthright Israel / Hillel InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to provide free 10-day Birthright Israel trips for students from the Greater Philly area. Partnership with Hillel International to administer the free trip program.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ): Cru is one of the largest interdenominational campus ministries in the United States, organizing student-led faith communities, leadership programs, and missions at hundreds of universities. It is a direct peer in operating model (student-led communities supported by professional staff) and competes for similar donor and volunteer attention on shared campuses.
• InterVarsity Christian Fellowship: InterVarsity is a leading faith-based campus ministry organization that, like GPHN, runs student-led communities, leadership development, and faith programming at U.S. colleges. It is a direct functional peer in the broader category of denominational/religious campus engagement organizations.
• Chabad on Campus International: Chabad on Campus operates Jewish student centers at hundreds of North American universities with a parallel mission of Jewish identity, learning, Shabbat programming, and holiday engagement. It is the most direct competitor to Hillel-affiliated campus organizations and competes for the same student and donor audiences.

Broad incumbents

• Hillel International: Hillel International is the parent umbrella organization of Greater Philly Hillel Network, operating at more than 850 colleges and universities worldwide. It is the defining broad incumbent in Jewish campus engagement and sets the standards, frameworks, and programming resources that GPHN delivers locally.
• JCC Association of North America: JCCA is the continental umbrella for Jewish Community Centers, which deliver Jewish identity, education, and programming to a broader demographic across North America. It is a broad incumbent serving the same Jewish community-engagement mission outside the higher-education niche that GPHN occupies.

Others

• Jewish Federation of North America: JFNA is the national umbrella for the local and regional Jewish federations that channel institutional funding to Hillels and similar Jewish community organizations. JFNA is the macro funder/ecosystem partner that anchors GPHN's primary institutional revenue line.

Emerging players

• BBYO (B'nai B'rith Youth Organization): BBYO is the largest pluralistic Jewish teen movement globally, focused on high-school-age Jewish identity, leadership, and community programming. It is a complementary emerging player that feeds the same Jewish student pipeline that GPHN serves at the college level.

Regional players

• Penn Hillel: Penn Hillel is the affiliated Hillel at the University of Pennsylvania and was directly spun out of Hillels of Greater Philadelphia (GPHN's predecessor). It serves a similar Philadelphia-area Jewish student population with overlapping programming and competes for the same federation and donor dollars.
• Drexel University Hillel: Drexel Hillel is the third Philadelphia-area Hillel spun off from GPHN's predecessor organization. It is a same-region Jewish campus organization serving overlapping students and drawing on the same institutional and individual donor pool.
• Temple University Hillel: Temple Hillel is another former Hillels of Greater Philadelphia entity that now operates independently at Temple University. It serves the same Greater Philadelphia Jewish student population and shares the regional donor and federation ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/148774335145066
• Instagraminstagram.com/westchesterhillel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/phillyhillel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Hillel of Greater Philadelphia