JTA: The Global News Service of the Jewish People

Weinberg foundation to announce $100 million in grants.

By Jacob Berkman · November 2, 2009

The country’s largest Jewish-focused foundation, the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, will announce roughly $100 million in grants at its annual public meeting in Baltimore Nov. 4.

The foundation will surely give a large percentage of those gifts to Jewish organizations.

Though $100 million is still a lot of money, the foundation before the recession had estimated that it would be giving out up to $25 million more than that this year, as I reported here this summer. Last year the foundation gave out $106 million. And while it did accept new grant applications starting in August, after taking a hiatus from new applications, the majority of the money the foundation will grant out is most likely going to come from multi-year commitments it had made before 2009.

From the Weinberg Foundation’s press release:

By making grants of approximately $100 million during the past year, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation has continued to secure its position as one of the major American private funders for the benefit of financially disadvantaged individuals.

• After a several month hiatus in the receipt of Letters Of Inquiry (LOI), the first step in the grant application process, the Foundation’s “mailbox” was opened during August 2009. The result was a deluge of over 1,100 LOI’s received during that one month.

• In July, the Weinberg Foundation hosted its third annual Employee Giving Program event. $180,000 was awarded to 18 nonprofits.

• Since April 2009, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation Family and Informal Caregiver Support Program RFP has awarded 14 grants totaling $8,184,145 to provide support for innovative and evidence-based community initiatives and projects that help family and friends assist low- and moderate-income, community dwelling older adults in maintaining their independence and quality of life. The grants were made to organizations in California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas.

• Launched in December 2007, the Foundation initiated the Maryland Small Grants Program (MSGP) to help eligible nonprofits more easily and efficiently apply for a grant. Nonprofits are required to complete a simple, five-page proposal. In most cases it takes only 50 days for applications to be processed and funded. The response to the Maryland Small Grants Program has been overwhelming. The Foundation has awarded $10,463,450 to 181 nonprofits across the state since the program began less than two years ago.