Grants will strengthen social connections and increase opportunities for Jewish experiences and learning across the United States and Canada

Indianapolis area families raising Jewish children will now have more opportunities to participate in Jewish life, thanks to a grant recently awarded by PJ Library^®, the flagship program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation that provides free books to families raising Jewish children all over the world.

“These grants reflect incredible creativity and flexibility in how our implementing partners are approaching our work during this unprecedented time. All funded grants showcase PJ Library’s best practices on engaging families in Jewish life while adapting to the current realities of virtual and social-distancing modalities,” said Tracy Newman, director of community engagement for PJ Library.

“JFGI is honored to receive this grant and thrilled to be part of the global PJ Library community reaching more than 675,000 children and their families across 23 countries” said Roberta Alder, JFGI PJ Library Coordinator.

The 15 winning grant proposals were chosen through a competitive process open to organizations implementing PJ Library across the United States and Canada. A survey of 800 participants in previous grant-funded projects showed:

• 85 percent of families connected socially during the programs
  • 64 percent of families followed up with the social connections afterward
• 76 percent of families sought out or attended other Jewish programs
• 99 percent would recommend the programs to friends

“PJ Library’s impact goes well beyond the more than 230,000 books we send out each month across the United States and Canada,” said Debbi Cooper, director of engagement for PJ Library. “We have worked closely with our local partners for over a decade to help advance Jewish family engagement, and now we are grateful to be able to add financial support to help ensure the success of great initiatives.”

JFGI is grateful to PJ Library Alliance partners who have joined the HGF in funding these engagement grants: William Davidson Foundation; The Marcus Foundation, Inc.; The Azreili Foundation; Genesis Philanthropy Group; Jim Joseph Foundation; The Micah Foundation; Sam Berman Charitable Foundation; Carl & Joann Bianco; The Crown Family; Marilyn Einstein & Steven Sim Charitable Fund; Dr. Steven Grinspoon; One8 Foundation; Howard & Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation; Stephen and Bebe Saks Family Foundation; Sherrie R. Savett Family Foundation; Mike & Sofia Segal Family Foundation; Susser Family Trust; Walter, Arnee, Sarah, & Aaron Winshall; Zucker Family Foundation and three anonymous partners.

About PJ Library

PJ Library sends free, age-appropriate Jewish books and music to families every month. Created by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, PJ Library is a national program implemented by local communities.