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In June 2015, Jewish National Fund-USA announced the creation of the $100 million JNF-USA Boruchin Center, designed to be one of the most powerful new initiatives in the Jewish world. The center, administered within JNF-USA by a committee of JNF-USA donors and lay people, was created as a result of an estate gift generously given by the late John and Dora Boruchin of California.
John Boruchin was born in Poland and met his wife Dora in Russia after World War II. While most of John’s family perished in the Holocaust, Dora’s immediate family survived, now live mainly in Canada and the United States, and remain active supporters of Israel and Jewish National Fund-USA. John and Dora came to the States and he slowly made his fortune in real estate, eventually becoming one of the largest tract home builders in California. They are survived by their son, Isak. The Boruchins’ love and passion for Israel and Zionism is what led to their goal of connecting young people to Israel through Jewish National Fund-USA.
Dream Israel is an innovative initiative helping to provide all Jewish teens with the life-changing opportunity to study abroad in Israel while also giving back to the Jewish State. In exchange for fundraising for a Jewish National Fund-USA philanthropic cause in Israel, students in 10th, 11th or 12th grade can earn a grant of up to $7,500 towards their academic program with Alexander Muss, URJ Heller High, Ramah TRY or USY High. To learn more, click here.
The Jewish National Fund-USA Boruchin Center is committed to strengthening the lifelong bonds between all Americans – most especially Jewish American teens – with the land and people of Israel. We focus our grants on programs that foster these connections. Unlike a traditional foundation, the Jewish National Fund-USA Boruchin Center is creating synergies with our grantees in ways that meaningfully accelerate both their own programs and Jewish National Fund-USA’s overarching mission. Our goal is to fund organizations and programs that are interested in collaboration, that both complement the work of Jewish National Fund-USA and provide additional opportunities for Israel engagement and experiences for our shared constituencies. If you are interested in partnering with us in this endeavor, we invite you to submit a letter of interest describing your organization and how you think we might work together.
$100,000 minimum grant request from JNF Boruchin Center
Grantees must also raise matching funds (for a minimum $200,000 budgetary need)
Current 501(c)(3) status required
*Please note that all Boruchin Center grants last for a period of 1 year
February 19, 2025- Letters of Inquiry are due to Boruchin Center
May 19, 2024- Applications for 2026 funding are due
Mid-August 2025- Applicants are informed of committee decisions
September 15, 2025- Signed 2025 Agreements are due
October 1, 2025- 2026 grant period begins
Should you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact Rachel Adams at radams@jnf.org or 212.879.9305 x249
JNF-USA Boruchin Center is currently funding a number of projects, programs, and initiatives both within the framework of JNF and in partnership with outside organizations and partners. Below is a list and description of the programs that have received grant funds from the JNF-USA Boruchin Center.
AEN’s mission is to mobilize networks of university faculty and administrators to counter antisemitism, oppose the denigration of Jewish and Zionist identities, promote academic freedom, and advance education about Israel.
Club Z was born out of a need to create an ongoing, comprehensive, and honest Jewish education program for the unaffiliated Jewish teens in the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Club Z is a national organization for Jewish teens, raising modern-day Zionists who are articulate and knowledgeable leaders.
2024-2024 Funding: $300,000
The mission of Heroes to Heroes is to provide a spiritual healing and peer support program for American wounded combat veterans who suffer from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), moral injury, and depression. Their vision is a world in which our veterans feel valued. To fulfill this, they send teams of ten veterans on a ten-day journey to Israel. They travel with five Israeli veterans who share their experiences and become part of their support system.
2024-2025 Funding: $300,000
The mission of ICC is to inspire American college students to see Israel as a source of pride and empower them to stand up for Israel on campus. The ICC’s role in this effort is to unite the many pro-Israel organizations that operate on campuses across the United States by coordinating strategies, providing educational resources, sharing in-depth research, and increasing collaboration.
2024-2025 Funding: $500,000
The Sinai Temple Israel Center Rabbinic Fellowship will lead the future of Rabbinical students in Israel education. This program is specific to education, not advocacy, and will partner with national organizations and seminaries to ensure a nuanced approach to Israel will be presented to the future leaders of the Jewish people.
2024-2025 Funding: $250,000
IsraelLINK promotes and elevates Israel education within Jewish day schools and supplementary middle school programs across North America. We work directly with teachers and school administrators to craft a custom plan to integrate Israel Studies into a well-rounded Jewish education. The IsraelLINK team creates high-quality educational resources, runs teacher training, and provides ongoing support to inspire 21st-century learners.
2024-2025 Funding: $237,500
The Reform Movement Alumni for Israel is an initiative that engages cohorts of 25 young (ages 22–35) alumni of Reform movement initiatives in a full year of programming to strengthen their commitments to Zionism and Jewish peoplehood and position them to become leaders and influencers among their peers and future leaders in the American Jewish community.
2024-2025 Funding: $250,000
Students Supporting Israel mission is to be a clear and confident pro-Israel voice on college campuses, and to support students in grassroots pro-Israel advocacy.
2024-2025 Funding: $250,000
Yavneh, now in its third year, recruits, trains and mentors a network of all-star student leaders who are engaged in positive Israel activism, building Jewish life and creating dynamic programs on college campuses across North America.
2024-2025 Funding: $300,000
Yavneh Bayit recruits and trains a network of all-star Modern Orthodox young adults to engage in community building and peer leadership for the young professional demographic (ages 22-32).
2024-2025 Funding: $200,000
Since 1972, our vision has been to connect Jewish high school students from around the world to the land and people of Israel through experiential education. With Jewish National Fund-USA, we have the resources to do so successfully: passionate and dedicated full-time teachers, accreditation from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, and a beautiful campus from where we travel throughout Israel. We are academically rigorous and also take advantage of the vast history and culture to achieve top notch learning in both classroom and real-life settings.
2024-2025 Funding: $925,000
Caravan for Democracy Student Leadership Mission is a 10-day, all-expenses paid, educational program to Israel geared towards non-Jewish student leaders who have never been to Israel before. This program provides the opportunity to explore Israel through meetings with political, cultural and community leaders from all backgrounds and faiths.
2024-2025 Funding: $300,000
Faculty Fellowship in Israel annually sponsors full-time U.S.-based University and college faculty members on a 10-day program in Israel. Each participant is paired with one or more Israeli professional counterparts in his/her field of study or research. The goal is to facilitate collaboration, shared research, and shared teaching concepts and values, which the participants and their Israeli counterparts can introduce to their respective campuses at the close of the program. The program transcends the current conflicts and demonstrates to the participants how Israel makes the world a better place.
2024-2025 Funding: $350,000
