How Are My Donations Spent?

Jewish Federation’s Annual Community Campaign is the St. Louis Jewish community’s largest fundraising effort. Donations make it possible for Federation’s agencies, programs and services to provide services to engage both young families with children and young adults, support Jewish learning, educate and advocate for a strong Israel and safe Jewish world, recruit and train exceptional human resources and provide a safety net for vulnerable Jews around the world.

In order to meet these strategic priorities, Jewish Federation raises funds at face-to-face meetings, over the phone, at special events, through direct mail, e-philanthropy, e-blasts and on www.jewishinstlouis.org.

In good times and bad, Jewish Federation is the one place anyone can turn to for help. Each gift to Federation’s Annual Jewish Community Campaign goes where needs are greatest in St. Louis, Israel and around the world. Plus, in emergencies, our community relies upon Federation to respond quickly and efficiently to address humanitarian needs.

Hundreds of volunteers serve on Jewish Federation’s allocations committees and subcommittees. They evaluate needs and distribute charitable dollars to Federation’s family of agencies, programs and services. The process involves working with agencies to examine geographic and demographic shifts, identify where needs are greatest and make plans to address them efficiently and with little duplication of services.

More than half of the money raised in Federation’s Annual Community Campaign goes for core local needs to such agencies as the Jewish Community Center (JCC), Central Agency for Jewish Education (CAJE), Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JF&CS), Covenant House/CHAI Apartments, MERS/Missouri Goodwill, Inc., and the Holocaust Museum & Learning Center (HMLC), a department of Jewish Federation and to targeted programs and services. 

Additional funds for local programs and services, national and international needs are raised through emergency campaigns; planned giving –lifetime gifts, deferred gifts, designated funds  through the Jewish Community Foundation; supporting foundations, government grants and the United Way.

Here is an overview of some of Federation-supported agencies, programs and services:

Programs & Services for Kids, Teens, Young Adults & Young Families

Federation agencies and programs improve the lives of our  kids, teens, young adults and families with children through  education, childcare, camps and cultural programs. Federation supports:

• Early childcare for kids 6 weeks to 6 years, day and residential camps, children’s theater, parent-toddler classes, Bnai Brith Youth Organization, Shalom Baby, youth fitness and recreation and family education at the JCC
  
  
• Tuition scholarships and grants to five Jewish day schools
  
  
• Hebrew tutors for special needs children, trips to Israel, religious school programs , courses on Judaism for high school students – Jewish Opportunities and Learning for Teens (JOLT), Community Israel Programs
  
  
• $1,000 One Happy Camper grants to families of first-time campers who choose a Jewish camp for at least 19 days
  
  
• PJ Library Program which gives free monthly Jewish-themed books and CDs to families with children 6 months old through 7 years - a $60 value
  
  
• Storytelling, holiday and cultural programs at the Brodsky Library
  
  
• School tours, educational programs, an art and writing contest and outreach at the Holocaust Museum
  
  
• Counseling and child abuse prevention at Jewish Family & Children’s Service
  
  
• Center for Jewish college students to gather, pray, study, socialize and conduct community service projects at Hillel on the Washington University and University of Missouri, Columbia, campuses
  
  
• Jewish Federation support of Moishe House, Next Dor, Birthright Israel and the Jewish Student Union
  
  
• Kids, Teens, College, Young Adults and Family sections on JewishinStlouis. Ohr Chadash the Jewish Light’s (Teen Page) 
  
  
• Scholarship and loans to St. Louis college-age students

Jewish Learning for All Ages

Federation supports a lifetime of Jewish education. This includes:

• Crown Family Education Grants at St. Louis congregations through programs funded by the Crown Jewish Education Family Grants, administered by Federation
  
  
• Adult education classes such as Melton Mini-School, a two-year Jewish literacy and lifestyle program, and “Our Jewish Home” for families to learn Jewish traditions with in-home tutoring--all through CAJE 
  
  
• Student to Student through the Jewish Community Relations Council
  
  
• Trips to Israel and Jewish educational programs at Hillel
  
  
• Access to Jewish information with 22,000 books, videos and periodicals at the Brodsky Library
  
  
• Jewish Book and Film Festivals, day care/preschool, parent-toddler classes through the JCC
  
  
• Ten-month Israel work-study program (Otzma) for 19-24 year olds through Lubin-Green, a Federation supporting foundation
  

 

Services for Vulnerable Jews (including senior services)

• Counseling, child abuse prevention, Jewish Food Pantry, homemaker services and Jewish Connections, a program for those coping with severe mental illness through Jewish Family & Children’s Service;
  
• Career counseling in the Careers in Transition Program for Jewish adults at MERS/Missouri Goodwill;
  
  
• Group meals and delivered hot Kosher meals , adult day care, programs for those with disabilities, childcare and scholarships at the JCC;
  
• Assisted living, homemaker services, kosher food service, food certificate programs for low-income seniors at Covenant/CHAI;
  
  
• Advocacy for social and human services in Jefferson City and Washington, D.C. through the Government Relations Office of the Missouri Jewish Federations (GROMJF), sponsored by Jewish Federation of St. Louis.
  
  
• Safe and affordable senior housing
  
  
• Inpatient, outpatient and emergency care at Barnes-Jewish Hospital;
  
  
• Lifeline Fund for Jewish families who have been hit hard financially by the economic meltdown. This program through cash assistance helps pay a family’s bills – rent, mortgage, utilities – up to $5,000. There are zero-interest loans as well.
  
  
• A free information and referral service, ElderLink St. Louis (launched in 2009) serves as a central resource for seniors and their caregivers.
  
  
  

Jewish Federation Emergencies

• To help Jewish families and individuals with emergency grants and loans, Jewish Federation established the Lifeline Fund in November of 2008. It was supported with money pooled from the reallocation of existing Federation resources, endowments and special gifts. An additional $300,000 was raised in 2009 for Lifeline, which as of June, 2010, had helped 108 Jewish households with cash grants and loans
  
  
• Worldwide Crisis Relief:  When a 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti, Federation played a decisive role in crisis relief for the victims. Federation funds have been raised for Hurricane Katrina, the floods in Tennessee, the tornado in Joplin and more. Federation makes sure the Jewish community is represented any and everywhere there is a humanitarian crisis.
  
  
• Create a Jewish Legacy: Federation’s Jewish Community Foundation launched an effort to help Jewish organizations, congregations and day schools plan for the future.  Through the ‘Create a Jewish Legacy’ program, JCF brought together leadership and staff from across the community to enlighten them about the many ways donors can support them – in addition to the community campaign. 
  
  
• Emergency  planning and management
  
  
  

Jewish Federation Recruits, Trains & Develops Top Human Resources

• Launches IE Millstone Institute for Jewish Learning to promote volunteer and professional recruitment, retention training and development
  
  
• Continues support of JProStL, an organization of Jewish community professionals