Greater Miami Jewish Federation

Education, Culture and Youth Services - The Greater Miami Jewish Federation is working to secure a strong Jewish future. The Federation Annual Campaign funds over 160 agencies, programs and services in Miami, nationally, in Israel and in more than 70 other countries around the world. Federation supports organizations and programs that educate and build Jewish identity by providing funding for formal and informal educational programs, ensuring that new generations of Jews will be here to care for our community in the future. In fiscal 2023-2024, more than $8.8 million was directed toward multiple formal and informal Jewish education and identity initiatives serving adults and children in the community Including more than $2.1 million in grants and scholarships to 11 Jewish day schools and nine congregational schools in Miami-Dade County, impacting over 5,600 students, enhancing their understanding and appreciation of our rich Jewish heritage. Our three Miami Jewish community centers received over $2.3 million in direct grants to provide services to more than 10,000 people of all ages and abilities through quality early childhood education and after school programs, summer camp, cultural arts and sports and recreation programming. Federation awarded 219 scholarships to children to attend Jewish camps across the US, strengthening their Jewish identity. Having a strong, welcoming Jewish presence on college campuses is particularly critical today. Federation funding supports seven Hillel programs throughout Florida, providing programming for more than 9,800 Jewish students. Additionally, the Miami Moishe Houses and Moishe Pod, which also receive funding from Federation, conducted 259 programs for 1,291 young Jewish adults in 2023. Students were part of the over 50,000 who visited the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach, a program of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. Through Federation's Jewish Volunteer Center Young Lion of Judah Program, pre-bar/bat mitzvah students were paired with Miami area Holocaust Survivors to share experiences. In addition to the books and music sent monthly to over 3,800 children, PJ Library of Miami, a program of Federation, and its implementing partners hosted virtual and in person family programs on Jewish values and celebrations. Since inception, PJ Library has delivered over 546,000 books in Miami. Additionally, grants from The Foundation of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation through donor-advised funds and other designated funds provides funds for emergencies, and the development of resources necessary to address future opportunities and needs for the community.

Human Services Programs, General/Other - The Greater Miami Jewish Federation, through its network of beneficiary agencies and services, provides for the humanitarian needs of people of all ages. Over $3.6 million was allocated from the Annual Federation/UJA Campaign in fiscal 2023-2024 to care for the most vulnerable people in our community. More than 1 in 5 Jewish people in Miami continue to depend on Federation for some form of assistance - including nutritious kosher food, emergency financial aid, crisis and employment counseling, educational and camp scholarships, and much more. The Jewish community's 24-hour Access and Information hotline operated by Jewish Community Services of South Florida (JCS) received 11,168 requests for assistance, many of which resulted in direct aid, referrals, counseling and emergency grants from Federation and our partner agencies. Over $194,000 in emergency assistance grants were provided for people experiencing hardship. The Hebrew Free Loan Association of Miami, a Federation program, disbursed $441,200 in interest-free loans, to assist with costs associated with medical and dental, tuition, education, adoption, fertility treatments, housing assistance, personal expenses and so much more. There were 4,598 visits to the (JCS) Kosher Food Bank. Through JCS home delivered and congregate meal programs, 248,000+ kosher meals were provided to homebound seniors. These meals provided important nutrition and a community connection for seniors able to live independently in their homes. Over 540 Holocaust Survivors in Miami-Dade County received personalized and comprehensive case management services through JCS to assist with coordinating care, obtaining benefits and general support. There were over 643,500 hours of in-home care provided to this population last year, to ensure that our Survivor community is able to live safely and independently. With Federation support, JCS provided 187 adults and children, survivors of domestic abuse, with services through JCS' Shalom Bayit Domestic Violence Prevention Program, helping transition the adults and children to a life free of fear and intimidation. Adults, seniors and children benefitted from 7,641 counseling sessions and other psychological services from the professional clinical staff of JCS' Behavioral Health Services. Federation's Miami Jewish Abilities Alliance continued to link individuals with disabilities, and their families, to resources, services, support groups, workshops and clinics and recreational programs within the community. Through the Jewish Chaplaincy Program's Refuat Ha'Nefesh Jewish Spiritual Care Visiting Program, chaplains and volunteers provided comfort, solace and joy to thousands of people experiencing a variety of personal difficulties. With the support of Federation, 100 Jewish children - victims of abuse or neglect - received child welfare services from Jewish Adoption and Family Care Options (JAFCO). Our programs are designed to ensure the future viability of Miami's organized Jewish community. As part of this community outreach, Federation's Jewish Volunteer Center (JVC) promotes greater volunteer participation in the delivery of direct services, to expand the services agencies could provide at a lower cost, and to promote volunteerism as a way of enhancing Jewish identification and involvement. In addition, there are programs that enhance volunteer involvement by assessing organizational needs, understanding current trends and issues, creating meaningful opportunities for volunteers, exploring volunteerism by infusing Jewish values, examining high quality models for volunteer recruitment, retention, and enhancement. Offering one-time family friendly programs and ongoing individual activities, in fiscal 2023-2024, Federation's JVC enabled 2,042 people to volunteer 3,730 times to benefit community organizations through Federation's Jewish Volunteer Center, totaling 14,920 hours of volunteering and equaling nearly $499,521 in paid time. Advocating on behalf of Miami-Dade County's most vulnerable Jewish populations, the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) worked tirelessly with governmental leaders to ensure that direct government funding of social services was provided to Federation partner agencies. JCRC and Women's Philanthropy created the Task Force to Combat Human trafficking in 2015 to increase public awareness and concern about the dangers of this modern form of slavery and its prevalence in Miami-Dade County and Florida. Federation has programs to increase community development and leadership by reaching out to all constituencies is to increase community involvement in Federation, educate future volunteer leaders, and build a core of future leaders. Educating the next generation of leaders and providing oversight of program delivery systems have always been focal points of Federation. Since March 2011, Federation has sent weekly emails to more than 60,000 people, highlighting select resources and news events in the Jewish community. Years ago, Federation embarked on a bold initiative through the creation of the Foundation for Jewish Renewal and a variety of programs were developed, including the High Holiday Welcome Project, which provides worship opportunities at no cost to thousands of people annually. Through the Elevate Leadership Department, Federation offers skills-based, multi-session leadership programs. In general, the programs consist of about six, three-hour sessions and include interactive learning covering general leadership, Jewish values and specifics about our organizational structure, philosophy and methodology, our partner agencies, and local demographics. In fiscal 2023-2024, we awarded $70,000 in Incubator Grants to help Jewish nonprofits build capacity, spur innovation and serve unmet local needs. We also awarded $70,000 in Women's Impact Initiative Grants to organizations in Miami that have the potential to inspire and empower Jewish women and girls, improve our local community and achieve social, economic, religious and political equality.