Dear friends,

Happy new year! Our winter campaign has ended and we thought you might like to know how we spent your money in 2016. Here’s the rundown of the grants we made:

1) IsraAID is an Israeli-based humanitarian aid agency that responds to emergency crises and engages in international development around the world. Our grant supported their work with Syrian refugees.

2) Treehouse Shakers provides teacher trainings and residencies for students that focus on the art of dance and storytelling.

3) The American Indian College Fund supports Native student access to higher education. The Jonah Maccabee Foundation believes that every American has a profound responsibility to assist our nation’s indigenous peoples in building whole, healthy lives for themselves and their children.

4) The Tali Fund supports The Talia Agler Girls Shelter in Nairobi, Africa, providing much needed services to abused girls, rescuing and caring for girls ages 10-18 who have been victimized by trafficking. It also keeps Talia Agler’s memory alive and strong.

5) In response to recent acts of violence against African-Americans, we made grants to The Harlem Children’s Zone as well as to the National Black Child Development Institute. These two organizations endeavor to prepare young African-Americans for future success. Our hope is that their work will help advance for all of us an America where blacks are accepted and respected by all.

6) URJ Eisner Camp, in conjunction with the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, piloted a summer program with its campers designed to increase a sense of mindfulness and spirituality in their educational and camp culture through meditation, yoga and mindful worship.

7) Play Group Theatre does much more than create great theatre. It provides a safe space for young people to grow while they move through the turbulent years of adolescence and their teens.

8) Save the Children gives children a healthy start, the opportunity to learn, and protection from harm. We made two grants to this exceptional organization, one to aid Syrian refugees and the other to assist with responding to the recent flooding in Louisiana.

9) Nashir is a songleader training program sponsored by NFTY, the Reform Jewish Youth Movement.

10) Mainestage Shakespeare is a resident theatre company that creates accessible, professional, classical theater for a wide audience of adults and children, enriching both the artists and the community.

11) Rethink the Conversation focuses on issues of serious concern such as mental health and suicide, that have been tinged by stigma, misinformation, lack of attention, or indifference, and brings them to the fore of social consciousness and activism.

We hope you feel as good about these grants as we do. Thank you so much for supporting us. We’re grateful to have you with us as we carry forward Jonah’s legacy — his zest for living and his passion for goodness — and, together, work to improve the lives of young people everywhere.

Happy New Year!

Ellen, Billy, Katie, Mark and Aiden
The Jonah Maccabee Foundation