Where Doing
Good Also Means
Doing It Well
True to our founder’s legacy, our unrestricted fund provides timely support to a wide range of urgent, emerging, and ongoing community needs.
In 2024, we disbursed over $3M to support community needs as identified by Federation CJA, Nova Grants, Grassroots Grants and other emergency appeals.
Our Impact
By The Numbers Fiscal year 2024 end, March 31st 2024.-
$2.3B
Assets Under
ManagementWe offer comprehensive support beyond providing the tools for our clients to allocate their charitable giving; we actively help them manage their contributions long-term to grow their charitable capital, amplify their giving potential, and build permanent endowments that will support charities in perpetuity.
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2,729
Funds
Promoting Smart Philanthropy™ is our raison d’être, and it is echoed in the number of families who entrust us with the management of their philanthropy. Let us shed light on how giving can be an easy, tax-effective tenet of your financial planning.
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1,271
Charities and Grantees
Year on year, our reach has consistently grown to encompass even more worthy causes, making a profound difference.
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Dollars Granted
The JCF has grown significantly in assets under management but we believe an important performance indicator is the amount of money we grant to the charitable sector. For the year ending March 31 2024, we granted over $220 million to charities and to charitable programs that support education, healthcare, poverty relief, social service as well as arts and culture.
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Number of Grantees
The JCF prides itself in supporting the charitable sector at large. One of the performance measures we look at are the number of Registered Canadian Charities receiving grants from the JCF, as well as number of charitable programs the JCF runs directly. Consistently from year-to-year our reach has grown and now stands at over 1,271 charities and grant recipients.
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Number of Funds
Promoting philanthropic giving is our main priority. We reach out to families across Montreal and show them how philanthropic giving can be easy, tax-effective and part of their financial planning. Our goal is to reach more families, and help them strucutre their giving in a centralized way.
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Assets Under Management
One of our preoccupations is to plan for the future. We want the community and the charitable sectors we support to be sustainable long-term and thus one of our priorities is to build permanent endowments that will support charities in perpetuity. One of our measurements is total assets and the chart below demonstrates growth in assets year-to-year.
JCF Unrestricted Fund
Thanks to the generosity of our fundholders, our unrestricted fund is available to respond, in a timely and impactful way, to community priorities. This includes system change initiatives, new programs (Nova Grants) that can have a positive impact on the Jewish community, as well as emergency situations here and around the world.
Some examples of initiatives recently funded are:
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In the wake of the tragic events of October 7, 2023, we provided critical support to those affected in Israel through Federation CJA. Recognizing the urgent need for aid, JCF immediately distributed funds to help survivors, provide trauma counseling, and support for displaced individuals.
The funds have been allocated to provide essential resources such as emergency shelter, medical care, and psychological support. -
In partnership with Federation CJA, we coordinated a comprehensive community response in addressing various challenges due to the COVID pandemic. We were able to rapidly deploy a substantial amount of financial aid, totaling $1.7 million. This swift allocation of funds was crucial in addressing the urgent needs created by the pandemic, enabling us to provide timely and effective support to those most affected.
These allocations included providing food relief to isolated seniors and vulnerable families, offering interest-free loans through the Hebrew Free Loan Association of Montreal to small businesses impacted by the pandemic, and subsidizing fees for 15 Jewish day camps. JCF and Federation CJA both allocated COVID relief grants to aid organizations such as MADA, the Family Store, Tomche Shabbos, and the Chessed Fund.
Recognizing the broader community's needs, the JCF swiftly authorized emergency funding to Centraide and La Fondation du Grand Montréal, supporting their efforts in organizing food relief for Montrealers. -
We have recently approved $1.6 million to Federation CJA to address several critical issues within our community. This funding will be used to combat antisemitism, ensuring that we take a strong stand against hate and discrimination. It will also support campus advocacy efforts, empowering students and educators to promote positive change and awareness. Furthermore, the funds will enhance community security measures, safeguarding our institutions and members.
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Through our responsive approach, we continue to demonstrate our commitment to supporting the well-being of the Montreal Jewish community.
This unique initiative, Passport to Jewish Life, in concert with Federation CJA, aims to create a welcoming and inclusive Jewish community by offering a broad range of programs and entry points into Jewish life. Its goal is to empower individuals to explore and engage with Judaism in ways that resonate with them personally, fostering meaningful connections to both personal and communal Jewish identities. -
Aimed at fostering personal connections between Montrealers and Israelis through the use of Israeli emissaries or "shinshinim," that focus on youth and young families, this ongoing program creates opportunities for interaction and deep mutual understanding.
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Foundation for Jewish Camp provides subsidies to middle-income families to encourage enrollment in Jewish summer camps, with the aim of boosting attendance and fostering connections with Jewish life, values, and other Jewish children. Participating camps locally include Camp B’nai Brith, Camp Kinneret-Biluim, Camp Massad, and the Y Country Camp.
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The Limmud Home School Program is a tutorial initiative designed to supplement Jewish parochial education and provide academic, social, and emotional enrichment for children. With a focus on subjects such as Math, English, Social Sciences, and Science, the program aims to support children in achieving academic success.
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Since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, hundreds of Ukrainian Jewish refugees have sought refuge in Montreal. Through Agence Ometz the primary focus has been to address their psychological and social needs, while also navigating the complex public systems in order to improve access to aid.
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Recognizing the financial strain faced by individuals and families with limited incomes who often struggle to afford rent, Kehilla works towards providing affordable, safe housing solutions in proximity to resources conducive to a Jewish life.
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In the wake of the devastating Beirut harbor explosion, our grant helped rebuild the Intensive Care Unit at the St Georges Hospital, a critical hospital in the region. This helped in restoring essential healthcare services for thousands of residents and bring hope to a recovering community.
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After the catastrophic earthquake in Syria and Turkey, our funding provided a mobile clinic to deliver urgent medical care to remote and underserved areas, ensuring lifesaving treatment reached those in need.
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With a $750,000 investment, and in partnership with Federation CJA, we are planning a transformative leadership development initiative that will empower future leaders with the skills and resources needed to drive meaningful change in their communities.
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Our $500,000 grant funded the development of affordable housing for seniors through B’nai B’rith, offering safe and dignified living spaces for older adults in need.
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A $1,000,000 grant facilitated the integration of the Azrieli Talmud Torah School into the Y campus, fostering an inclusive and innovative learning environment for students while strengthening community ties.