After much debate and controversy, Joshua Venture this morning announced its grantees. Each grantee will receive $80,000 in funding and $20,000 for healthcare over the next two years and tens of thousands more in supportive services and mentoring.
Here they are (with descriptions of each of the grantees from the Joshua Venture’s Web site):
- Zelig Golden – Wilderness Torah, which seeks to "develop a Bay Area center for earth-based Judaism that integrates community programs, organic farm and sustainable life skills education, and nature awareness training – a local educational center that serves as a national resource and training ground for building healthy, sustainable Jewish community."
- Alison Laichter — Jewish Meditation Center, "a groundbreaking organization that fosters a thriving community of meditators and spiritual leaders, transforming the world through the cultivation of awareness, compassion, and Jewish wisdom."
- Sarah Lefton — G-dcast, "a media production company with a bold educational mission: to raise basic Jewish literacy, demystify core Jewish texts, and spark great conversations with entertaining short films and games delivered for free online."
- Rachel Nussbaum — Kavana Cooperative, a Seattle based project that has "gained national attention for its innovative approach to creating intentional Jewish community through a cooperative model. Kavana seeks to empower its partners and participants to create a meaningful Jewish life and a positive Jewish identity."
- Nati Passow — Jewish Farm School, "an environmental organization that practices and promotes sustainable agriculture, and supports food systems rooted in justice and Jewish traditions."
- Zhenya Plechkina — Children’s Art Initiative, "a new idea that will combine the creation of an arts publication with teaching artist residencies for children age 4-18."
- Ari Weiss — Uri L’Tzedek, an organization founded in 2007 "to engage, empower, and inspire the American Orthodox Jewish community to enact social change both within and beyond its own communal borders."
- Eli Winkelman — Challah for Hunger, which "bakes and sells challah bread to raise money and awareness for social justice causes."
