The National Center to Encourage Judaism (NCEJ) is a private foundation that funds efforts worldwide to attract more new people to Judaism. Our primary objective is to help Judaism grow by increasing the number of Jews by Choice and helping those in interfaith marriages see the benefits of raising their children as Jews. We give grants to synagogues, JCCs/federations, national groups, international organizations, and other Jewish nonprofits.

Grant Overview

Our grants cover marketing, program materials, and other expenses for both single events and multi-session programs, traditional classes and experiential learning. One of our priorities is marketing – we want our grantees to promote their programs using a variety of channels to widen the audience and bring in new people. Programs must have an educational component. Learn more about what we fund. If you are a larger organization or if your grant request is more than $10K, please visit our Larger Grant Requests page.

National Center to Encourage Judaism (NCEJ) - Mission


Our Grant Funding Goals:

To help people get the tools to build the type of Jewish home that has meaning for them.
To provide the resources for groups to promote their programs to a wider audience.
To enable people who are interested in exploring Judaism find a place in their local Jewish community.

The National Center to Encourage Judaism offers grants to synagogues, and regional, national, and international groups sponsoring programs that attract more new people to Judaism from all walks of life and backgrounds.


Grant-Giving at a Glance:

Type of Programs We Fund

  • Basics of Jewish belief
  • Introduction to Jewish traditions
  • Holiday programming
  • Israel engagement

What We Fund

  • Marketing
  • Program materials
  • Some staff support
  • Virtual and hybrid programming
  • Security

Who We Fund

  • Local: Synagogues and Consortium (Rabbinic Councils and Other Groups)
  • Regional: Individual Federations and JCCs
  • National Groups: for Sub-grants to Affiliates in their networks and for Programming promoted throughout the US
  • International: Projects located in Israel, Europe, Canada, and many more countries.

Download Grant Application



NCEJ accepts applications throughout the year — Apply Anytime! Grantees may receive more than one grant per year.

We fund a variety of programs (online, hybrid, and in person) for interfaith families, people interested in conversion, and others who are new to Judaism. All programs must have an educational component. We place a priority on marketing, to widen the audience and increase attendance. We only fund programs that begin after the date the application was submitted. We receive many applications each year. Our goal is to provide grants for a diverse group of organizations, and a mix of programs.

We welcome your inquiries. Please reach out to us at 301-802-4254 or contact Ellen Gerecht, Executive Director.

Applicants are generally notified of a decision within 45 days. No commitment should be assumed until the receipt of a grant award letter.

Looking for Programming Ideas? We Can Help.

Our program profile pages are chock-full of examples of recently-funded projects, ranging from Judaism 101 classes to holiday workshops for interfaith families. To get ideas that you can use in your community see our profile pages:


Have an idea but not sure if it meets our criteria? Try our proposal form, or contact us and we will be happy to answer any questions you may have.


Grant Guidelines


View/Download Funding Focus Framework as a PDF

Apply Now

Applications are considered throughout the year.
Download the application below. Best edited in Adobe Reader (free download).

Grant Application

Follow the submission instructions on the application.
Verify that your PDF is filled out and not blank before you submit it via email.

Download PDF

For larger grant requests and umbrella grants, please visit this page instead.

Applicants: If you have submitted an application and have not heard from us in 2-3 weeks please reach out to us at 301-802-4254, or contact Ellen Gerecht, Executive Director to make sure we received your application.


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