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JEWISH FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATION OF WOMEN
NEW YORK, NY · EIN 131860415 · Form 990PF · FY2024 · Medium ($1M-$10M) · jfew.org
revenue
$3.8M
expenses
$1.2M
net assets
$84.4M
employees
—
profile · synthesized from sources

The Jewish Foundation for Education of Women (JFEW) supports women from diverse backgrounds in achieving post-secondary education and career readiness, with a focus on those facing financial need. Rooted in Jewish values, the organization provides scholarships, emergency grants, internships, and professional development through partnerships with colleges and community organizations across New York State. Since its founding in 1880, JFEW has evolved from a vocational school for immigrant girls into a modern philanthropy advancing economic mobility for women.

named programs · 4 · from sources

What they call their work

College Program
Supports women of all backgrounds with financial need pursuing higher education in New York through scholarships, internships, advising, and professional development
Emergency Grants
Provides emergency funding to college students facing sudden financial hardships, enabling them to persist in and complete their degrees
Heritage Program
Supports Jewish women with financial need pursuing higher education in New York, honoring JFEW's origins and commitment to Jewish women's advancement
Research and Advocacy Projects
Funds non-lobbying research on systemic issues affecting low-income women in higher education, including food and housing insecurity, student parents, and financial aid advising
activities · 2 groups

What they do

  • Women's Educational Advancement 5 activities
    • Funding advocacy and research projects on educational equity
      Awards grants to support non-lobbying advocacy and research initiatives focused on educational equity and economic mobility, particularly for women from low-income backgrounds. Findings have been published in outlets such as The Hechinger Report, EJewish Philanthropy, and The New York Times.
    • Funding emergency grants for women in college experiencing financial hardship
      Provides short-term emergency grants to women in college facing financial challenges, helping them persist in and complete their degrees. This includes a dedicated Covid emergency fund established in 2020 and ongoing smaller, short-term grants for students in difficult circumstances.
    • Grantmaking to support women's post-secondary education through institutional and community partnerships
      Provides funding to educational institutions, foundations, and community-based organizations to support scholarships and emergency grants for women in college. Operates two grantmaking portfolios: the College portfolio for non-sectarian programs and the Heritage portfolio for programs serving Jewish women.
    • Providing scholarships and comprehensive support to women in higher education
      Supports over 400 women annually in New York State through scholarships, paid internships, advising, professional development, and emergency grants to advance their educational and professional goals. The program includes dedicated advising and peer networks to support degree completion and career readiness.
    • Strategic grantmaking for innovation in post-secondary education
      Allocates funds to invest in new, strategically aligned initiatives in the post-secondary education space, supporting innovation and long-term systemic change in women's educational advancement.
  • Local High School Scholarship Programs 1 activity
    • Funding research on systemic barriers to women's college degree attainment
      Finances research projects addressing systemic issues such as basic needs insecurity, student parents, single-mother education, financial aid advising, and campus culture for low-income students. Issues a biennial Call for Proposals, with the next cycle scheduled for September 2024 and awards to be announced in spring 2025.
financials · form 990PF · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$3.78M
Contributions & grants$157K4%
Program service revenue——
Investment income$1.79M47%
Other revenue$1.82M
expenses
Total expenses$1.23M
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits$0
Grants paid out$3.19M
balance sheet
Total assets$84.53M
Cash—
Investments—
Liabilities—
Net assets$84.44M
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +66.2%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

board members · 15
  • ANN TANENBAUM — DIRECTOR
  • BECKY TOLSON — DIRECTOR
  • BETH C WEITZMAN — DIRECTOR
  • GRACE BRONSTEIN — DIRECTOR
  • JASON TAUBER — DIRECTOR
  • JULIE APPEL — DIRECTOR
  • LISA LIMAN — CHAIR
  • PEGGY SEGAL — DIRECTOR
  • PHYLLIS G KORFF — DIRECTOR
  • REEVA S MAGER — DIRECTOR
  • ROBYN CIMBOL — DIRECTOR
  • SHARON L WEINBERG — DIRECTOR
  • STACEY MAMAN — DIRECTOR
  • WENDY COHEN — DIRECTOR
  • YULIYA FELDMAN — DIRECTOR
relationships · 28

Who they work with

  • Association for Jewish Studies Partner — Former executive director of the Association for Jewish Studies, a learned society and professional association of Jewish Studies scholars.
  • BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION Partner — Receives grants from JEWISH FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATION OF WOMEN to support scholarships for women with financial need.
  • CUNY Partner — Hosts JFEW cohort-based programs to support women's educational advancement.
  • CUNY Partner — Primary institutional partner in New York State
  • FOOTSTEPS Partner — Receives grants from JEWISH FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATION OF WOMEN to support scholarships for women with financial need.
  • HUNTER COLLEGE FOUNDATION Partner — Receives grants from JEWISH FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATION OF WOMEN to support scholarships for women with financial need.
  • JEWISH COMMUNAL FUND Partner — Receives a qualified distribution to a donor advised fund from JEWISH FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATION OF WOMEN.
  • LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY Partner — Receives grants from JEWISH FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATION OF WOMEN to support scholarships for women with financial need.
  • Leffell School Partner — Board member at the Leffell School, a private Jewish day school.
  • NEW YORK CITY COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY FOUNDATION Partner — Receives grants from JEWISH FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATION OF WOMEN to support scholarships for women with financial need.
  • National Humanities Alliance Partner — Board member at the National Humanities Alliance, an advocacy organization for humanities education and research.
  • Phyllis Korff Partner — JFEW alumna who has served as Board president and chair.
  • QUEENS COLLEGE FOUNDATION Partner — Receives grants from JEWISH FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATION OF WOMEN to support scholarships for women with financial need.
  • RESEARCH FOUNDATION OF CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK Partner — Receives grants from JEWISH FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATION OF WOMEN to support scholarships for women with financial need.
  • RESEARCH FOUNDATION OF STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK Partner — Receives grants from JEWISH FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATION OF WOMEN to support scholarships for women with financial need.
  • SUNY Partner — Hosts JFEW cohort-based programs to support women's educational advancement.
  • SUNY Partner — Primary institutional partner in New York State
  • Sefaria Partner — Board member at Sefaria, a nonprofit organization providing open-access Jewish texts and resources.
  • Stern College for Women Partner — Hosts JFEW program with on-campus leadership
  • UJA FEDERATION INC Partner — Receives grants from JEWISH FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATION OF WOMEN to support scholarships for women with financial need.
  • YESHIVA UNIVERSITY (STERN COLLEGE) Partner — Receives grants from JEWISH FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATION OF WOMEN to support scholarships for women with financial need.
  • colleges Partner — Partner organizations supporting women's college and career goals
  • colleges and universities Partner — Collaborates with colleges and universities to advance educational equity and women's advancement.
  • community-based organizations Partner — Works with community-based organizations to advance educational equity and women's advancement.
  • government bodies Government — Partners with government bodies to support women's educational and career aspirations.
  • other philanthropies Partner — Collaborates with other philanthropies committed to educational equity and women’s advancement.
  • student success organizations Partner — Partner organizations supporting women's college and career goals
  • universities Partner — Partner institutions supporting women's college and career goals
strategies · 5

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Cohort-Based Community Building
    methodology: cohort-based_support
    By organizing scholarship recipients into cohorts, we foster supportive peer networks that reinforce persistence and ambition because shared experience strengthens individual resilience and collective determination.
  • Education as a Pathway to Economic Mobility
    methodology: education-for-economic-mobility
    By investing in women's higher education—particularly through public institutions—we produce long-term economic mobility because education is a transformative tool for breaking cycles of poverty.
  • Holistic Support Model
    methodology: holistic_support_model
    By combining financial aid with internships, professional development, peer networks, and emergency grants, we produce greater educational and career success because students need more than tuition to persist and thrive.
  • Partnership-Based Systems Change
    methodology: partnership-based_philanthropy
    By collaborating with public institutions and community organizations through trust-based partnerships, we advance educational equity and inform systemic solutions because sustainable change requires shared ownership and structural reform.
  • Values-Driven Investment in Women
    methodology: values-based_philanthropy
    By grounding philanthropy in Jewish values of justice and human dignity, we produce sustained commitment to women's educational advancement because moral imperatives inspire enduring support and community responsibility.