GMJF: Jewish Incubator Grants

The Greater Miami Jewish Federation offers the Jewish Incubator Grants aimed at fostering innovative programs that enrich Miami's Jewish community. Grants ranging from $2,500 to $10,000 support new initiatives or expand existing ones that align with community needs and Federation priorities. Eligible applicants include nonprofits serving Miami-Dade's Jewish population, emphasizing collaboration and sustainability. Successful programs are expected to demonstrate significant impact and measurable outcomes, ensuring support for the community's diverse needs.

Background
The Jewish Incubator Grants Committee provides grants from Federation’s annual campaign to organizations, synagogues, agencies and schools to develop innovative and/or impactful programs, services, projects and technologies that support and enrich Miami’s Jewish community and align with one or more of the following funding priorities, which are consistent with Federation’s mission and strategic objectives:

• A Safety Net for the Vulnerable – programs and services that care for those in need in Miami

Educating and Advancing Jewish Identity – Programs that deepen Jewish knowledge, attract participation in Jewish life, and strengthen identity through formal and informal education, holiday and lifecycle events, leadership development, cultural engagement, and creative expression in art, music, or storytelling Building Our Community –Programs that promote a unified, inclusive community that embodies service, belonging, and advocacy
For the purposes of this process, innovative is defined as meeting one or more of the following:

• Creating something new in the Miami Jewish community that responds to an unmet need
• Adding a new component to an existing program
• Refashioning an existing program in a unique and creative way in order to increase its impact
• For the purposes of this process, impact is associated with a program that:

Provides content/support in an ongoing, meaningful way. One‐time programs will be considered but may have more difficulty demonstrating impact
Has a clear outcome goal and reaches a significant number of Miami Jews or
Has a clear outcome goal and reaches a small, targeted demographic that is either underserved or, has the potential to reach a broader audience in the community
Grant Amounts & Use
Grants will range from $2,500 to $10,000 and will be competitively awarded to support new programs or the expansion of existing programs.
The grant amount will be based upon:

• Alignment with one or more of Federation’s funding priorities
• Program’s scope and scale
• Opportunities for collaboration with other organizations
• Extent to which the program is able to leverage additional funding sources
• Prospect for sustainability
• Unique, non-duplicative programming or services

Awards may be used to cover expenses directly related to implementing new programs or expansion of existing programs, such as salaries of program staff, outreach, marketing, supplies, materials, events or local travel.

Eligibility

Grants are competitively awarded to support new programs or the expansion of existing programs. Eligible applicants include nonprofits with tax-exempt status (or fiscal sponsorship) that serve the Jewish community in Miami-Dade County. Nonprofits that currently receive other Federation grants must be in compliance with the terms of those awards to be considered.Only one application per organization will be accepted.

Ineligibility

Funding will not be awarded for the following:
Non-local travel (including airfare, hotel, and related expenses outside Greater Miami) Scholarships or individual subsidies (e.g. tuition assistance, camperships) Capital projects (e.g. building renovations, infrastructure, or major equipment not essential to program delivery) Requests exceeding 50% of the total program cost (programs must reflect shared investment and sustainability) Existing organizational expenses such as staff salaries or overhead already covered by other sources; these may be included in the total budget but are not eligible for grant funding Programs based primarily outside Miami-Dade County Political, partisan, or lobbying activities Fundraising events or campaigns