About the YWGS’s Mother Organization:
The Jewish Women’s Foundation of Greater Pittsburgh

The Jewish Women’s Foundation was founded in 2000 to create lasting social change in the lives of women and girls in the Jewish and general communities. It offers its members (Trustees) the opportunity to participate in the strategic direction and distribution of JWF’s grantmaking. 145 women have invested in JWF since its inception.

JWF provides the opportunity for women to use their leadership, financial resources and volunteer time to make a difference in the lives of women and girls. Trustees enjoy the connection to like-minded women, seeing the direct impact of their investment and gaining a deeper knowledge of community needs. JWF leverages the shared passion and investment of its Trustees to positively impact women and girls in our community through active and collective philanthropy.

JWF has two grantmaking programs: the small grants program and the signature grant program. For the small grants program, JWF solicits proposals annually from community organizations that serve women and girls with grants averaging $7,500. The Trustees collectively determine which proposals will get funded. The signature grant program is currently focused on funding the Center for Women (www.cfwpgh.org), which provides support and programming for women in transition as a result of divorce, death of spouse and/or loss of a job. Founded in 2013, the CFW operates under the auspices of the National Council of Jewish Women, Pittsburgh Section. A total of $450,000 over six years has been committed to the CFW, and JWF’s total investment to date in community organizations serving women and girls is $670,671.

JWF is also a member of a network of Jewish Women’s Foundations from across the U.S. and Israel. The network focuses on best practices in gender-focused philanthropy and participates in a national JWF collaborative grant to feminist organizations working on the ground in Israel to advocate on behalf of women for family-friendly policies in the workplace.

JWF’s latest endeavor is the Young Women’s Giving Society, a giving circle for women ages 25-45, through which JWF seeks to encourage philanthropy and leadership growth among younger women in the Pittsburgh Jewish community.

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