February 13, 2025 – SRE Network announced $270,000 in capacity building grants to seven organizations in the Jewish nonprofit sector to support their work fostering inclusive, welcoming workplaces where every employee can succeed and drive change.

"We are proud to invest in these impressive and diverse Jewish organizations. Recipients include women-led and women-focused organizations, those serving queer, trans, and Latin-Jewish communities, and an organization addressing contemporary antisemitism," says SRE Network Executive Director Rachel Gildiner. "Now, more than ever, we are committed to supporting initiatives that strengthen internal cultures–ultimately fostering a Jewish nonprofit sector where all employees are respected, valued, and empowered to thrive."

For this funding cycle, SRE Network received 36 applications from member organizations. SRE’s Grants Review Committee selected the grantees based on their commitment to centering safety, respect, and equity in all parts of their organization and their capacity to successfully implement their proposed initiatives. 

“WRJ is thrilled to receive this grant as it aligns with our core values of equity and women's rights,” says WRJ CEO Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch. “This grant will enable us to foster a more inclusive and supportive environment, equipping our team with the tools and knowledge to create meaningful, lasting change both within our organization and in the broader community.”

Since its inception in 2018, SRE has invested over $7 million in grant funding to support 124 projects and 61 organizations. Through this work, SRE is advancing gender equity as a lived value across the Jewish communal landscape and building more vibrant, inclusive Jewish workplaces. This spring, SRE will be embarking on a comprehensive assessment to evaluate the impact of its grantmaking on its grantees and the broader Jewish nonprofit sector.

SRE’s fall 2024 capacity building grantees are Gather, Inc., Hebrew College, Jewtina y Co., Project Shema, ORA, SVARA, and Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ). 

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Gather, Inc. is a web of cities, community partners, and networks changing how Jewish life happens, one relationship at a time. We support and empower young adults, Jewish professionals, leaders, and organizations to build compelling and sustainable Jewish lives that are relevant, active, and meaningful to them and their communities. With a 1-year grant, Gather, Inc. will reinvest in psychological safety and belonging through internal workshops, an in-person staff retreat, and coaching around culture, inclusion, belonging, and leadership.

Hebrew College reimagines Jewish learning and leadership for a vibrant, pluralistic Jewish community and an interconnected world. With a 2-year grant, Hebrew College will advance safety and equity across their community by training rabbinical school students on power dynamics and sexual ethics and developing online education courses and resources for those working in the field.

Jewtina y Co. nurtures Latin-Jewish community, identity, leadership, and resiliency.

With a 1-year grant, Jewtina will focus on strengthening its foundation by prioritizing emotional intelligence. This includes offering staff intensive training in emotional intelligence, incorporating feedback and management skills, and providing ongoing social and emotional learning opportunities to support both personal and organizational growth.

The Organization for the Resolution of Agunot (ORA) seeks to eliminate abuse from the Jewish divorce process. With a 1-year grant, ORA’s will strengthen their organization’s culture to foster sustainable growth and impact. They will offer training to support staff and managers, and develop new policies and actions to sustain a culture of respect, inclusion, and belonging within the organization.

Project Shema is a training and support organization focused on addressing 

contemporary antisemitism with an emphasis on how anti-Jewish ideas and implicit biases can be carried alongside conversations about Israel and Palestine.

With a 1-year grant, Project Shema will amplify their culture to ensure psychological safety, enhance creativity, and drive community impact. They will develop policies, review existing infrastructure, create a feedback process, and offer trainings around workplace respect and communications.

SVARA empowers queer and trans people to expand Torah and tradition through the spiritual practice of Talmud study. With a 1-year grant, SVARA will integrate disability justice principles and accessibility practices, build a cohesive, internal framework for responding to accessibility, and build internal capacity around disability and accessibility justice.

Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ) strengthens the voice of women worldwide and empowers them to create caring communities, nurture congregations, cultivate personal and spiritual growth, and advocate for and promote progressive Jewish values.

With a 1-year grant, WRJ will improve ethical consent in the workplace, shift its environment to reflect its recent constitutional redefinition of membership, and offer trainings for staff and lay leadership on feminist, progressive values, diversity and inclusion, and ethics

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Press Contact: Allison Friedman, SRE Network, allison@srenetwork.org

As a network of over 185 Jewish organizations, SRE Network transforms Jewish organizations by advancing gender equity as a lived Jewish value and fostering inclusive workplaces where all women can succeed and drive change. SRE envisions a Jewish professional landscape where every individual thrives, organizations can achieve their missions, and bold, inclusive models of leadership transform the Jewish future. Learn more at: www.srenetwork.org.