SRE Network invests in strengthening the capacity of Jewish organizations through grantmaking so that Jewish communities will be strengthened, become more cohesive, experience healing, and have deeper trust in each other, their institutions, and leaders. Over the past six years, SRE has invested over $6.5M across 108 projects and 52 organizations through its grantmaking, technical assistance, and partnerships.

Throughout the year, we provide grants to outstanding Jewish organizations whose organizations and projects focus on advancing the safety, respect, and equity across North America’s Jewish communal landscape. Over the coming weeks, we will shine the spotlight on SRE's twelve extraordinary spring 2024 field building grant recipients.

This week, we are excited to introduce you to JCC Association of North America (JCC Association).

About JCC Association

JCC Association of North America leads and connects the JCC Movement, advancing and enriching North American Jewish life. With more than 35,000 full- and part-time and 20,000 seasonal staff, the JCC Movement is the largest employer of Jewish communal professionals across North America.

About the Grant

With a two-year grant, JCC Association will create and implement a JCulture Intensive program that will provide education and support to individual JCCs that are committed to beginning or continuing to ensure safe, respectful, and equitable workspaces. This program will offer foundational training to senior-level professionals who will make up each JCC’s Task Force Team (TFT), elevating their awareness and understanding across a diverse workforce at their JCC.

Q&A with JCC Association

SRE: Why is JCC Association excited to receive this grant? What change do you hope this grant will bring to your organization and the important work it does?

JCC Association: We at JCC Association know that people working at JCCs need to feel safe and respected to do their best work. We are excited to be able to provide training to senior level staff who will help foster the kind of culture that each person needs to bring their whole self to their work. The staff who work at JCCs are the key to successful programming. We need to help them thrive in healthy environments.

SRE: How has being a member of SRE Network impacted JCC Association?

JCC Association: We were an early member of SRE. In 2018 we raised our hand and said we would join the effort to bring training and awareness to JCCs across North America. Being a member agency of SRE has enhanced the focus of healthy workspaces, internally and in the 175 JCCs in our system. We have benefited from the networking opportunities, the partnerships in this effort and the grants we have received.

SRE: What is your hope for the future of the broader Jewish nonprofit landscape?

JCC Association: Our long term hope is that we do not need to have these conversations or these conferences because safe, respectful and equitable workspaces will be the norm. People will not need to be trained in how to behave properly and gender equity will not be a topic to dwell on. In the meantime, we will continue to bang the drum and bring awareness far and wide, providing the training platform that is needed to ensure our staff are heard, respected and well taken care of.

Learn more about JCC Association here.

###