The Havurah Initiative (HI) encourages and provides funding for the formation of ongoing, intimate, peer-led groups that share and explore a Jewish focus of their own choosing. Havurot bring a richness of Jewish experience, personal meaning and interpersonal connection to their members.
Independent havurot (connected to HGF) will follow these guidelines. Havurot that are part of a partnering organization will follow the guidelines specific to that organization.
Each havurah that forms as part of the HI program will have a Connector who brings people together based on shared Jewish interests.
What is the role of the Connector?
- Reach out to individuals who are looking for a Jewish connection; listen to their interests and ideas.
- Convene with prospective members and facilitate an initial meeting to discuss group goals, focus, and next steps.
- Help the group develop expectations around scheduling, communication, and decision-making.
- Facilitate the members of the group taking full ownership of all aspects of the havurah.
- Bring the support and resources offered by the HGF HI to the attention of the havurah
- Attend sessions with other connectors and HGF HI staff for training, workshops, and idea sharing.
- Complete a brief trimester report highlighting havurah developments, progress, challenges, and successes.
- Stay in regular contact with HI staff.
- Background checks are a requirement to be a connector in the HI.
Who qualifies?
To be eligible for the role of a connector in the HI, the individual must
- Be a resident of Franklin, Hampden, or Hampshire counties
- Be Jewish
- If there are co-connectors, at least one of the connectors must identify as Jewish
- Help to initiate and guide a havurah in its formation stage
Havurot guidelines and expectations
For a havurah to qualify, it must
- Have a minimum of seven people
- Meet nine times a year or more
- Have a Jewish focus
- Share leadership among its members
What funding is available?
- Connectors will receive $1,000 grant for participating in the HI for the first two years of the havurah in addition to up to $1,000 for program expenses.
- Grant is paid in three trimester payments contingent upon completion of trimester reports and meeting expectations of HI.
- Because of COVID-19, up to an additional $1,000 per year is available for program expenses and materials for Year 3 Liaisons.
How does funding work?
If approved for the role of a connector in the HI, grant payments will be issued three times per year ($333 per trimester) based on completion of required reports. The check will be made out to the Connector and mailed to the Connector’s address.
Additionally, Connectors will have up to $1,000 per year to use toward program expenses and materials. Receipts must be submitted with the report.
Havurot by Organization
Independent Havurot
- Multiracial Families
- Yedidot/Jewish Women's Spirituality
- Strong Aging/Life Balance
- Families With Teens
- Gardening
- Jewish Creativity
- Fathers
- Young Adults of Franklin County
- Young Families
- Young Rural Families
- Hadrachim: The Way Young Adults
- Jewish Theatre Makers
Prospective
- Inter-Generational Hiking
- Family Music
- College Students
Congregation B'nai Israel
- First Friday
- Caregivers
- Hearing Our Voices
- Shabbat Dinner
- South Street
- Ohel Minyan
Prospective
Jewish Community of Amherst
- Recent Empty Nesters
- Approaching Empty Nesters
- Yiddish Readers
- Hikers Havurah
- Mah Jongg
- Jewish Food & Conversation
Prospective
- Parent's Havurah
- Jewish Women's Study Group
- Art Making
JCC Springfield
- Book Club
- Hiking
- Film
- Civil Rights
- Young Families
- Shabbat Dinners
- Challah Baking
Prospective
Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford
- East of the River
- Farmington Valley Families with Young Children
- Minyanettes
- Mitzvah Mamas Aleph
- Descendants of Holocost Survivors
- Shevet (LGBTQ+)
- Nafshenu
Prospective
- ECC/PJ Young Families
- Dog Havurah
- Jewish Art
- Congregation Beth Israel
- Beth El Temple
- Solomon Shechter Families
- Story Telling
- Yiddish Language & Culture
- Parents of Children with Developmental Disabilities
Jewish Federation of New york
- Stand Together
- Schenectady Young Families
- Hebrewly
- Teva Trails
- Active Empty Nesters
- Horei Olim
- Summit at Mill Hill
- Mature Machers & Mavens
- Yarn mitzvah
Prospective
- Single Jewish Parents
- Interfaith Families
- Joc Family & Friends
- Active Singles
- Jewish Childless by Choice
- Local Jewish Writers
- Cooking
Need help?
For any general questions about the HGF’s Havurah Initiative or for questions regarding the online grant system, please email grants@hgf.org.
Disclaimer
The Harold Grinspoon Foundation reserves the right to decline any application.
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