Budding Philanthropists Award

About Budding Philanthropists Foundation

We are students from Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel, and we are passionate about helping those in need. Our Budding Philanthropists Foundation (BP Fund) provides grants to individuals or nonprofits who are doing the work of Tikkun Olam, the Jewish concept of healing the world.

The BP Fund is part of the Bar and Bat Mitzvah Curriculum at Ahavath Beth Israel. The class learns about Jewish giving, and they examine their own middot in order to target organizations that will have special meaning for them. They also learn how to practice educated philanthropy by examining all aspects of each grant proposal: the community needs to be met, the impact of the grant (how many people will be affected? how long will it last?), the reasonableness of the budget, and other considerations. All decisions are reached by consensus, and the only decision makers are the 7th graders.

We are excited to share that NECHAMA was chosen as a recipient of the 2020 Budding Philanthropists Foundation $1000 grant award, and Tuesday evening, June 9th our staff and board members attended the virtual award ceremony.

The students of Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel in Boise, ID, Budding Philanthropists, introduced the award recipients and talked about the program and decision process. The Budding Philanthropist award contributes to a shared mission of Tikkun Olam, allowing us to act upon their contribution to bring hope and comfort to those affected by natural disasters. It is a great honor to be selected for this award by our future supporters, volunteers, staff, and board members.

The grant award went towards our recent deployment to Central Michigan, where we assisted an elderly couple whose basement and part of the first floor were severely damaged by the floodwaters.

If your local congregation awards nonprofits who are engaging in Tikkun Olam, we would love an introduction. In the affinity of the Budding Philanthropists, we invite you to match their $1000 grant award.