The Jewish Federation of your area may also provide scholarships or grants. The link here is to the Jewish Federation of North America directory of local Federations. Please use this resource to find the branch closest to where you live.

When dealing with the Federation, the only way to get money is to call their office. If you want to get a scholarship don’t email them. When you call the Federation, ask to speak with the Financial Aid Director or to the person in charge of scholarships. Explain your situation to them (i.e. you’re 25, you want to study at a seminary or yeshiva in Israel, you don’t have any money, etc.). Ask them if you’re eligible to apply to any of their scholarships. If they have a scholarship that you’re eligible for, they’ll either email you an application to fill out or send you to their website where you can fill out the online application.

 

Your Local Synagogue, Kollel, or Rabbi may have funds set aside to help students go to a learning program in Israel. These funds often times are not publicized. Some discrete inquiries however may uncover an otherwise overlooked funding source.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many cities have a Bureau of Jewish Education that give out scholarships to people from there own area. Please contact the Bureau that is closest to where you live for information.

Here is a compilation of specific organizations that administer local scholarships, grants , and bursaries. included are contact information wherever possible to ease communication and make the funding process as successful as possible.

 

The goal is to make this resource complete and accurate. Please contact Shai Mandel with any comments, additions, corrections or to relate your experience in the search for funding.

 

 

Canada

British Columbia:

  • Vancouver: Grants based on financial need are available from the Israel Affairs Department at the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver. Eligibility is limited to Jewish applicants ages 14-26 and are residents of British Columbia. Priority is given to applicants that are making their first trip to Israel, and the maximum scholarship available is $2,500 per applicant. Each student must sign a pledge of community involvement upon their return from Israel which can include speaking about Israel to a group of students or adults, volunteering for service at a Jewish agency, volunteering for service at a community event or participating in Jewish studies. Contact If’at Eilon-Heiber or Michael Pinsky at (604) 257-5100 for more information.

Ontario:

Quebec:

  • Montreal: The Bronfman Israel Experience Centre offers a limited amount of need-based financial assistance for travel on approved Israel programs. For more information, contact Dayna Schwartz at (514) 345-6449, ext 3052.

United States of America

Alabama:

  • Birmingham: The Birmingham Jewish Foundation has a scholarship fund available for teen and young adult Israel trips. It is a need-based scholarship program and a limited amount of money is available. Applicants are referred to the Jewish Family Services for a needs assessment. Contact Sally Friedman at (205) 803-1519 for more information.

Arizona:

California:

Colorado

Connecticut:

  • Danbury: The Teen Israel Experience program is open to all Jewish youth who reside in the jurisdiction of the Jewish Federation. Only those programs approved by the UJC (United Jewish Communities) are suitable for scholarship applications. There is a $1000 cap on merit scholarships and a $2000 cap on financial scholarships, therefore the maximum award for any applicant is $3000. There is no minimum grant. Recipients of the Israel Teen Experience Scholarship are required to “give back” by promoting the program through such means as speaking before synagogue youth groups and/or addressing the Board of Directors of the Jewish Federation. Contact the Federation at (203) 792-6353 for more information.
  • Hartford: The Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford in partnership with the Commission on Jewish Education and Leadership offers need based scholarships of up to $500 to local teens travelling to Israel. Contact Jo LaRocco at (860) 727-6139 for more details.
  • New Haven: The Jewish Federation of Greater Hew Haven provides scholarships to local Jewish teens who travel on authorized programs to Israel. Contact the Sydney Perry at (203) 387-2424 X302 for more information.

Delaware:

Florida:

  • Boca Raton (South Palm Beach County): Administered by the Jewish Education Commission of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County and available to high school students who study in Israel. Scholarships given are either $500 or $1000. ContactZehava Zeldin at (561) 852-6000 for more information.
  • Broward County: Information on need-based financial assistance is administered through the Orloff Central Agency for Jewish Education (CAJE) Israel Experience Center. Contact the Israel Experience Center at (954) 660-2070 for more information.
  • Jacksonville: The Jewish Federation of Jacksonville has Scholarship & Grant possibilities. Ask specifically about the Gift of Israel Vouchers. Please contact Jeanine Hoff at (904) 448-5000 ext. 208 for more information.
  • Miami: The Greater Miami Jewish Federation offers Scholarships (here is the form you need) and financial aid to Jewish teens traveling to Israel. Please email IsraelOverseas@JewishMiami.org or phone (786) 866-8431 for more information. For interest-free loans try the Hebrew Free Loan Association. They can be emailed at info@hflasf.org or phone (415) 546-9902.
  • Palm Beach County: The Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County offers Scholarships to local residents. Please contact Wendy Stahl for more information at (561) 615-4939. Contact Sarah Metzger at (561) 615-4951 for information about B’nai Mitzvah Vouchers and Israel Incentive Grants. There is also the option of the Hebrew Free Loan funding.
  • Sarasota: The Sarasota-Manatee Federation offers scholarships through the Friedman Family Scholarship Fund. Contact Len Steinberg, Assistant Program Director at the Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee on (941) 552-6301 or ext. 106 or Amber Ikeman, Youth Engagement Coordinator on (941) 343-2106 or ext. 105.

Georgia:

  • Atlanta: The Israel Experience program of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta offers $350 for the Passport to Israel program to local young adults between the ages of 15 and 26 who will be participating on an approved program. Contact Meredith Lefkoff at (404) 870-7693 for more information.

Illinois:

  • Chicago: The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago and the Jewish United Fund offer need-based and merit scholarships for high school students traveling to Israel. Applicants must live or attend school in the Chicago area. Call (312) 444-2895 or (312) 444-2904 or e-mail them at IsraelExperience@juf.org for more information.

Indiana:

  • Indianapolis: The Bureau of Jewish Education of Indianapolis can be contacted to find out what scholarships are available: (317) 255-3124. The Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis administers need-based scholarship funds available to local Jewish youth. For more information, contact Patti at (317) 726-5450.

Kansas:

  • Kansas City: The Central Agency for Jewish Education administers scholarships for local Jewish teens traveling to Israel. Contact Elinore Penner at (913) 327-8142 for more information.
  • Wichita: The Mid-Kansas Jewish Federation offers scholarships to all local teens traveling to Israel on an approved program for up to $1500. Requests for additional need-based financial assistance will also be considered. Contact the Federation office at (316) 686-4741 for more information.

Kentucky:

  • Lexington: Scholarships for Israel Experience programs are available through the Central Kentucky Jewish Federation. Applicants must participate in programs with a Jewish and/or Israel educational component and a minimum of 10 days in Israel. Applications are review by a special committee and are strictly confidential. Scholarships are awarded on a first come first served basis. Contact the Israel Scholarship Committee at (859) 269-8244.

Maryland:

  • Baltimore: The Center for Jewish Education’s Community Fund for Israel Experiences provides stipends of various amounts to local Jewish teenagers. Applications are reviewed on a first-come first-served basis. Contact the CFI office at (410) 735-5016 for more information.
  • Rockville: The Partnership for Jewish Life and Learning administers Israel Quest, which provides need-based grants for Jewish teens in living in the Washington, DC metropolitan area to participate in an approved Israel program. Israel Quest funding is disbursed on a first-come, first-served basis, so it is important to apply early. Contact Carol Vederman at (301) 230-7292 for more information.

Massachusetts:

  • Berkshires (Pittsfield): The Jewish Federation of the Berkshires administers the Michael Nathaniel Shute Endowment Fund which provides scholarships for youth trips to Israel. Recipients are selected based on demonstrations of community involvement, educational interest and financial need. Contact the Jewish Federation at (413) 442-4360 ext. 10 for more information.
  • Boston: The Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Boston can be contacted at (617) 965-7350 or through the web site. Also, the Combined Jewish Philanthropies provides scholarships and financial assistance for teenagers traveling to Israel. Contact Will Corrdinwith your questions at (617) 457-8556.
  • Merrimack Valley: The Merrimack Valley Jewish Federation offers grants of $250 to local teens traveling to Israel on an approved Israel program, who live in the Merrimack Valley. The Federation also administers a Gift of Israel incentive savings program. For more information, contact Laurie Mindlin at (978) 688-0466.
  • New Bedford: The Jewish Federation of Greater New Bedford invites applications for financial assistance for high school students to travel in Israel. Students participating in approved programs will be eligible for assistance for the upcoming summer regardless of financial need. Grants are available for Jewish individuals who reside in the Greater New Bedford area. Contact Ellen Hull at (508) 997-7471 for more information.
  • Springfield: The Jewish Federation of Greater Springfield offers a variety of scholarships and grants to Jewish teenagers traveling to Israel. For more information, contact Michelle Lancto, Grants Administrator at (413) 732-9994.

Michigan:

  • Detroit: The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit’s Israel and Overseas Department offers scholarships for local Jewish teenagers traveling on approved programs to Israel. The Department offers both scholarships and trip subsidies. Contact Amy Neistein, Associate Director, at (248) 205-2543 for more information.

Minnesota:

  • Minneapolis: The Louis Herman Israel Experience Fund offers grants to Jewish teens aged 15-18 to travel on approved Israel programs. Teens who receive grants will be asked to volunteer in the Jewish community upon their return, as a way to “give back” and share their experience with others. Contact Andrea Nadel at (952) 417-2334 for more information.
  • St. Paul: The Jewish Federation of Greater St. Paul offers Israel Experience Scholarships to Jewish children and young adults, ages 13-22, for approved Israel travel programs. Applicants who are planning their first trip to Israel will receive priority. Contact Sharyn Effress-Pesses at (651) 695-3186 for more information.

Missouri:

  • St. Louis: The Central Agency for Jewish Education offers a variety of need and merit based scholarships and loans to Jewish teens traveling to Israel. Contact Karen Rader at (314) 442-3756 for more information.

Nebraska:

  • Omaha: The Center for Jewish Education administers a wide variety of scholarships for youth travel to Israel. Many, but not all, of these scholarships have financial need as criteria in determining awards. Contact Mary Sue Grossman, Assistant Executive Director, at (402) 334-6445, for more information.

Nevada:

  • Las Vegas: The Jewish Federation of Las Vegas administers a merit-based scholarship program funded by a partnership of the Welt Fund, the Eisenberg Fund and the Wilner Fund, three local philanthropies. Youth aged 11-21 may apply and their awards may be used towards Israel programs. For more information contact Marjorie Griebel at (702) 732-0556.

New Jersey:

  • Metrowest: United Jewish Communities of Metro West offers a variety of scholarships to local teens traveling to Israel on approved summer programs. Participants must participate in pre-trip educational sessions and be a resident of MetroWest. Qualified participants receive $750 and may receive an additional $250 if their synagogue contributes. Contact Alan Gerberg at (973) 929-3038 for more inf8ormation.
  • Middlesex County: The Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County offers $1,000 grants to local teens for an approved Israel program. Contact Susan Antman at (732) 432-7711 for more information.
  • Monmouth County: The Jewish Federation of Monmouth County offers need-based scholarships to students residing in Monmouth County, NJ. Contact Ariella Lis Raviv at (732) 866-4300 ext 14 for more information.
  • Northern New Jersey: The UJA Federation of Northern New Jersey’s Israel Program Center provides need-based scholarships, merit scholarships, and the Gift of Israel matching gift program. Contact Galeet Lipke at the Israel Programs Center at (201) 820-3908 for more information.
  • Southern New Jersey: The Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey’s Department of Jewish Education offers the Gift of Israel Program and need-based scholarships to local Jewish teens traveling to Israel. Contact Penina Hoffnung at (856) 751-9500 ext 208 for more information. The Jewish Community Foundation also offers the Freda & Sam Yacker Israel Experience Award of up to $3,000 for an approved program (essay required). Please contact Jeff Klein at (856) 673-2521 for more details.

New York:

  • Albany: All Israel scholarships available from Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York are need-based. The applicant must reside in Northeastern New York (Albany, Schenectady, Troy, Saratoga Springs, Glens Falls or the areas immediately surrounding these locations). Contact Deborah Chapman Goldstein at (518) 783-7800 ext. 230 for more information.
  • Buffalo: The Israel Scholarship Committee of the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies for people from Erie and Niagara County. Contact Lisa Collins at (877) 933-6369 for more information. One can also contact The Bureau of Jewish Education directly.
  • New York City area: The Jewish Federation of New York offers a variety of merit and need-based scholarships to high school residents of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Bronx, Queens, Nassau, Suffolk or Westchester. For more information contact the Israel Experience Center at (800) 64-ISRAEL.
  • Rochester: The Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester has scholarships available for Israel experiences. In addition, the Federation administers a Gift of Israel incentive savings fund, which can be used for teens to travel to Israel on approved programs. Contact Rich Gordon, Coordinator of Teen Education and Israel Trips, at (585) 461-0490 for more information.
  • Syracuse: The Syracuse Jewish Federation offers $250 to each high school student who has completed the 10th grade or will complete the 10th grade at the time of his or her Israel trip at the Federation-subsidized Rabbi Epstein Hebrew High School, The Temple Society of Concord Hebrew High School, the Temple Adath Yeshurun Confirmation Class, or if the student has just relocated here, the equivalent at a Hebrew High School in another city. Scholarships are only available to high school students who have not been on an organized peer trip to Israel. All programs must be approved by the Federation. Students are required to attend 1 session prior to their trip and required to recruit others to participate in Israel trips when they return and to share their experiences with the community. The Federation offers an additional scholarship to the same group. The Wolfson scholarship requires students to complete an application, write an essay as well as participate in an interview. Financial need is considered. Contact Rich Friedman at (315) 445-2040 ext. 105 for more information.

North Carolina:

  • Greensboro: Greensboro’s Israel Experience Grant Program offers scholarships to community members ages 16-23 for a first time, peer community trip in high school or college. Contact Rachel Wolf at (336) 852-5433 ext. 229 for more information. There are also a limited number of scholarships based on need and merit offered through the Jacke W. and Lottie K. Samet Israel Experience Scholarship Fund. For more information contact Marcia Hermelin at (336) 852-4829 ext. 222.

Ohio:

  • Akron: The Israel Incentive Savings Program (IISP) is a three-way partnership between a family, its congregation and the Jewish Community Board of Akron. IISP members can travel any time from 10th grade until the age of 26. Contact (330) 869-2424 for more information.
  • Cincinnati: The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati offers Jewish high school students up to $6,500 for travel to Israel on a minimum three-week organized educational peer trip. Students must be from Cincinnati and between the ages of 16 and 23. Contact Karyn Zimerman at (513) 985-1528 for more information.
  • Cleveland: The Jewish Education Center of Cleveland (JECC) administers several programs to help families save for an approved Israel Educational Experience and provide funds to make the trip a reality. Please contact Helen Wolf, Israel Programs Director, (216) 371-0446.
  • Columbus: The Columbus Jewish Federation provides every Jewish teenager in Central Ohio up to $1,500 from the Columbus Jewish Federation towards an educational trip to Israel. The Federation also provides additional need-based scholarships. Contact Nancy Rosen at (614) 559-3250 for more information.
  • Toledo: The Jewish Experience Fund of the United Jewish Council of Greater Toledo provides stipends of up to $1,000 for local teens participating in an approved Israel travel program or other qualifying Jewish summer program. Contact the Department of Jewish Programs at (419) 724-0365 for more information.

Pennsylvania:

  • Allentown: The Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley offers scholarships to local teens for approved trips to Israel and other Jewish educational programs. Contact Mark Goldstein at (610) 821-5500 for more information.
  • Philadelphia: The Philadelphia Jewish Federation administers a Passport to Israel incentive savings fund for teens as well as need-based scholarships for teens, college students and adults wishing to travel, study or volunteer in Israel. The maximum scholarship is $2,500, but no more than half of the program expense. Contact Drew Martin at (215) 832-0530 for more information.
  • Pittsburgh: AJL Pittsburgh offers scholarships for up to $750 to Jewish teenagers traveling on qualified Israel programs during the summer. Priority is given to first time visitors to Israel. Applications are reviewed on a first come, first served basis. For information or a scholarship application, contact Amy Karp at (412) 521-110, ext. 3204.

Rhode Island:

  • Rhode Island: Grants and scholarships are available for Greater Rhode Island residents for high school or college educational programs in Israel. Please contact Larry Katz for more information: (401) 421-5999, ext. 179, or lkatz@shalomri.org. The Bureau of Jewish Education of Rhode Island administers a variety of incentive and need-based grants to Rhode Island residents of high-school age and beyond. Applications, a personal interview and references are required for all students. In addition, all students must participate in an orientation session, (two evenings, for a total of seven hours) and a re-entry session. Contact Elanah Chassen, Israel Desk Coordinator, (401) 421-4111 ext. 140 for more information.

Tennessee:

  • Memphis: The Memphis Jewish Federation offers subsidies of $2,500, and in cases of need up to $3,500, to local youth. Contact Gerri Patterson, Director of Education and Israel Programs at (901) 767-7100 for more information.
  • Nashville: The Jewish Federation of Nashville offers need-based scholarships for trips to Israel for local students. In addition, the Mary & Harry Zimmerman Youth Exchange Endowment Fund supports an Israel Incentive Grant. For more information on how to apply for these opportunities, please contact Steve Edelstein, Executive Director.

Texas:

  • Dallas: The Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas scholarship offers need-based scholarships to students between the ages of 16-26, from Dallas and participating in a trip of at least 10 days that includes some education and some touring of Israel. There is no deadline for application. Contact Sheila Gardner at (214)-239-7131 for more information.
  • Houston: The Jewish Federation of Greater Houston’s Bureau of Jewish Education offers scholarships and grants to families who need assistance in order to enable their children to participate in Jewish educational experiences, such as peer-group trips to Israel. For more information, contact Paulette Walden at (713) 729-7000, ext. 309.

Washington:

  • Seattle: The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle offers scholarships to Jewish teenagers traveling to Israel. Click here to learn more.
  • Southern Illinois: The Federation of Southern Illinois offers $500 subsidies and low interest loans to teens who are Federation members and wish to travel to Israel on an approved program. Contact the Federation at (618) 398-6100 for more information.

Wisconsin:

  • Milwaukee: The Milwaukee Jewish Federation’s Israel Center has established an incentive program for young people to visit Israel, as well as scholarships for Jewish camps and travel programs. The distribution of the fund is managed by the Shlicha in accordance with the program principles. Contact Rakefet Ginsburg at (414) 390-5722 for more information.