Teen Philanthropists Seek Applicants for $10,000

The Atlanta Jewish Teen Foundation has issued a request for proposals for the grants it will award in the spring.

The decisions on how to award $10,000 in grants will be made by the 21 Jewish high school students from the Atlanta area who are the foundation’s 2015-16 members. The group’s mission statement this year: “The Atlanta Jewish Teen Foundation (AJTF) strives to positively impact the Jewish community by funding organizations that focus on the fields of educational assistance, medical research and mental illness. We give special consideration to those that promote the therapeutic usage of animals in the cases of education assistance and mental illness.”

The foundation, a philanthropic initiative of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta that is sponsored by law firm Greenberg Traurig, was founded to give Jewish students the opportunity to engage in and learn about collective philanthropy.

Get The AJT Newsletter by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up

The RFP targets programs, projects and organizations that promote aid to medical research, mental illness or educational assistance. Applicants must have the 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. The full RFP and grant application are available at www.jewishatlanta.org/teenrfp. Applications are due by 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22, to Jillian Wagenheim at jwagenheim@jewishatlanta.org.

The 21 high school sophomores and juniors participating in the foundation go through months of training in interactive sessions to learn to use the tools of strategic philanthropy and explore how to apply Jewish values and teachings related to tzedakah and communal responsibility. They gain skills in planning, communication, social services, grant processing and the group processes necessary to effect change in the world.

The students will decide the size and number of grants to make with the $10,000. The awards will be made in mid-May.