JHF Increases Annual Block Grant to $1M for Pittsburgh Jewish Health Agencies
Type: News
The Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF) celebrates more than three decades and over $90 million in grantmaking to Pittsburgh’s Jewish community as it enters a new era—marked by direct engagement, strategic alignment, measurable impact, and an increased annual block grant of $1 million.
Since its founding in 1991, JHF has made substantial annual investments in community health programs serving older adults, youth, and underserved members of Pittsburgh’s Jewish community. This enduring commitment honors the legacy of Montefiore Hospital, whose sale provided the funds to establish JHF.
Members of the Squirrel Hill and South Hills JCC Memory Café engage in a reminiscence therapy exercise placing figures on a map showing where they were born, where they had traveled, and where they hoped to visit in the future.
Central to JHF’s commitment to the Jewish community is the block grant—initially $750,000 annually, becoming $900,000 annually in 1999, and now $1 million—distributed to core Jewish agencies that provide supportive and direct healthcare services for families and individuals; wellness programs for individuals of all ages; mental health services; food assistance; and a continuum of care for older adults.
“This is about enhancing our investment in our esteemed Jewish health and mental health agencies,” said Karen Wolk Feinstein, PhD, president and CEO of JHF. “We want to make meaningful, measurable change in meeting the needs of our community – and we’re proud to be working alongside these agencies to do just that.”
Including its financial investments, the Foundation’s expertise and leadership has contributed to numerous new programs, some initiated in collaboration with current block grant recipients, including: the Jewish Association on Aging (JAA); Squirrel Hill Health Center (SHHC); Squirrel Hill Food Pantry; JCC Memory Café; The Beacon; UpStreet Pittsburgh; Closure: end-of-life education; purchase of automated external defibrillators and Stop the Bleed training for Jewish agencies and synagogues; Jewish genetic education and testing; breast cancer (BRCA1 and BRCA2) education and research; funding for The Branch; the Virtual Senior Academy; a social worker at Riverview Towers; and ongoing funding to the Jewish Cemetery and Burial Association of Greater Pittsburgh and the Jewish Assistance Fund. Over the past 34 years, the JHF block grant has provided 60% of local Jewish agency funding through the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh for health and mental health with the other 40% coming from the Jewish Federation.
“We appreciate the Jewish Healthcare Foundation’s longstanding and deep commitment to the community’s aging and human needs agenda, including a $2.5 million contribution to the Jewish Community Center (JCC) during the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Jason Kunzman, president and CEO of the JCC of Greater Pittsburgh. “Their annual block grant has helped support a number of agencies within the Jewish community to serve those who rely on our services the most, and we look forward to this robust partnership continuing under the new funding model.”
The Foundation has also provided ongoing contributions to Israel, including to Israel Bonds, Magen David Adom, Clalit Health Services, and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC).
Youth gather at JCFS's UpStreet Pittsburgh to work together on a project centered on mental health. Photo by Maranie Rae Photography
“The Jewish Healthcare Foundation’s generous support to JFCS allows us to continue meeting the rising and evolving needs of our community in the face of shifting federal policies and funding landscapes,” said Jewish Family and Community Services (JFCS) Pittsburgh President and CEO Dr. Jordan Golin. “Just as importantly, it has fueled bold new community-wide initiatives like the Collaborative for Immigrant Impact that bring together partners across sectors to create lasting change for Pittsburgh's immigrant communities.”
Starting on January 1, 2025, JHF increased its block grant to a minimum of $1 million annually and on July 1 began distributing the funds directly. The change will allow JHF to align this annual grantmaking more closely with its mission of advancing healthcare innovation, advocacy, collaboration, and education.
JHF will continue to support the JCC of Greater Pittsburgh, JFCS Pittsburgh, JAA, and SHHC to whom it has directed funds for the past 30 years to advance programs providing services for aging, teen mental health, and overall health. This increase of funding will also facilitate ongoing conversations for enhanced programming, and potentially, new funding and service partnerships within and beyond the Jewish community. The block grant funding increase is in addition to the $500,000 in grants announced on April 8 that went to SHHC ($250,000) and the Collaborative for Immigrant Impact ($250,000), for which JFCS is the founding organization.
“For more than 19 years, Squirrel Hill Health Center has been a living testament to JHF’s vision and foresight in creating a federally qualified health center specifically designed to provide the highest quality care to refugees and immigrants, as well as to American born patients. We are proud of our roots, of the role we have played in helping make Pittsburgh a vibrant and healthy home for thousands of New Americans, and of our self-sufficiency as we have flourished throughout two decades of rapid societal changes,” said SHHC President and CEO Susan Friedberg Kalson. “This year, as SHHC faces unprecedented challenges to our mission, financial stability, and to our patients’ safety and well-being, we are grateful to JHF for stepping forward with a generous block grant. JHF was there for us at our inception and is there for us now, helping us navigate what might otherwise be existential threats, so that we can continue to fulfill our promise to care for all who live in our region.”
A lot has changed since 1991 when the block grant was established. No one would have guessed that the new foundation would grow to over 40 staff, an annual income of approximately $30 million, four different boards all with expertise in health and human services, a sophisticated allocations process, and networks across the state, country, and world. Most notably, the new structure will enable the JHF to do more than fund programs – but to seek additional outside contributions. With a knowledgeable staff of subject matter experts, JHF will support grantees financially and strategically.
“JHF brings a passion for the agencies within the block grant, an eye to growth opportunities, and strategic and creative talent,” said Daniel Rosen, PhD, MSW, executive vice president of JHF. “We are very enthusiastic that our assets, imagination, contacts, and available unrestricted funds could add value to the block grant funding.”
“We thank the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh for managing the allocations process over the years, but it is time for JHF to maximize the impact of our investments,” Dr. Feinstein said. “We have our own respected allocation process. We plan to increase funding for collaborations among our Jewish agencies for services to seniors, adolescent mental health, and disease prevention. These are areas where we have an abundance of passion as well as staff, volunteers, and networks with deep content knowledge.”
