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
- Gardening
- Holyoke Families with Teens
- Yedidot - Jewish Women's Spirituality
- Aging/Life Balance
- Multi-Cultural Households
- Jewish Creatives
- Jewish Theatre Makers
- Queeries
- Momentum Moms
- Grateful Dads
Prospective
- LGA Kita Bet
- Israeli Dancing
- Hebrew Chant
- Families with Young Children
- Hiking
- Camp Ramah Families
Congregation B'nai Israel
- First Friday
- Caregivers
- Hearing Our Voices
- Shabbat Dinner
- South Street
- Ohel Minyan
- Hilltowns
- Israel Politics and Culture
- Mah Jongg
- Healing Circle
- Jewish Veg Pod
- Village Hill Havurah
Prospective
- Queer Torah
- Shabbat Dinner For Families
- New Member Shabbat Dinner
Jewish Community of Amherst
- Recent Empty Nesters
- Approaching Empty Nesters
- Yiddish Readers
- Hikers Havurah
- Mah Jongg
- Great Jewish Thinkers
- Nosh & Natter
- Group Art Making
Prospective
- Parent's Havurah
- Jewish Women's Study
- Baking
- Multi-Racial Families
JCC Springfield
- Civil Rights
- Film
- Hiking
- Young Families
- Teen
- Book Club
- Shabbat Dinners
- Challah
- Kindergarten
- Westfield
Prospective
- Interracial Family Havurah
Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford
- Minyanettes
- Mitzvah Mamas Aleph
- Farmington Valley Families with Young Children
- Descendants of Holocost Survivors
- Shevet LGBTQ+ Havurah
- Brew Crew
- Nafshenu
Prospective
- Schechter Families (Parents & Families)
- JCC in Conjunction w/ PJ Library
- Congregation Beth Israel
- Beth El Temple
- Yiddish Language & Culture
- Jewish Young Professionals
- Jewish Art
- Feminism and the Talmud
- Parents of Children with Special Needs
Jewish Federation of New york
- Schenectady Young Families
- Hebrewly
- Active Empty Nesters
- Mature Machers & Mavens
- Mindfulness Havurah
- Teva Trails
Prospective
- Settlers of Catan
- Young Families of Clifton Park
- Yarn mitzvah
- Horei Olim
- Second Schenectady Young Families
- Parents of Bar/Bat/B'Nai Mitzvah Aged Children
- Jews Of Color
- Single Jewish Parents
Jewish Communities of Vermont
- LGBTQ+
- Monthly Shabbat Dinner
- Jewish Outdoors
Prospective
- Young Adult Havurah
- Parenting Havurah
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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