In response to increasing antisemitic threats and attacks, Jewish Federation Los Angeles (JFEDLA), in partnership with several groups, has announced $500,000 in security grants to be distributed to 52 Jewish nonprofits across Los Angeles.
The grants, ranging from $7,500 to $10,000, are being awarded through a unique collaboration between JFEDLA, Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles and Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), in partnership with the Tepper Foundation, a New Jersey-based philanthropic organization founded by Jewish hedge fund manager David Tepper.
The funds, according to JFEDLA, will provide for vital security personnel for organizations, institutions and groups primarily serving children. The grant recipients are 31 synagogues, 12 schools, four camps, five community centers and other nonprofits in Los Angeles.
“As we have seen time and again recently — from Boulder, Colorado to the streets of our nation’s capital to right here in Los Angeles — Jews in America are under attack. The situation is dire and urgent, and we must do everything in our power to keep our community safe,” JFEDLA CEO Rabbi Noah Farkas said in a June 30 statement. “We are grateful to The Tepper Foundation, the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles, and everyone involved who helped make this vital grant and partnership happen.”
The announcement marks the second time in the past year that these groups — JFEDLA, Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles and JFNA in partnership with the Tepper Foundation — have awarded security grants in collaboration with each other. Combined with last year’s grants to 55 Jewish nonprofits, their relationship has yielded nearly $2 million through more than 100 grants to help better protect the Los Angeles Jewish community.
Protecting the community has long been a JFEDLA priority. Its Community Security Initiative (CSI), launched in 2012, helps the LA Jewish community more effectively stay in dialogue with local, state and federal emergency services, while serving as a single point of contact for critical incident coordination, information sharing, safety and security training.
And with the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles’ expertise in strategic grantmaking, a partnership focused on community security grants was a natural one, according to Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles President Rabbi Aaron Lerner.
“Los Angeles has a diverse and active Jewish community. These security grants, based on the Jewish value of pikuach nefesh [saving a life], aim to ensure that we can continue our activities safely,” Lerner said. “Our collaboration with JFEDLA enables us to quickly distribute these security grants, addressing safety concerns for Jewish Angelenos who want to congregate, pray, study, celebrate and express their values peacefully.”
Among the recipients of the just-announced grants are Beth Jacob Congregation in Beverly Hills, IKAR, Sephardic Temple, Sinai Temple, de Toledo High School, Shalhevet High School, Valley Torah High School, Camp Ramah in California, Habonim Dror Camp Gilboa and Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles.
A full list of grant recipients is available at jewishla.org/2025-security-grants-for-the-jewish-community/
