Jewish Federations launch a $35 million fund to hire 100 community-relations staff in 120 cities

The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) announced on October 21 a $35 million initiative, Frontline, that will pay for about 100 new community-relations and advocacy staff through grants to 120 local federations, JNS reported.

JFNA is the umbrella organization for local Jewish Federations, the community charities that raise and distribute money for Jewish social services, education and security in their regions. Frontline is backed by more than 25 funders, according to JNS and The Jerusalem Post. Neither outlet named them.

What will the new staff do?

They will work on government advocacy, schools and colleges, and partnerships with other faith and civic groups. The new positions focus on local and state government advocacy, K-12 and higher education, and interfaith and intergroup partnerships, according to both reports. The grants add staff to existing federation teams, and JFNA will supply professional training, shared tools and expert guidance.

JNS reported one local grant, announced separately: the Minneapolis and St. Paul Jewish Federations received nearly $290,000 over two years to fund a director of labor and civic partnerships. The announcement did not say how the 100 positions will be spread across communities or give an overall hiring timeline, JNS reported.

"Federations have been deeply engaged in the work of community relations and civic engagement for decades," Shira Hutt, executive vice president of JFNA, said, according to The Jerusalem Post. She told JNS that "Frontline invests in the people, relationships and resources our communities need to meet this moment with a sustained, strategic response."

Why now?

JFNA tied the initiative to the rise in antisemitism since the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. Citing FBI data, JFNA said 1,528 anti-Jewish hate crimes were reported in the United States in 2025, down from 1,938 in 2024 but still the third-highest total on record, and that Jews were targeted in 64% of religiously motivated hate crimes, JNS reported. Polling cited by JFNA found that 65% of U.S. Jews say the country has a significant amount of antisemitism, up from 45% in 2020, the Post reported; the poll was not named.

"In the aftermath of October 7, our community was very disappointed to see that many people we thought were our allies stayed silent," said Julie Platt, chair of Frontline and immediate past board chair of JFNA, according to the Post.

What is the model?

LiveSecure, a $130 million security initiative the federation system launched after the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh. In 2018, fewer than 20 communities had professionally managed security programs that met the needed standards; within four years LiveSecure had expanded that to more than 140, the Post reported.

Frontline also funds existing programs: Project Halo, a messaging hub for guidance on security and Israel advocacy; Student to Student, a high school program in 50 communities that has reached more than 60,000 students over three years; One Mitzvah A Day, a mobilization platform with a daily list of 25,000 people; and year-round training, according to both outlets.

What can other networks take from it?

A way to fund local staff from the center. In our view, the notable choice is that the money buys people, not programs. National networks often pass down campaigns or toolkits; Frontline instead pays for staff positions in local affiliates and backs them with shared training, the same structure that let LiveSecure scale. It differs from looser collaborations such as the nine funders pledging $500 million without pooling the money, because here a central body makes the grants.

The open questions are the ones any board should ask of a staff grant: what happens to the positions when the grant ends, and how success will be measured. The one local grant reported so far runs two years. Affiliates taking such grants can plan now for how they would sustain the roles, and track the terms the way they would any restricted gift.