2026 Gordon Lentzner Community Impact Grants

Application Deadline: March 2, 2026

 
About Jewish Long Beach 
Over the course of six years beginning in 2020, the integration of the following organizations established and grew the Jewish Long Beach organization: Jewish Federation of Greater Long Beach and West Orange County, Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Long Beach and West Orange County, and the Barbara and Ray Alpert Jewish Community Center. 
 
Jewish Long Beach’s current Strategic Plan establishes broad priorities and a philosophical lens for carrying out the agency's functions in service of our mission. Jewish Long Beach’s mission, vision, and aspirations for the future form the heart of the strategic plan.  
 
Mission: Guided by Jewish values and culture, we seek to inspire the community by improving lives, building bridges of understanding and inclusion, and supporting the Jewish people here, in Israel, and around the world. 
 
Vision: To build and sustain, now and for future generations, a vibrant Jewish community committed to fostering tikkun olam (repairing the world) and the well-being of all people through visionary leadership, giving, and meaningful experiences for all. 
 
Strategic Aspiration: Jewish Long Beach will unite and activate participation across our entire community.   
 
Grants Goal: Unite and activate participation across our entire community. 
The strategic aspiration informs Jewish Long Beach’s selections through 2026, including which projects and programs to fund.  As a grant provider, Jewish Long Beach seeks to support projects and programs that: 
(Unite) Welcome and connect all ages/life stages/backgrounds around a set of shared values and experiences; 
(Activate) Create engagement that inspires community members to ‘choose Jewish’ in their daily lives; 
(Participation) Engage the participation of a much larger portion of our community; and 
(Across our Entire Community) Expand our reach, consistent with our mission, to complement the experiences we provide today. 
 
Jewish Long Beach seeks to fund programs that support this strategic aspiration, particularly in areas not currently a core focus of JLB, by leveraging the skills, talents, connections, and resources of other community organizations.  
 
Specifically, for the 2026 year, Jewish Long Beach is seeking to support programs that create opportunities for engagement and build connections for the following populations: school-age children, teens, and young adults.  
One of the goals of the grants program is to use these resources to benefit the greater good of the entire Jewish Long Beach community. We will prioritize programs that have the potential to impact beyond the typical target population. For example, this might include offering training sessions to share best practices with the broader Jewish community, organizing discussion panels, or hosting mixer events with activities designed for all age groups. 
Grant Amount: 
 
Organizations may apply for grants for up to $20,000. The grant period is one year.  Organizations may apply for, and may be eligible for, no more than two grants.  
 
Jewish Long Beach encourages collaboration between organizations within Long Beach and West Orange County as well as between Jewish organizations in Long Beach and West Orange County and Jewish Organizations in Israel or other parts of the world. Agencies and synagogues are encouraged to think innovatively about joint and/or simultaneous collaborations. Collaborations on a project may involve another agency or synagogue, or may fund new Jewish networks for business, cultural, language, or economic ties in Greater Long Beach, the country, Israel, or other parts of the world. The grants committee may add up to $10,000 to awards when we determine that two or more organizations have come together in innovative and collaborative ways.  

Funding Process

• All grant applications must use this form
• Awarded funds must be used during the project’s specified timeframe. Any unused funds will revert to Jewish Long Beach. An extension may be granted upon request, at Jewish Long Beach's sole discretion. 
• Applications for new, creative, and innovative programs will be given priority. Repeat applications, or applications for ongoing programs, will be given lower priority. 
• Funds may not be used for any other program or for other organizational operating expenses. 
• All grants must be approved by the Jewish Long Beach Board of Directors.  
  Jewish Long Beach offers a separate scholarship program. Therefore, scholarship grant applications from organizations will not be considered for the Gordon Lentzner Community Impact Grants Program. Click here to learn more about our Scholarship program. 

Application Requirements

• Local Jewish Community Agencies, Organizations, and Synagogues are eligible to apply individually or in collaborative partnerships.

• Each organization must provide its EIN number.

• While Jewish Long Beach (JLB) may support applicant organizations in a myriad of ways, JLB cannot be designated as a collaborative partner in grant applications.

• Applicants must attend one of the two virtual JLB Grants Information Sessions, February 10 (7:00 pm) or February 23 (7:00 pm)

• Applicants commit to demonstrating measurable outcomes as a result of the funded program based on the template provided by Jewish Long Beach.

• First time applicants need to furnish JLB with their Articles of Incorporation.

• Applicants commit to acknowledging Jewish Long Beach in all promotional materials related to funded programs and projects (including social media and electronic communications).

• Applicants must agree to provide copies of all publicity and media coverage at the time of dissemination and as part of the final report.

• Applicants will be asked for verbal progress reports throughout the year. A final written evaluation report – describing outcomes of the program – will be required at the end of the grant period on an online form provided by Jewish Long Beach.