The Covenant
Grants
The Covenant Foundation grants provide funding to help creative Jewish educators develop and implement significant and financially responsible approaches to Jewish education that are potentially adaptable in other settings.
Apply for a Grant
Follow these steps:About Our Grants
Deadline for Letters of Inquiry: February 24, 2026
Letters of Inquiry that fall outside of The Covenant Foundation’s parameters for funding will not be considered. Please read the following information carefully and contact the Foundation if you have questions.
The 2026 Covenant Grants
The Covenant Foundation invites applications for innovative programs in Jewish schools, community organizations, and other institutional settings. These grants will provide funding to help creative Jewish educators develop and implement significant and financially responsible approaches to Jewish education that are potentially adaptable in other settings. Covenant Grants may also be awarded for projects whose purpose is to disseminate particularly effective existing programs.
Jump to: About Signature and Ignition Grants | Applying for a Covenant Grant | Project Director | Eligibility |Selection Criteria | Past Recipients | Important Dates and Links
Eligibility
Any institutions, agencies, or organizations involved in the field of Jewish education (i.e. day schools, congregational schools, central agencies of Jewish education, Jewish community centers, summer camps, or museums) are eligible. Only a tax-exempt, non-profit organization may serve as the sponsoring organization of a Covenant Grant.
The Covenant Foundation only funds programming in North America.
Covenant Grants will not be made to support feasibility studies, assessment studies, or basic research in Jewish education, nor will The Covenant Foundation contribute to capital expansion projects, student scholarships, or ongoing operating support.
Organizations may only submit one grant application per cycle.
Organizations must use the budget estimate templates provided by the Foundation for Ignition and Signature Grants at both the Letter of Inquiry and Full Proposal stage.
About Signature and Ignition Grants
The Covenant Foundation has two Grant categories, Signature and Ignition. Applicants may submit a Letter of Inquiry in only one of these categories in any given year.
In the past, Signature Grants did not exceed $150,000, with generally no more than $50,000 per year for up to three years. The Covenant Foundation is pleased to announce that, beginning in 2026, it has increased the maximum amount it will accept in a grant request. Signature Grant applicants may now request up to $225,000, with no more than $75,000 per year for up to three years.
Ignition Grants are designed to explore new, untested ideas or to determine how established practices can become even more effective. An Ignition Grant is appropriate for an exciting idea that is not yet ready for a multi-year Signature Grant, perhaps because the organization needs time to develop necessary capacity and expertise. As with Signature Grants, beginning in 2026, The Covenant Foundation has increased the maximum amount it will accept in an Ignition Grant request. Ignition Grant applicants may now request up to $35,000 for one year.
There is no minimum dollar amount associated with a Covenant Grant.
Applying for a Covenant Grant
The application process is composed of two parts. First, applicants should submit a brief Letter of Inquiry (LOI) and background information about the applying organization. Letters of Inquiry must be received via our online portal by 5:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday, February 24, 2026. The Covenant Foundation Grants Selection Committee will then review all Letters of Inquiry.
By mid-March 2026, the Committee will invite those applicants whose letters are judged to be most promising to submit Full Proposals. The Foundation must receive these proposals, the second part of the application process, via our online portal by 5:00 p.m. EST on Monday, May 18, 2026. The Committee will also notify applicants not invited to submit Full Proposals by mid-March 2026. The Foundation will notify all those who submitted Full Proposals of the outcome of the Selection Committee’s deliberations in late December 2026.
Project Director
The role of the Project Director is pivotal to the success of the grant. Each proposal must identify a Project Director who will supervise all aspects of the project throughout the grant period. The Foundation makes a special investment in each Project Director by providing professional development and support. Every cohort of Project Directors is a community of colleagues. Signature Grant Project Directors should be prepared to attend a two-day retreat of Project Directors in 2026 and each year thereafter for the duration of the grant. Project Directors for all grants should expect to communicate with The Covenant Foundation regularly throughout the grant period.
Selection Criteria
All proposals will be assessed by The Covenant Foundation Selection Committee for the significance of the issues addressed; potential contribution to the field; the importance and clarity of their educational objectives; the quality of the proposed program; and the feasibility of its implementation. The Committee will also discuss expected short and long-term outcomes of the project. Additionally, the Committee will consider the extent to which the program will benefit other groups beyond those immediately served and whether there are any plans for dissemination.
The Committee seeks to know how the program will be funded after the grant period ends, if it is to continue. Grants are generally not eligible for renewal at the end of the grant cycle.
Past Recipients
The best guide to the range of projects that receive Covenant Grants is the list of current and past grant recipients on our website. Over the past 34 years, The Covenant Foundation has awarded 354 Signature Grants and 115 Ignition Grants to support innovation and excellence in Jewish education. We encourage you to add to this wonderful enterprise.
Important Dates and Links
The Letter of Inquiry is due via the Foundation’s online portal by 5:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday, February 24, 2026. Due to the volume of letters received we cannot make exceptions to this deadline.
The Covenant Foundation will be in contact with all applicants in March 2026 regarding the status of their grant application.
All applicants invited to submit a Full Proposal must submit the complete Full Proposal via the Foundation’s online portal by 5:00 p.m. EST on Monday, May 18, 2026.
The outcome of the 2025 Covenant Grants process will be announced in December 2026.
Links:
Contact information:
The Covenant Foundation
45 Rockefeller Plaza, Suite 2300
New York, NY 10111
212-245-3500
How to Apply 1: The Letter of Inquiry
How to Apply for a Covenant Grant
Please be sure that you have read all of the information under “About Our Grants” before proceeding.
Letters of Inquiry that fall outside The Covenant Foundation’s parameters for funding will not be considered.
Part 1. Letter of Inquiry
The process begins with a Letter of Inquiry (LOI), which has four parts: a cover sheet, a brief description of the proposed project, an approximate budget, and a narrative budget statement. The description of the proposed project should not exceed 700 words on 8 ½” x 11” double-spaced, typed pages, using 12-point Times New Roman font with 1” margins. The pages must be numbered. This cover sheet is generated using the information you provide to us in the LOI Application Form (under step 4), and is emailed to you with your confirmation of submission.
The LOI must be submitted via our online portal. The applicant should review all guidelines thoroughly before submitting it online. Online applications are due by 5:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday, February 24, 2026 without exception. Please note that application materials received after the above-mentioned deadline will not be considered.
Instructions for preparing the four parts of the Letter of Inquiry are as follows:
- Cover Sheet. The first part of the LOI is a cover sheet containing the following background information, which the applicant creates by completing the online form in step 4. You will receive an email confirmation, which includes your downloadable cover sheet once you have submitted your application. Please note, if you are experiencing difficulties receiving the confirmation email, it may have been flagged as “spam” or “junk.” We ask that as a first course of action, you check these folders prior to reaching out to the Foundation for assistance.
- Most current name, mailing address, telephone numbers, website, and approximate annual operating budget of the applying institution. Please note that this is the contact information we will use to contact the Project Director for the duration of the grant process
- Note: If you will be using a Fiscal Sponsor, you must provide information from the Fiscal Sponsor indicating that the agency is committed to serving in this capacity for the length of the grant as well as the name and email address of the individual there who will serve as point person. This information must be received by the Foundation in the form of a letter of intent from the Fiscal Sponsor agency. When submitting your grant application materials, please include this letter among them.
- Name of the person who will serve as the Project Director and the email address where he or she can be reached. This person will be responsible for all correspondence with the Foundation.
- Proposed project information:
- Type of grant (Signature or Ignition)
- Length of grant
- Dollar amount of grant
- Title of the proposed project. If there is no official title at this time, please create a tentative title.
- One sentence that explains what the organization hopes to accomplish with a Covenant Grant: “[name of institution] requests $[x] over [x] years to fund [or support, disseminate, create, expand]…[x].”
- A brief description of the institution running the program.
- Name of Authorized Person: The person from your organization who is authorized to approve the submission, such as the Executive Director or the Principal of a school.
- Brief Description of Proposed Program. The second part of the LOI consists of a brief description of the proposed program, which should not exceed 700 words. This description must include the following:
- The need in the Jewish community addressed by the project.
- Any work your organization has done previously to address this need (e.g. pilot projects or other exploratory activities).
- What will be done during the course of the project, who will do it, and in what order. Include specific activities (i.e. recruitment, hiring, marketing, courses, sessions, or curriculum development).
- Target audience for the project.
- How the proposed project differs from existing ones and represents an innovation in current practice.
- The specific results or outcomes of your project (i.e. the changes you hope will occur among the target audience of this project), and how these intended outcomes flow logically from your project design.
- Budget Estimate. The third part of the LOI consists of an approximate budget. In order for an application to be considered, the Signature and Ignition budget templates provided by the Foundation must be used. Please divide costs into per-year expenditures and list them under the following categories: “Personnel,” “Consultants,” “Supplies,” and “Other.” The budget should explain which portions of the project would be paid for using Covenant Grant funds and it should include an estimate of other proposed sources of income to support the program including in-kind support. Please note that the Foundation does not fund evaluation, scholarships, or overhead. Budget Estimate Templates can be downloaded here: Signature and Ignition. Sample budget for Signature and Ignition Grants can be downloaded here: Signature and Ignition
- Narrative Budget Statement. The fourth part of the LOI is the Narrative Budget Statement which explains how you arrived at each projected figure as it relates to the proposed activities. Please reference specific line items in your completed Budget Estimate Form. A sample Narrative Budget Statement is included with documents available for the preparation of the LOI. The crafting of the Narrative Budget Statement will enhance your understanding of the real costs associated with your project.
To submit an LOI, begin by filling out the online form found at Step 4: LOI Application Form, which will create a cover sheet. Please note that you can save your changes at any point of the process. After you have saved your application, it can be found under Step 5: View LOI History. Please upload The Project Description and Budget Narrative Statement in Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx) and the Budget Template in Microsoft Excel format (.xls or .xlsx). Questions about the process may be directed to the Grants Administrator at grants@covenantfn.org or 212-245-3500.
The Covenant Foundation does not review draft proposals. However, our staff is available to answer questions regarding eligibility and to provide limited feedback on project design. Please feel free to contact us at grants@covenantfn.org, or by calling 212-245-3500.
To submit an LOI, go to step 4: LOI Application Form. To read the guidelines for preparing a Full Proposal, go to step 3: How to Apply 2: Full Proposal.