$194.9M in expenses
The federation's largest endeavor is to allocate funds to a network of nearly 100 agencies and initiatives in the chicago area that aid 500,000 chicagoans of all faiths, including: hot meals and groceries, utility and rent assistance, prescriptions and medical care for impoverished families; job training and placement for people who are out of work; therapeutic school and specialized services for people with disabilities; support services for holocaust survivors; assisted living, specialized services for seniors; respite services for caregivers of frail seniors and people with disabilities; counseling, prevention and intervention services for troubled teens; an entire continuum of prevention and therapeutic services for individuals and families in crisis; and security assistance to safeguard jewish facilities.because the jewish united fund of metropolitan chicago and the jewish federation of metropolitan chicago are so closely linked in numerous ways (combined board of directors, shared professional staff, shared office space, etc.), and because juf provides an annual, multi-million dollar allocation to the jewish federation, we measure and report our program and service results jointly for the combined juf/federation enterprise, which are summarized below:fighting antisemitism:last year, adl recorded the highest number of antisemitic incidents ever-more than any other year since they began tracking antisemitic acts in the 1970s. Antisemitic acts across the us are up nearly 400% over the prior year-and antisemitic incidents on college campuses are up 700%.fighting back against anti-jewish hate:-5,000 community members have been empowered to fight antisemitism in their local school through juf advocacy briefings and trainings.-1,000 young people have been empowered to respond to antisemitism themselves through juf interactive workshops.-an online toolkit created by juf is empowering community members of all ages to advocate for israel-and for themselves as jews.-juf has responded to 200+ incidence reports on college campuses since oct. 7, 2024, ranging from hateful graffiti to administrative negligence in the face of antisemitic acts.ensuring every member of our community can participate in jewish life safely:-226 jewish schools, agencies, camps & synagogues got juf security services last year.-$10 million awarded in state nonprofit security grants to 59 jewish institutions.-$10 million secured in u.s. Homeland security grants for 73 jewish institutions.meeting basic human needs:helping keep food on the table and a roof overhead:-27,000 individuals in need received food assistance of meals, groceries and grocery cards.-13,000 people received $19.2 million in financial aid for necessities such as food and housing. Personal care, food and housing were the top needs for financial aid.-45,000 people in need got medical care-including an all-time high of 3,000 receiving prescriptions.-900 low-income people got affordable housing services; 500 lived in juf-supported affordable housing.-4,000 people received "in-kind" essentials, such as school supplies, winter coats and tech devices. Half of the recipients were children.welcoming the stranger:-a record 10,000 immigrants and refugees, many from ukraine, received support from juf agencies in 2024, ranging from food and housing to job placement and assistance on the path to citizenship.serving people with disabilities:-a record 3,800 people with disabilities received support from juf agencies, ranging from employment assistance and socialization activities to school and jewish summer camp. -1,200 family members and caregivers of people with disabilities got support and respite services. Sustaining holocaust survivors:-1,800 holocaust survivors received a range of supportive services, from financial aid to socialization.-1,700 survivors were provided financial aid totaling $15.6 million, an increase of 24% over last year.-personal care was survivors' greatest area of financial need, followed by food, housing & medical care.helping people to help themselves:-1,000 people received employment services in 2024.-1,500 seniors and others in need got transportation assistance to access health care, jobs and more.-600 individuals attained financial literacy skills through financial counseling and education services.-200 individuals received assistance to address domestic violence and increase their physical safety.-a record 1,000 people benefited from free legal assistance.-7,500 got assistance accessing or maintaining public benefits.addressing the mental health crisis:-48,000 participated in mental health and wellness programs or services in 2024 through juf and its agencies. -39,000 individuals received mental health services through juf agencies last year.-7,000 professionals participated in mental health trainings and events.-an all-time high of 14,000 young adults engaged in programs provided by juf and its agencies-a 25% increase-driven by the need to come together in community in a challenging year. -35,000 adults participated in jewish education programs hosted by juf and its agencies-a 20% increase (and an all-time high) thanks to increased programming following october 7.-nearly half (46%) of jewish college students in illinois participated in hillel last year.-2,800 students participated in 65 pro-israel vigils, speakers and programs on campus-an 87% increase.connecting people to communtiy:this year, jews of all ages needed to connect to their community-and to one another-more than ever. Juf brought tens of thousands of jewish young adults and young families together.-36,000 young families participated in community programs and events through juf and its agencies-28% of them for the first time.-14,000 young adults-an all-time high-engaged in programs provided by juf and its agencies-a 25% increase over last year alone. -3,200 young adult programs and events-plus 500 for young families-were held across chicago.dynamic juf programs engaged college students and youth in jewish life when they needed it most.-nearly half (46%) of jewish college students in illinois participated in hillel.-2,800 participants attended 65 pro-israel vigils, speakers and programs on campus-an 87% increase.-6,700 teens engaged jewishly through juf and juf-supported agency programs. Juf involved community members of all ages throughout the year.-194,000 community members engaged in jewish programs through juf and its agencies, from parenting workshops and young family playgroups to shabbat dinners and israel trips. -35,000 adults participated in formal and informal jewish education programs hosted by juf and its agencies-a 20% increase (and all-time high) driven by increased programming following october 7.-12,000 people volunteered 220,000+ hours of their time to serve their community.juf continued to make jewish education more affordable and accessible in 2024. -3,800 local jewish day school students-78% of those enrolled-received scholarships and/or tuition assistance from juf-supported day schools, which totaled $51.8 million.-8,000 local children got free, monthly jewish books through PJ library & PJ our way. -1,600 preschoolers received $2.3 million in scholarships and subsidies from juf and JCC to help make their summer camp and early childhood education experiences possible.
$13.3M in expenses
Refugee resettlement services program - the jewish federation administers comprehensive refugee social services on behalf of the state of illinois. The illinois refugee social service consortium is comprised of 15 direct service agencies committed to providing quality refugee social services including: employment assistance, cultural adjustment, case management, k-12, youth mentoring, services to older refugees (seniors), mental health counseling, data collection, reporting via an online salesforce database.
