Meir Panim is thrilled to be the recipient of an $11,000 grant for the TikvaHope After-School Youth Clubs, from UJA-Federation of New York’s Teen Philanthropic Leadership Council (TPLC).

Over the course of the past year, these teens raised more than $120,000, as well as an additional $25,000 in matching gifts, which they designated in 11 grants to 10 organizations. On May 15th, the teens held a grant distribution ceremony for the organizations they’d selected.

The teens sat on two boards, which respectively chose to focus on education for youth at risk through a Jewish lens, and hunger and basic needs in vulnerable populations. Over the course of the year, the teens in TPLC met monthly to set their priorities, interview program officials, and decide on allocations.

“Throughout the year we have used Maimonides’ ladder [of tzedakah] with the intention of having our grants fulfill the highest level of giving: teaching a person to sustain himself so that he can become self-sufficient and not remain dependent on others,” says Samantha Locker, a TPLC senior fellow.

The TPLC responded strongly to Meir Panim’s TikvaHope After-School Clubs program, with its holistic approach to helping children at risk by providing services and opportunities for the entire family – enabling them to break out of the vicious cycle of poverty.

Other grant recipients this year were: Bet Elazraki Children’s Home, Beit Ruth Hostel for at-risk girls, The Jaffa Institute, Orr Shalom, ELEM/Youth in Distress in Israel, World ORT, The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Yedidim for Youth and Society, and The Jewish Agency for Israel.