The Miriam Fund and Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP), Greater Boston’s Jewish Federation, are announcing 19 grants for the fiscal year of 2024-2025, totaling $400,000. The Miriam Fund supports projects that expand opportunities for women and girls in the Massachusetts Jewish and secular communities and in Israel and is a unique collaborative venture with CJP.
The Miriam Fund was founded in 2000 by a group of women leaders who created a philanthropic model which, through grant-making, enhances, expands, and improves opportunities for women and girls. TMF is excited to be celebrating its 25th anniversary over the fiscal year 2025. Founders, who include Beth Klarman, Rosalind Gorin, Carol Goldberg, and Deb Goldberg, all of whom are still actively committed to TMF’s work, said, “We are thrilled that our initial vision has grown over 25 years into a community of 130 philanthropic women who continue to assess changing needs and issues. The Miriam Fund has invested, in aggregate, over $6.5 million dollars in the transformative work of over 100 extraordinary nonprofit organizations in Massachusetts and Israel to create opportunities and positive impacts for women and girls.”
In Greater Boston, grants were made after the FY25 grant year to six Jewish communal organizations including Jewish Family Services of MetroWest to support a home-share pilot program that connects mature Jewish women in need of affordable housing with others who have extra space in their homes. Marjorie, a participant in the program said, “I’m happy to be a participant in this worthwhile initiative and am pleased to be able to provide safe, stable, affordable housing for someone in need, even while improving my own finances and making a new friend.”
The Miriam Fund also awarded secular grants to seven local programs. One of the critical grants went to Women’s Lunch Place, a local organization that supports women experiencing hunger, homelessness, and poverty. “The Miriam Fund’s generous contribution to our Legal Services program has allowed us to take a significant step toward equitable justice,” said Jennifer Hanlon Wigon, executive director of Women’s Lunch Place. “Over the past two years, we have witnessed an increased demand for help with complicated legal issues involving not only eviction, but domestic violence, benefits, divorce, child custody, and immigration. Thanks to funding from TMF and other partners, a full-time attorney now assists our guests – women experiencing homelessness and poverty – in overcoming legal barriers to health, housing, and stability.”
The third focus area, Israel, saw six grants, including The Eden Center. This grant supports a wide range of women – from providing training for those guiding survivors of sexual abuse as they embark upon marriage, to creating Jewish resources for the transition into menopause. Naomi Marmon Grumet, director of The Eden Center, said, “In this tumultuous year in Israel, we have also stepped up to help women directly affected by the war, particularly those whose husbands have been called up to reserve duty. We are grateful that the Miriam Fund grant has enabled us to see those women who are so often overlooked and open up conversations that were sorely lacking in the Jewish community.”
TMF co-chair Debby Posin highlights the work and impact The Miriam Fund explaining, “For FY25 we are excited to grant an aggregate of $400,000 to 19 nonprofit organizations in Massachusetts and Israel. We could not contribute to the impact of these organizations without the dedication and commitment of our members, for which my co-chairs Rachel Goldstein, Nancy Levitan Poorvu and I are very grateful. We continue to applaud the unwavering commitment of these organizations and their staff members to create a more equitable world, with a focus on improving the lives of women and girls.”
