TikvaHope is thrilled to be the recipient of an $11,000 grant 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.