Israel Experience Scholarship Guidelines

The Jewish Community Foundation holds funds dedicated to encouraging Jewish teenagers and young adults residing in the Greater Hartford region to participate in qualified educational and internship programs in Israel.  The Israel Experience program offers need-based financial assistance to Jewish students to participate in such programs. 

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Be of the Jewish faith;
• Be a high school, college or graduate school student, or college graduate;
• Demonstrate financial need; 
• Be a current or former resident of the Greater Hartford Jewish community (or applicant’s parents are current residents); 
• Be a citizen of the United States; and
• Meet additional criteria of specific Israel Experience scholarship funds.

Selection Process

Only one application is required for all of our Israel Experience funds.  Applications without the required information or attachments may be rejected.  Our scholarship committee reviews the applications and determines whether eligibility exists and under which fund(s) the applicant qualifies.  Awards are based on financial need, strong personal commitment to the Jewish community, specific nature of the Israel program, and the student's personal statement.  Awards are normally within the $500 to $1,000 range.  Eligible applicants will be invited to an interview with the scholarship committee.

Deadline and Notification

The scholarship committee meets in April and December each year.  Application deadlines are March 20 and November 20, respectively. Notification of awards or denial of scholarships is normally made within a week of the scholarship committee meeting.

Obligations in Accepting a Scholarship

Recipients of Israel Experience scholarships are expected to complete the educational program in Israel as intended; otherwise, we will request a full refund of the award.  We ask that recipients send acknowledgments/thank you letters to the donors who made the scholarship(s) possible.  We ask that recipients contact the Foundation upon their return from Israel to share their experiences.  All scholarship awards are confidential and a recipient’s name would become known only with his or her express permission.  

Application

To request an application or to learn more about our Israel Experience scholarship program, please contact us at grants@jcfhartford.org.