Mayberg Foundation support helped Lomdei, a DEEP Consortium member providing High-Quality Professional Development (HQPD) coaching for Judaic studies teachers, more than double its reach this year — growing from 12 to 26 partner schools and 42 to 94 coached teachers. By subsidizing the cost that too often keeps schools from investing in sustained coaching, the Foundation helped open the door for teachers and administrators to build a lasting, growth-minded culture of professional development.

Mayberg Food & Friends, a grantee of the Mayberg Foundation, held a groundbreaking ceremony on July 13 for an 18- to 24-month expansion, which will double the organization's medically tailored meal production capacity and give "Food & Friends the space to welcome more neighbors into that community and to support the staff and volunteers who make it possible," as Mayberg Foundation Rising Trustee and Food & Friends volunteer David Mayberg noted following the ceremony.

Mayberg Foundation Managing Director Amanda Mizrahi has been invited to join the Steering Committee of Kerem, a professional development and learning initiative for grantmaking professionals in Jewish philanthropy run in partnership with Jewish Funders Network and Third Plateau Social Impact Strategies. The invitation recognizes Amanda's leadership in the field, including her work spearheading the Mayberg Foundation's pilot initiative supporting career growth for Jewish outreach professionals, and over her 12-month term she'll help shape Kerem's curriculum, identify participants, and guide the program as part of its "brain trust" of grantmaking experts from across the country.

On June 17th, Mayberg Foundation staff, partners, and their families came together for a day of service and Jewish text learning — putting the foundation's mission of proliferating Jewish wisdom and values into direct practice. The morning included a hands-on volunteer experience packing rice bags for Colel Chabad's Pantry Packers program, benefitting both vulnerable populations in Israel and in the Greater Washington area. The service project was followed by a community lunch and Rosh Chodesh learning session led by managing director Amanda Mizrahi, exploring a classic Jewish debate about the nature of giving.

Prizmah and the Jewish New Teacher Project (JNTP) have announced a strategic merger, uniting two leading organizations to strengthen teacher recruitment, retention, and instructional excellence across the Jewish day school field. By combining Prizmah’s field-wide reach with JNTP’s expertise in teacher induction and mentoring, the merged organization is positioned to deliver more comprehensive, data-informed support to schools and educators. The Mayberg Foundation provided support for the operational and administrative efforts needed to carry out the merger, recognizing its potential impact on the Jewish day school field.

The DEEP Consortium’s annual convening at The Shefa School brought together leading practitioners from across its 25 member organizations to explore building cultures of High-Quality Professional Development (HQPD) and measuring impact in Jewish day schools. Grounded in educator insight and field-wide data, the gathering highlighted The Shefa School as a model of HQPD in action and advanced a shared commitment to supporting teachers in fostering meaningful, curiosity-driven Jewish learning.

"Philanthropy can do more, and do it better, when it is informed by shared learning, grounded in data and field expertise, and capitalized on through funder collaborations."

That's the animating idea behind the JFN Jewish Day School Affinity Group — and it's what Amy Schlussel, the group's manager, explores in her recent piece for Prizmah's HaYidion journal. Amy traces how the affinity group, spearheaded by the Mayberg Foundation alongside UnitEd, the Beker Foundation, and 10 other funders, is working to move Jewish day school philanthropy from fragmented investment toward coordinated, strategic action. As an organization that believes deeply in the power of collective effort, Amy's piece offers helpful framing for why the collaborative investment approach we're building together matters — and where it can lead.

Read From Momentum to Movement: Aligning Philanthropy Around Our Schools here

A new report from the Mayberg Foundation's Jewish Outreach Professional Development initiative sheds light on what it really takes to build a lasting, fulfilling career in Jewish outreach — and what the field needs to do to better support the people doing this vital work. Based on 17 in-depth interviews with standout practitioners from M54/Chabad, Olami, Aish, and NCSY, the findings point to three traits that define thriving, long-term careers, and make the case that Jewish outreach deserves to be recognized — and resourced — as the demanding profession it is.

The Mayberg Foundation has appointed Naftali Ejdelman as senior program officer to manage grantmaking portfolios that focus on Jewish education and Israel advocacy. Naftali brings a deep understanding of the diversity of Klal Yisrael and a wealth of experience partnering with educational and communal organizations across the Jewish spectrum.