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Bring Bold Jewish Ideas to Light

At UpStart, we partner with the Jewish community’s boldest leaders to expand the picture of how Jews find meaning and how we come together.

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Where We Are

Find an UpStart Hub near you and connect to our network.

What We Do

Work with us to dream, build, grow, and sustain groundbreaking Jewish initiatives.

GrantED

Learn more about GrantED, a joint project of Jewish Funders Network and UpStart that works to strengthen relationships between grantmakers and grantseekers in the Jewish community.

Meet the Network

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“When things got tough, the UpStart network sustained me. I saw that my mission was important to other people, and there was a whole team of people that had my back.”

— Julie Hammerman, JLens

Jory Hanselman Mayschak

BaMidbar Wilderness Therapy

“Resilience is one of our key outcomes—building confidence, skills, and community support to help people navigate life’s challenges and thrive in the face of adversity."

Learn more about the bold leaders in our network.

Shana Erenberg

Libenu

“The change we wanted to make was to bring disability issues to the forefront of the conversation in the Jewish community in Chicago. UpStart helped us hone in on our value proposition – and then helped us accomplish that goal.”

Learn more about the bold leaders in our network.

Susannah Goodman

Detroit Jews for Justice

“Almost all synagogues have a social action committee, or they do charity or tzedakah. But only some are comfortable with moving from service into systemic change. That’s where the DJJ sweet spot is."

Learn more about the bold leaders in our network.

Carrie Bornstein

Mayyim Hayyim

“This is a time of extreme loneliness and anxiety for so many people and for so many reasons. I want the Jewish community to ease some of those feelings, to meet people’s needs for connection and comfort."

Learn more about the bold leaders in our network.

Tiziana Friedman

JOC Bold Leader

As a proud Jew-by-choice, Tiziana hopes to show others passion can get you started, and that there is no minimum time as a Jew required to make a difference.

Learn more about UpStart Jews of Color Career Development Program
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Empowering Bold Leaders: Our Impact in 2021

Posted 12/09/2021

Over the past year and a half, UpStart’s network of bold Jewish social entrepreneurs has worked tirelessly to adapt and evolve their offerings to meet our community’s emerging needs–and we’ve been with them every step of the way. Throughout this challenging time, UpStart doubled down on our efforts to support the ventures and individuals changing the face […]

Recent Insights

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To Build What Might Be, Ventures Need Financial Investment

Posted 07/13/2022

By Molly Cram, UpStart’s Director of Network Programs, with contribution from Taylor Epstein, former UpStart Managing Director of Learning & Design Who we are, what we value, and how we approach our work are best described by the UpStart Team Philosophy: To dream with purpose, build the “what might be,” and grow the good. This […]

Why Entrepreneur Support Organizations Are Critical For Social Entrepreneurs In 2022

Posted 01/11/2022

Originally Published in Forbes Nonprofit Council on January 4, 2022. By Aaron Katler. As we continue to navigate the pandemic, two things become poignantly clear: the workplace will never be the same, and holding on to old ways of doing things will be at the expense of our future. While the workforce navigates hybrid work, […]
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