--- title: "Scholarships for Local Students: Jewish Federation and Foundation for Jewish Day Schools Make Jewish Education More Accessible" description: Each September, over 50 million students across the United States, from Pre-K to 12th grade, go back to school, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. image: https://blog.jewishphilly.org/hubfs/KTA%20Fall17%200075edit.jpg --- [![Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia](https://blog.jewishphilly.org/hubfs/JewishFederation_May2019/images/logo--color.svg)](https://jewishphilly.org/) - [Philly Stands With Israel](https://go.jewishphilly.org/philly-stands-with-israel) - - [Donate to Philly Stands with Israel Fund](https://donate.jewishphilly.org/page/66252/donate/1) - [Community Resources](https://jewishphilly.org/philly-stands-with-israel-resources/) - [Emergency Allocations](https://jewishphilly.org/ways-to-give/donate-emergency-response-fund/emergency-allocations/) - - [Advocate](https://jewishphilly.org/philly-stands-with-israel-resources/advocate/) - 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Almost half of these 2,300 students also receive scholarships through a state tax system, called the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC/OSTC) program, created by the Pennsylvania's Department of Community and Economic Development.   In an effort to make Jewish education more financially accessible, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia joined forces with local Jewish day schools to create the Foundation for Jewish Day Schools (FJDS) as a way to leverage the EITC program upon its inception in 2001.    “The Greater Philadelphia area has one of the largest Jewish populations in the country with one of the lowest percentages of Jewish children receiving a day school education,” noted Elliot Holtz, chair of FJDS. “Along with Jewish camps and trips to Israel, a day school education is an effective way to keep children engaged Jewishly.”   Individuals and businesses participating in the EITC program receive a 90% state tax credit by directing their annual Pennsylvania state taxes toward scholarships for low- to moderate-income students at Jewish day schools and pre-schools.   “With the economy struggling, and the cost of education continuing to rise, the EITC/OSTC program allows schools to provide the type of education many parents want for their children,” said Ellen Horowitz Matz, director of Educational Tax Credit Programs for the Jewish Federation and FJDS. “A Jewish education is not only critical to instill values in the next generation, but it is also imperative in raising leaders who support Israel and can combat rising antisemitism. The EITC program is an easy way to make a strategic investment in Jewish education for our  children and build a bright and secure Jewish future for our community.”   In the 2022-2023 school year, FJDS awarded nearly $13 million to over 1,200 Jewish day school and Pre-K students.   “Jewish education is rooted in text-based learning and reasoning, Hebrew, observances and traditions, and a strong secular curriculum. These elements are essential to ensure Jewish continuity,” Holtz stated. “The impact that EITC donors can make for our children is unparalleled.”   Steve Katz has seen this impact first-hand. Having put all four of his children through Jewish day schools, he is a proud supporter of the EITC program.    “I have a choice of either sending my taxes to Harrisburg or sending them to tuition for children who wouldn't normally get to go to Jewish day schools,” Katz said, who has participated in the program as both a business and an individual. “It's a no brainer. These schools offer a great secular education with the addition of Jewish morals and ethics. I wanted to give my kids the best foundation moving forward in life, and I want to extend that to other children in the community, too.”   Aside from its partnership with FJDS in implementing the EITC program, the Jewish Federation also distributed $1,250,000 in per-capita grants to nine local Jewish day schools this past school year, including the OROT special needs program. Fueled through the Jewish Federation’s endowment fund and Jewish Community Fund – where donations to the organization are allocated to the greatest need – the per capita grants are vital in filling a disproportionate gap between revenue through tuition income and the true cost of running a school.   For this coming school year, the Jewish Federation will again award grants of varying amounts totalling $1,250,000  to each school, based on student enrollment numbers. The schools, in turn, use these funds to offer scholarships to students from low-income families. A portion of these funds are also directed to provide 350 Jewish educators with professional development opportunities.   According to Josh Katz, Steve Katz’s son and a graduate of Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy, these students’ futures will be shaped by the Jewish education they receive as children.   “These schools provide a great secular curriculum, layered as well with strong Jewish content about who we are as a people and our history,” expressed Josh Katz, who was recently awarded the Jewish Federation’s Jack Goldenberg Young Leadership Award. “My education at a Jewish day school set the groundwork for my morals, helped me understand tzedakah and teshuvah, and showed me the best way to live as a good person.”    **\*\*\*** Interested in directing taxes through the EITC program? 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