INFO FOR
DAY SCHOOLS

The Day School Challenge Fund reflects UJA’s continued commitment to helping day schools reach and maintain affordability, financial stability, and educational excellence. The DSCF was the first-ever New York-area effort of its kind and includes 18 Jewish schools and yeshivot in the five boroughs, Long Island, and Westchester. Through this broad initiative, UJA helped to infuse $82 million into the day school landscape. We are very proud to support schools as they plan for the future and ensure a strong, engaged Jewish community tomorrow.

Questions? Contact us at

The Funders
This communal legacy is made possible by a coalition of funders — including The AVI CHAI Foundation and the Jim Joseph Foundation; visionary philanthropists including Giti and Jack Bendheim, Alisa and Dan Doctoroff, Tamar and Eric Goldstein, The Gottesman Fund, George Klein, and Pamela and George Rohr; and $20 million earmarked from UJA-Federation's endowment by the Board of Directors.

Participating Schools in the DSCF Initiative
UJA proudly supports these schools in their endowment-building efforts:

• Abraham Joshua Heschel School
• Hannah Senesh Community Day School 
• Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway 
• Hebrew Academy of Long Beach 
• Hebrew Academy of Nassau County 
• Manhattan Day School 
• North Shore Hebrew Academy 
• Ramaz School 
• Rodeph Sholom School 
• SAR Academy and High School 
• Schechter School of Long Island
• Solomon Schechter School of Queens 
• The Lefell School
• Westchester Day School 
• Yeshiva Darchei Torah 
• Yeshiva of South Shore 
• Yeshivah of Flatbush 

The Rose Biller Day School Scholarship Fund assists students who demonstrate the highest levels of financial need. Annually, $1 million in awards are given toward the cost of day school tuition. Jewish day schools and yeshivot in New York City’s five boroughs, Westchester, and Nassau and Suffolk counties are eligible to apply. Priority is given to students who demonstrate the highest level of need.

For questions, or if you’re an interested school that would like to enroll, please contact .

We proudly give $1 million in Rose Biller awards each year.

Strong schools depend on passionate and skilled teachers. So we’re helping day schools attract talented educators through the Fund for Jewish Education to offer competitive benefits packages, including contributions to medical, pension and life insurance benefits for Jewish Day School teachers.

For information on the Fund for Jewish Education programs, please contact .

UJA advocates on behalf of day schools and yeshivot at the federal, state, and local levels. Together with the Jewish Education Project and Teach NYS, we’re working to preserve existing government funding streams. We’re also helping identify new funding sources within constitutional limits and mobilizing the day school and yeshiva community as a unified voice.

UJA’s Partners in Caring in Day Schools provides a menu of social services in day school and yeshiva settings. Professionals from UJA-supported nonprofits tackle myriad health and mental health issues facing children and adolescents — such as eating disorders, substance abuse, bullying, and special needs — through information and referral, psycho-educational groups, parent education and workshops, and individual school-based counseling. Teachers and administrators also learn to identify and address students’ social, emotional, and cognitive issues.

Pre-pandemic, New York day schools and yeshivot estimated that at least 20% of students in mainstream classrooms struggled with learning challenges. The breadth and depth of such challenges have grown during the pandemic as many students had their learning routines disrupted or were unable to receive necessary services.

We’re working to bolster the capacity of New York day schools and yeshivot to meet the needs of students with learning challenges. We’re supporting schools through incentive grants to deepen existing work or create new programs to better identify and support students with learning challenges.

Did you know that UJA administers a charitable gift annuity program (CGA) on behalf of many day schools? It’s a great way to make charitable contributions to a school you care about while receiving financial benefits for yourself.

Interested? Contact the Planned Giving & Endowments Department at or 212.836.1247.