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 $84 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 Chavie Kahn.

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 Manhattan 
• Solomon Schechter School of Queens 
• The Lefell School 
• Westchester Day School 
• Yeshiva Darchei Torah 
• Yeshiva of South Shore 
• Yeshivah of Flatbush 

Schools can support students with financial needs through the Rose Biller Day School Scholarship Fund. Jewish day schools and yeshivot in New York City’s five boroughs, Westchester, Nassau, and Suffolk counties are eligible to apply. We accept individual nominations from schools and give priority based on students who demonstrate the most need and those transferring from non-Jewish schools.

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 6,000 Jewish Day School teachers in nearly 200 schools.  

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

UJA advocates on behalf of day schools and yeshivot on 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 learning 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.

We’re helping New York day schools and yeshivot to create a culture of racial equity, inclusion, and belonging in order to better welcome and support a diversity of students and families in our community, including Jews of Color.

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.