The Pew Charitable Trusts Awards Hillel International Funding to Increase Efforts to Confront Antisemitism on Campuses
The $500,000 grant will significantly expand programming over the next two years to improve campus environment for Jewish students
Today Hillel International announced that it received a $500,000 grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts in support of its Campus Climate Initiative (CCI), which partners with university administrators to address antisemitism on college campuses. The award will allow Hillel International to recruit more than 25 additional colleges and universities over the next two years to join the effort and offer continued support for campuses from previous cohorts.
Each year, select colleges and universities across the country apply to participate in the Campus Climate Initiative (CCI), which just welcomed its fourth cohort. CCI provides actionable guidance to administrators, who have cited the transformational impact that CCI helped create on their campus to make Jewish students feel safe to embrace their identity free of fear, harassment, or intimidation.
Adam Lehman, president and CEO of Hillel International, shared, “We are grateful to The Pew Charitable Trusts for recognizing the proven success of the Campus Climate Initiative in addressing the real and ongoing dangers of antisemitism faced by college and university students throughout the country. This award also represents a growing interest in Hillel International’s programming that extends into secular spaces. When Jewish students feel safe and can thrive, all students benefit.”
Elinor Haider, a senior director with The Pew Charitable Trusts, noted, “Pew is thankful for the opportunity to support Hillel International in this timely and important effort to help address antisemitism on college campuses. We have long supported organizations aimed at furthering understanding of religion in the U.S., yet growing religious intolerance is a major challenge. The Campus Climate Initiative is a model of the type of program that is making a difference by countering bias and strengthening religious tolerance.”
The grant will run through June 2025, enabling CCI to double the number of campuses it works with in that year’s cohort.