Summer Financial Mapping

We know that the idea of making Achvat Amim financially possible can be overwhelming. And we know that money can come with pain, shame, and heartbreak. We are here to have open and caring conversations with you and are strongly committed to working with you to make your participation in Achvat Amim possible. After you are accepted to the program you are expected to pay the $500 non-refundable deposit upon receiving your letter of acceptance. This ensures your spot in the program. The rest of the program tuition is due no later than 6 weeks prior to the program start date unless otherwise discussed with staff. The non-refundable deposit amount is $500 (USD) and will be deducted from the total program cost. The full program cost is $5,000 (USD) before taking into account any financial support you may be receiving.

Below is a tool to help guide you in making a financial plan, map fundraising opportunities, and request scholarships from Achvat Amim directly. Our Director of Outreach and Communications, Elly, is here every step of the way. We invite you to use the tool below, and if you feel stuck or overhwlemed, reach out at [email protected]. Once you have completed using the tool below, we will work with you to fundraise and build a financial plan that works for you.

Section 1: Self-Assessment Tool

One tool by which to assess what you are able to contribute to the program cost is by calculating your economic position and class background. We invite you to think about your family background, your education, access to wealth or debt, membership to an economically oppressed or privileged group, and other factors that shape your class experiences. This article by Resource Generation will help you understand your class bracket and how your class may have affected you until now and after Achvat Amim.

We recognize that your current economic reality may not align with your class background and that there are a number of factors that affect your financial reality. Please also consider life circumstances that are not reflected in the questions below including chronic health needs, regional cost of living, age, etc. We ask you to use your judgment and if you need any support, you can contact us at [email protected] .

After reading the Resource Generation article, please answer the following questions for yourself that will help you assess what is financially possible for you.

What are my sources of income (i.e. salary, family contributions, stipends)?
What is my total amount of income over the last 12 months?
What were my expenses over the last 12 months?
Can I expect that after Achvat Amim I will be financially stable?
Is my family able to contribute to the cost of Achvat Amim?

Given your responses to the above questions, what is your assessment of the total you and your family can contribute to your Achvat Amim program cost?

Section 2: Mapping Fundraising Opportunities

This is designed to help you create a plan for fundraising. Please feel free to fill out with the understanding that this is a brainstorm/starting point, not a contract. The below can serve as a guide for your conversation with our Director of Outreach.

Achvat Amim Fundraising Guide
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File Type:	pdf

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1. Letter Writing
Many communities and institutions, especially in North America, have discretionary or scholarship funds that can be accessed through private requests. You can write a letter to any institution or community, but will be the most successful with institutions and communities in your area or that you have been connected to at one point in your life. While not every community will be able to offer support, historically, participants have received $500-$1500 from communities and institutions that are able to offer support.

To understand what is included in a letter, please see the attached document.

List all of places you would like to write a letter to (i.e. JCC’s, progressive synagogues in your area, your home synagogue, if there was a Hillel at your college, religious organizations or institutions, Federations, your youth movement) *

Questions to ask yourself while writing and sending letters:

How much I want to ask for and for what? You can definitely think about what contribution may be the most attractive to the place you are requesting support from. For example, a synagogue may want to contribute towards your Jewish learning and Hebrew classes.
What parts of the program do I want to highlight for different audiences? What kind of language do I want to use?
How much time can I commit to writing and sending letters? When do I want to send letters out? Do I want check-ins from Achvat's Director of Outreach and Communications to support me in my timeline?

2. Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is one way for your friends, family, and community to support you in coming on Achvat Amim. By asking for small contributions from a large network of people, you can raise a significant amount of money.

To understand what is included in a crowdfunding campaign please see the attached document.

List all of places you would like to share your crowdfunding campaign (i.e. your Facebook page, specific Facebook groups, listservs, alumni groups, extended family) *

Some things to ask yourself while creating your crowdfunding campaign and sending it out:

How much time can I commit to my crowdfunding campaign? When do I want to publish it? Do I want check-ins from Achvat's Director of Outreach and Communications to support me in my timeline?

3. Grants & Scholarships
Check out the list of grants and scholarships in the fundraising document. We also highly recommend spending some time on google searching for grants available to folks with your skill sets or interests.

Questions to ask yourself:

Do any of the grants apply to me? When is their deadline?
Do I know of any other opportunities for grants and scholarships? (i.e. maybe your college has opportunities for alumni)

4. Zero Interest Loans
More information about interest free loans can be found in the fundraising document.

Do you have any questions about letter writing, crowdfunding, or grants and scholarships? Is there anything that would be helpful for our Director of Outreach and Communications to know in preparation for your conversation? *

Section 3: Summary & Additional Notes

Is there anything you would like to share with us about how your identity and/or lived experience has impacted your access to wealth and/or ability to cover program costs? *

Total you can contribute (from income and savings): *

Total your family can contribute (from income and savings): *

Goal amount from letter writing: *

Goal amount from crowdfunding: *

Goal amount from scholarships & grants: *

Are you open to taking out a zero interest loan? *

Yes No Let's talk about it

Requested scholarship from Achvat Amim ($0-$1,000) - note: this amount can potentially be more after another conversation with the Outreach Director after you submit this form. *

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