By David Martz
Chair, Community Planning & Allocations Committee (CPAC)

For 2010-2011, FEDERATION CJA is distributing $31.4 million. Of that,$21.9 million is being used in response to local needs, with particular emphasis on the communal priorities of serving the vulnerable and ensuring continuity through education and Jewish identity.

The remaining $9.5 million goes to United Israel Appeal – Federations Canada to assist Jews in Israel and overseas, to advocate on behalf of the Jewish community and fight anti-Semitism in Quebec and Canada, and to fund our national collective responsibilities.





When the volunteers and professionals from FEDERATION CJA and its family of agencies come together to disburse the money raised by the Combined Jewish Appeal, we are guided by both communal human values and practicality.

The challenge facing our allocations committee is to decide how to do the most good for the most people with the resources available.

Facing increased needs and decreased revenue, we had to set priorities and address them in a responsible and disciplined fashion. It was imperative that we present a balanced budget and take into account the fiscal realities of our family of agencies. At the same time, we needed a certain strategic flexibility to accommodate the changes that Imagine 2020, our strategic community renewal effort, may suggest in the coming year.

It was decided from the outset that two core allocations must be maintained at their existing levels: the Poverty Relief Fund, which is used to directly assist the most vulnerable, and the Tuition Assistance Allocation, which enables children from lower income families to benefit from a Jewish day school education. FEDERATION CJA provides $1.977 million to the poverty fund and $2.975 million in tuition assistance.




The annual allocation process is collaborative and consultative. All requests for funding are carefully assessed against the community’s needs and articulated priorities. We fully appreciate the human impact of the decisions that we make, which is why details count.

I would also point out that Jewish values are an important factor in our deliberations. They serve as a set of guiding principles that help us to focus on those issues that must remain central to our communal efforts. They really represent the philosophical backbone of our federation.

Having completed the allocations process, our committee now concentrates on the other part of our mandate, namely, planning. We continue collaborating with our agencies to refine our strategic priorities and monitor the impact of funding decisions.

We are also focusing on improving the health of our federated system from a governance, structural and financial perspective.

Finally, we are putting a great deal of effort into evaluating the input that the community has provided to Imagine 2020, so it is properly reflected in upcoming allocation decisions. This initiative represents an opportunity to renew our community and to make it even better for future generations.