Social Action Fund General Information

The Social Action Committee has two funds: The General Social Action Fund and Yom Kippur Appeal Fund.

The General Social Action Fund:

The Social Action Fund is comprised of donations made by community members throughout the year. This fund is used to fund Social Action events and activities, to support organizations and causes which align with our values, and to purchase gifts for or make donations in lieu of gifts on behalf of our speakers. When you make a donation to the shul, you can earmark it for social action if you wish. Organizations cannot apply for funding through the General Social Action Fund, but can do so through the Yom Kippur Appeal Fund. 
Past recipients of funding from the funds allocated by have included: Eretz Ir, Kehilla Residential Program, IsraAid, Oasis Dufferin Community Centre, Fort York Food Bank, NCJW for the Passover Food Drive, and Mazon Canada.

The Yom Kippur Appeal Fund:

Every Yom Kippur, the First Narayever community comes together to raise funds to support exceptional community projects and organizations that work on causes that are close to our hearts, in Canada and in Israel. We have raised funds to help the homeless, to improve environmental protection, to build better relations between Arab and Jewish Israelis, and to improve accessibility for those with disabilities.

A list of the 2024-2025 recipients can be found here . 

Applying for a Grant from the Yom Kippur Appeal Fund

We welcome applications that help to advance the following mission:

1. Address the needs of Toronto’s downtown Jewish community;
2. Build an Israel consistent with our values of fairness, egalitarianism, environmental responsibility, social justice and fostering peace; or
3. Build inclusive and just communities by supporting equity seeking populations and communities facing discrimination or anti-Semitism in Canada or Israel

Subject to change, the Yom Kippur Social Action funding is only available as a one-year Grant of up to $5,000. 

The grants from the Yom Kippur 2024-2025 Appeal have been completed and distributed. 

Please see the following application form for funding from Yom Kippur 2025-2026 grants. Recipients of funding in 2025-2026 are required to complete a Use of Funds Form with respect to their grant and that form is also below.

Application Forms:

If you are an organization that would like to apply for funding support, the 2025-2026 application deadline is January 1, 2026. 

Click here for the application form.

Click here for the budget form.

Use of Funds Reporting Forms

For all grant recipients, Use of Funds reports are mandatory.  Use of Fund Reports for 2024-2025 grant recipients must be received by January 1, 2026 (Use of Fund Reports for 2025-2026 grants recipients will be due January 1, 2027).

Click here for the use of funds reporting form.