The Foundation for Jewish Culture (formerly the National Foundation for Jewish Culture) was the leading advocate for Jewish cultural life and creativity in the United States.
Founded in 1960, it supported writers, filmmakers, artists, composers, choreographers, and scholars, with grants and awards in the arts and humanities, and by sponsoring programs and national and international conferences. In 2014, it wound down its programs and closed.
The Foundation for Jewish culture invested in creative individuals, in an effort to sustain and grow a dynamic, enduring sense of Jewish identity, community, and culture. To this end, the Foundation provided grants, recognition awards, networking opportunities and professional development services to artists and scholars, made possible through collaboration with cultural institutions, Jewish organizations, consortia, and funders. The Foundation also worked to educate and build audiences for these artists and scholars, in order to provide meaningful Jewish cultural experiences to the American public, as well as advocated for the importance of Jewish culture as a core component of Jewish life.
The Lynn and Jules Kroll Fund for Jewish Documentary Film supports the completion of original documentaries that explore the Jewish experience in all its complexity. The fund was created with a lead grant from Steven Spielberg’s Righteous Persons Foundation and sustained over 10 years with major support from the Charles H. Revson Foundation. The priority of the fund is to support projects that address significant subjects; offer fresh, challenging perspectives; engage audiences across cultural lines; and expand the understanding of Jewish experiences.
Among its recipients have been Trembling Before G-d, the critically acclaimed animated documentary Waltz with Bashir, and the upcoming Sidney Lumet: The Moral Lens.