Adamah’s Climate Action Fund empowers Jewish organizations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower operating costs, and serve as environmental leaders in their communities through a combination of interest-free loans and matching grants.

Since its launch in 2023, the Adamah Climate Action Fund has awarded:

• $1.3 million to 50 projects across North America
• $996,593 in interest-free loans
• $309,016 in matching grants

These projects will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2,630 metric tons annually and save approximately $801,060 each year in energy and operating costs.

New Awardees Lead by Example 

This round’s North American Climate Action Loan recipients include: 

Project: Replace its oil-fired boiler with energy-efficient electric mini-split heat pumps.
Outcome: Expected to save $3,200 annually—or $64,000 over the life of the equipment.

Project: Installing a 306kW solar energy system.
Outcome: Projected to save $39,000 annually on electricity costs.

“These zero-interest loans allow Jewish organizations to immediately cut energy costs, freeing up resources to invest in their core missions,” said Jakir Manela, CEO of Adamah. “Our community has the tools—and now the funds—to lead on climate action.” 

Scott Braswell of Merage JCC in Irvine, CA, a past Fund recipient, echoed this sentiment: 

“The funds from Adamah have allowed us to dream bigger. We initially planned a gradual LED upgrade, but quickly realized the energy and cost savings were too great to delay. The new LEDs not only look professional but also provide significant savings.” 

Supporting Change in New York 

Four Jewish institutions in New York received Adamah NY Climate Action Fund Grants, supported by UJA, for upgrades to lighting and thermostats:

Project: Replacing all classroom, hallway, and exterior lights with energy efficient LEDs. 

Project: Purchase and installation of 25 Sensi Wi-Fi and app-enabled thermostats.

Project: Replace existing fixtures with high efficiency LED lights equipped with motion sensors and timers.

Project: Installing solar powered lighting for a girls High School in Queens.

These efforts complement other recent upgrades such as rooftop solar panels and heat pump installations. Rabbi Linson of Temple Judea of Laguna Hills, CA, another past recipient, remarked: 

“Our community sees that environmental stewardship is also financial stewardship. We are proud of our sustainability efforts and grateful for the support.” 

Funding Opportunities and New Deadline 

The Adamah Climate Action Fund currently offers financial support through three regional programs: 

• Adamah NY Climate Action Fund (for schools and synagogues located in NYC’s five boroughs, Westchester, and Long Island): Matching grants up to $10,000 per project 

• Orange County Climate Action Grant Fund (Orange County, CA): Matching grants up to $10,000 

• North American Climate Action Loan Fund: Interest-free loans up to $100,000 

Adamah plans to launch additional regional grant programs in the coming months to expand its reach. 

The next deadline to apply for funding is November 6, 2025. All applicants must be members of Adamah’s Jewish Climate Leadership Coalition, a growing network of Jewish organizations committed to climate action. Current members include major umbrella organizations of Jewish life including Jewish Federations of North America, Jewish Funders Network, Hillel International, Prizmah, and JCC Association of North America, as well as leaders of major Jewish denominations (including the Central Conference of American Rabbis, Rabbinical Assembly, Rabbinical Council of America, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association and Reconstructing Judaism, Union for Reform Judaism, and United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism). Membership is free and open to any Jewish organization, and those not yet involved are encouraged to email coalition@adamah.org or visit adamah.org/coalition to learn more. 

“This coalition represents an unprecedented mobilization of the Jewish world toward meaningful climate action—at pace and at scale. With expert support and financing available, there’s no reason Jewish leaders can’t be at the forefront of creating a livable future for our children.”

— Jakir Manela, CEO

Jewish community organizations who recognize the urgency of climate change are committed to taking action.

Wherever you are on your climate action journey – we provide community, gentle accountability, and resources to support meaningful climate action.

Learn More

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The Jewish Green Business Network connects North American and Israeli green business professionals in order to accelerate climate solutions across the Jewish world and beyond.

Many of us are living with intense anxiety amid the recent Iran attacks against Israel, political violence, antisemitic acts, and the climate crisis. 

Adamah’s core value of Jewish Peoplehood, building bridges for the Jewish people—from Israel and the Diaspora—to build a more sustainable future together, is more important now than ever. We stand with all those who yearn for peace and pray for the safety of innocent victims of violence.

In this moment, we need to mobilize the full power of the Jewish people in the face of existential crises. We need all hands-on deck to find our way through this moment, for our people and our planet—and that must include the tremendous brilliance, innovation, resourcefulness, and strength of the Jewish green business demographic.  

That’s why we are excited to launch the Jewish Green Business Network, a new Adamah program with massive impact potential moving forward. We are deeply grateful to our friends at the Jewish Climate Trust for believing in Adamah and in the power of this vision.

What will the Jewish Green Business Network do? 

• Local gatherings, business tours, climate week events, career panels, and networking events 
• A supportive multi-generational community of Jewish professional leaders driving innovation, and showing up to share, learn, mentor, and collaborate with one another
• Unique opportunities for business development, partnerships, and strategic connections between the North American and Israeli green business worlds

Click here to join the network! 

And here’s to the great strength of the Jewish people, and the power of community to see us through difficult times.

B’Shalom, 
Or Katzman & Talya Herring   
Co-Directors, Adamah Jewish Green Business Network 

Or Katzman is an impact strategist, entrepreneur, and community builder focused on climate, business, and social change. He co-directs the Jewish Green Business Network at Adamah and has led initiatives such as SDGIsrael, the Ecological Benefits Framework, and the Transformative Impact Summit. With expertise in climate science, water management, circular economics, and impact strategy, Or helps translate bold ideas into practical solutions for a more just and resilient world. 

Talya Herring Esq. is a strategic communicator, environmental advocate, and community organizer with a legal background and deep experience across climate tech, sustainability, and Jewish communal life. Talya brings her passion for the planet and people as Co-Director of the Jewish Green Business Network at Adamah. She has a strong background in environmental action, including managing marketing and research at PLANETech, practicing environmental law at Lipa Meir & Co., and founding a zero-waste business and podcast, Zevel Rebel.  

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One of the largest synagogues and religious schools in the Los Angeles area is embracing on-site solar power to cut its carbon emissions and save money on utility bills.

Valley Beth Shalom, which is in the San Fernando Valley, has spent close to $1.24 million on installing solar panels and energy efficiency improvements. The renewable energy installation includes more than 850 Q Cell rooftop panels by Sunistics Corp.

The solar energy output should generate close to 615,000 kWh per year and save close to $180,000 in annual utility costs. The new system should offset more than 75% of the synagogue and school’s energy use, paying for itself within five years.

“This solar project is a testament to VBS’s proactive leadership and dedication to sustainability,” said Matthew Weintraub, Executive Director of Valley Beth Shalom, in a statement. “By harnessing solar energy, we are not only reducing our carbon footprint but also securing long-term financial benefits that allow us to invest more in our community, education, and religious programs. Thanks to the support of our Board of Directors, individual donors, Jewish Solar Challenge, and Adamah’s Jewish Leadership Climate Coalition, we are proud to be at the forefront of sustainable transformation in the Jewish community.”

The project was supported by a combination of funding sources, including a $50,000 grant from the Jewish Solar Challenge, generous individual donations, an interest-free loan from Adamah’s Climate Action Fund, significant incentives and rebates provided by the Inflation Reduction Act for nonprofit organizations, and financing by Beneficial State Bank.

Valley Beth Shalom was founded in the 1950s and is in Encino. It includes more than 1,500 member families and, in 2009, was named by Newsweek as one of “America’s 25 Most Vibrant Congregations.”

Rabbis from the synagogue launched the non-profit Jewish World Watch, committed helping survivors of genocide and mass atrocities worldwide.

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On Tuesday the 7th, I watched from my math class as the Palisades fire caught and consumed the hills right in front of me. No one really knew what was going on; we were in shock and almost paralyzed with fear. By Wednesday morning the fire had burned more than 12,000 acres, school was canceled, and more fires were popping up in Los Angeles as the day went on.

Now, just after Shabbat, the Palisades fire is over 20,000 acres and Los Angeles is burning and choking on smoke all over. I think most Angelenos, if not all watching, can agree that this scene is something straight out of an apocalyptic horror film.

I am grateful to have a safe home and family, so these past couple days I’ve spent sheltered inside answering the “are you okay?” texts and trying to reflect on if I am. In multiple meanings of the word “okay,” I am. My house, family, friends, and school are safe, and I have the resources to help those around me, but in many other senses of the word, I do not feel okay.

The city I grew up in now looks like the dystopian horror stories that first motivated me to fight for climate justice; right now my world is on fire and I can feel the heat. More than that, I am not okay because these fires aren’t just some terrible, random accidents like a once in a lifetime tragedy, no. These fires are the result of hundreds of years of overconsumption of natural resources. Overconsumption that has led to an insatiable and aggressive search for more, causing the fossil fuel industry to thrive.

These fires were fueled by, if not caused by, climate change. The harshness and strength of these dry winds; the drought conditions that have allowed so much to burn so fast and so far; the lack of rain which will leave LA covered in a thick layer of smoke for weeks until it finally dissipates, followed by unimaginable muddy destruction. All of this is the result of fossil fuel companies and the insurance industry fighting more for their profit than our livelihoods. This is completely unacceptable.

So in these next couple weeks, while we continue to give support and relief to the victims who have lost everything, please add one more thing to your to-do list: fight back. Get involved in organizations fighting climate change, attend the next protest in your community, or contact your congressional representatives and tell them that we cannot live in a world where the new year comes in already hot. If you need resources on where to start, JYCM and many other organizations are able to help direct your fight. We need to make sure that our government and those in power know that fighting for climate justice isn’t something to put on the back burner, it is a priority now!

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Kol Yisrael Areivim Zeh Bazeh. We are all responsible for one another.

Adamah family,

As our Los Angeles community suffers devastating loss, we wanted to check in with you, as you, your family, and your friends are in our thoughts with the fire and evacuations. You are not alone in this; we at Adamah are here to support you.  

Working in Adamah’s Youth Empowerment Division, I’ve witnessed the resilience of young Jewish climate activists in our LA community and their passion for our environment. 

As I come to tears writing this, I am certain that we will return from this stronger, more prepared, and grateful for our ability to overcome adversity in these stressful times.  We alone aren’t responsible for the climate crisis, and together we can be instrumental in being part of the solution. I know our community will take time to heal and recover from this devastating fire, and it is important you know we are here to support you.   

May your strength shine through, 

Marissa Fink
Adamah on Campus California Coordinator

We are committed to building up our LA staff and programming in the months and years to come, helping engage, inspire, and mobilize vibrant Jewish life in deep connection with the earth, for our people and our planet—so that whenever these crises strike, together we know we will pull through. 

-Jakir Manela, Adamah CEO

The post Supporting our LA community appeared first on Adamah.

Adamah awarded $72,250 in matching grants from the OC Jewish Climate Grant Fund to three OC Jewish nonprofits that are members of Adamah’s Jewish Climate Leadership Coalition.

• Congregation B’nai Israel, Tustin – Solar Carports – $36,000
• Merage JCC, Irvine – LED Lighting Retrofits – $10,000
• Temple Judea, Laguna Woods – Rooftop Solar – $26,250

The Jewish Climate Leadership Coalition launched in September 2022 with 20 founding partners, representing the major umbrella organizations of Jewish life. Over 200 Jewish organizations have signed on to the Coalition to date, including 10 in OC, committing to reduce their institutional emissions and mobilize their broader networks to take climate action.

The following five organizations outside OC also received matching grants from Adamah’s National Climate Grant Fund:  Camp Tawonga, CA; Habonim Dror Camp Galil, PA; Portland Jewish Academy, OR; Temple Beth Hatfiloh, WA; and Temple B’nai Tikvah, Alberta.

Combined, these eight projects will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 9,725 tons over their lifetime, the equivalent of planting 15,560 trees . They are also anticipated to save the organizations over $320,000 annually through reduced energy bills and other expenses.

Applications are due on October 17, 2023 for the next round of OC Jewish Climate Grant Fund matching grants of up to $10,000 for energy efficiency and other climate-related projects. All OC Jewish nonprofits who join the Coalition (and who have not already received a grant) are eligible to apply.  

For example, nonprofits could seek funding for EV charging stations, heat pumps, programmable thermostats, composting equipment, solar powered lights, solar water heaters, drip irrigation or food waste reduction. Coalition members also have access to an interest-free loan fund, with loans of up to $100,000, to support similar projects.

Organizations that are part of the Coalition gain access to a wealth of resources, including webinars, one-on-one consultations, office hours with Adamah experts, and peer connections. There are no minimum requirements for what a nonprofit’s climate action work looks like since each nonprofit is starting at a different place. Membership is free.

To learn more about the Coalition, visit the Coalition’s website or watch this three-minute video. The OC Jewish Climate Fund is made possible by a gift from Robert S. De Leon and Susan Mattisinko through the Jewish Community Foundation Orange County. 

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