How are projects selected?
JHH operates within the framework of the American Jewish community, yet projects can be in the United States or overseas, and prospective beneficiaries can be Jewish or not.
When JHH considers a potential project, it judges it against several benchmarks:
The project must address a serious, pressing human need with a solution that makes a real difference, providing meaningful, tangible improvement in the lives of the beneficiaries.
The project must be small enough so that it is possible to maintain a real sense of connection between supporters and beneficiaries, and so that the desired impact can be achieved with JHH’s limited resources.
The project must be operated by local sponsors who have created a track record for honest, effective management, and who are not tainted by graft or corruption.
JHH will adopt a project only if it can identify a trustworthy partner in the local community. JHH relies on this partner (an individual or an organization) to liaison between JHH and the project, transferring detailed information about needs and outcomes, analyzing how JHH grants are being utilized, identifying unanticipated consequences, and the like.
Before approving any potential project, key JHH leaders will visit the project, meet those involved, and see firsthand that the above criteria are being fulfilled. Sometimes, these visits generate new projects as well.