Ahavat Yeladim Scholarship Fund
אהבת ילדים
Before Rosh Hashanah, our community will give. A matcher makes every gift count twice.
No family should have to choose between dinner and their children's school. In the weeks before the new year, our families reach for tzedakah on their own. This year that giving becomes one campaign, and every gift the community makes will be doubled out of a matching pool that is funded first. A matcher gives today. Your card is charged now, this is not a pledge, and your gift is held as the pool. Every dollar in it still funds tuition scholarships at Gan Katan and Pardes, nothing else.
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In the matching pool
$0
toward a $250,000 matching pool. Before Rosh Hashanah, every gift the community makes is doubled out of this pool, dollar for dollar, until the pool is fully matched.
Separately, $110,000 has already been given to the Ahavat Yeladim Scholarship Fund since it opened, including an anonymous founding gift. That support stands on its own and is not part of this pool.
The first matcher is genuinely first. Filled and matched, this pool becomes as much as $500,000 for tuition this year.
01 The problem
The squeeze on Pardes families.
Tuition at Pardes is real, and the state scholarship only goes so far. After both, a quiet gap remains. That gap is where committed families can quietly fall away. Ahavat Yeladim exists so that does not happen.
02 How the match works
How the match works.
- Matchers give now. Your gift is processed today, through the same secure checkout the fund has always used, and held as the matching pool. This is a gift received now, not a pledge for later.
- Before Rosh Hashanah the community campaign opens, and every gift the community makes is doubled out of that pool, dollar for dollar, until the pool is fully matched. Gifts that arrive after the pool is exhausted still go to tuition, they simply stop doubling.
- A matcher's $5,000 today puts $5,000 on the table for the community to claim. Matched in full, the fund receives $10,000.
- Matched and matching, every dollar fills the tuition gap that remains after the state scholarship. Up to $5,000 per child, per year. Never more.
- Restricted to scholarships. Never construction. Never overhead. Families document need, and a small committee approves each award privately, against the same standard every time.
- When the campaign closes, every matcher receives an honest account from the school office: what the community gave, what the match released, and how much of this year's tuition gap was closed. No family is ever counted or named.
03 Matcher levels
What your match puts on the table.
Your gift is charged today and held as the pool. The figures below are what the community can then claim against it.
Chai Matcher
$1,800
Puts $1,800 in the pool and invites up to $1,800 more from the community. As much as $3,600 against the gap that remains for one family.
Become a matcher →Double Chai Matcher
$3,600
Invites up to $3,600 more. As much as $7,200 toward the gap, which can be more than a full grant for one child.
Become a matcher → Most meaningfulFull Grant Matcher
$5,000
Invites up to $5,000 more. Enough for as many as two full grants at the $5,000 ceiling.
Become a matcher →Cornerstone Matcher
$10,000
Invites up to $10,000 more. Enough for as many as four full grants, and a pool with real weight behind it.
Become a matcher →Lead Matcher
$25,000
Invites up to $25,000 more. Enough for as many as ten full grants, and a match large enough for the whole community to give behind.
Become a matcher →Anchor Matcher
$50,000
Invites up to $50,000 more. Enough for as many as twenty full grants, and a campaign our families can give into with confidence.
Become a matcher →Considering a match of $100,000 or more? Let's talk →
04 Stewardship
Every dollar funds scholarships. Period.
Donors deserve clarity. Families deserve dignity. This fund protects both.
- 1
An honest account after the campaign
You receive an account of every dollar: what the community gave, what the match released, and how much of this year's tuition gap was closed. In dollars. No child is ever counted publicly.
- 2
Families keep their dignity
Every family is reviewed privately against the same standard. No one is singled out, and donors never see who received help.
If your gift is at a dedication level, we may honor your family by naming a space. That recognition never changes where your dollars go. Every dollar still funds tuition scholarships.
05 Optional recognition
Our way of saying thank you.
These are thank-yous, not prices. Every dedication-level gift still funds scholarships. We arrange each dedication personally and mark it with a plaque, or for a mezuzah, your family's name on the doorpost children pass every morning.
06 A look inside
A look inside Pardes.
07 Common questions
Common questions.
Is this a pledge, or is my card charged now?
It is charged now. Matchers pay today, through the same secure Stripe checkout the fund has always used. There is no pledge card and no invoice later. The pool has to exist before the community campaign opens, which is the whole reason the money moves today.
What happens if the community does not raise the full match?
Your money is not at risk and nothing is returned. Whatever the community raises is doubled from the pool. Anything left in the pool when the campaign closes stays in the Ahavat Yeladim Scholarship Fund and goes out as tuition grants under the same rules as every other dollar, up to $5,000 per child per year. There is no scenario where your gift does less than it would have done as a direct gift. A short match means fewer doubled dollars, not fewer scholarships from what you gave.
What if the community gives more than the pool can match?
Then we have had a very good year. The pool doubles community gifts until it is fully matched. Gifts that arrive after that still go straight to tuition under the same rules, they simply are not doubled. The pool sets how much of the community's giving can be doubled, not how much the community can give.
Is my money at risk while it sits in the pool?
No. Your gift is received by the school the day you give it and held inside the restricted scholarship fund. It is not an escrow account, not an investment, and not a conditional pledge. The only thing it can ever become is a tuition grant to a family that documented need and was approved by the committee.
When is the money actually spent?
On tuition for the coming year, together with the community gifts it draws in, once the committee has reviewed documented need privately and against the same standard for every family. The same rules apply as always. Up to $5,000 per child per year, never more, and never a dollar toward construction or overhead.
Is a matching gift tax-deductible, and for which year?
Yes, and for the year you give it. Gan Katan and Pardes Day School is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, EIN 46-3089186. Your receipt is dated the day of your gift, not the day the campaign runs. Deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Can I be a matcher without my name on it?
Yes. We will list your match as anonymous on the tracker and in the matcher's account at the end of the campaign, and the match works exactly the same. The community will see the pool, not the people behind it, unless you want otherwise.
Does my gift fund construction?
No. The Ahavat Yeladim Scholarship Fund is restricted to scholarships. Your dollars cannot be redirected to construction, renovation, or overhead.
Who chooses the families that receive help?
A small committee at the school reviews documented need against a defined standard. Donors do not pick families. Each family's privacy is protected.
Can I dedicate a gift in memory or in honor of someone?
Yes. Many families dedicate a gift in memory of a parent or grandparent, or in honor of a simcha. We arrange the dedication personally and the recognition lasts.
Before the new year
Let the community give, and let it count twice.
These are the weeks when our families look back at the year and reach for tzedakah without being asked. A matcher does not create that. A matcher makes sure it goes twice as far. Matchers pay first so the ask carries weight, and so the doubling is a fact rather than a promise. Give today, or reach out first. We would be honored to walk you through the whole thing.