Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards

The Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards recognize Jewish teens in the United States who demonstrate leadership, sustained commitment, creativity, and measurable impact through projects or organizations embodying the value of tikkun olam, or repairing the world. The program is presented by the Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards, with the Helen Diller Family Foundation identified on the program website. The award is intended for young changemakers who are currently leading initiatives and can demonstrate both meaningful project impact and their own active leadership. Award recipients receive 36000 that may be applied to their education or initiative. Eligible teens must be 15 to 19 years old by the application deadline, identify as Jewish, and reside in the United States, including the continental United States, Alaska, or Hawaii. Their project leadership must be conducted from the United States, although the project itself may have global reach. Applicants must currently serve in a leadership role on an initiative that is having measurable impact and embodies tikkun olam. Their work must be performed on a volunteer basis without compensation. A nominator may be any individual who knows the teen, provided that the nominator is not a family member of the nominee. The award criteria emphasize a proven commitment to the value and practice of tikkun olam, vision and creativity, effective development and implementation of a project or organization, continued leadership, and dedication to the project over time. Reviewers also consider the teen's ability to impact or engage a growing number of people as partners, participants, or beneficiaries. Applicants must be able to articulate in their own words the history, meaning, and significance of their project as well as its goals, impact, and potential to engage others. Nominations are currently open. A nominator completes the nomination form and must submit it by December 22, 2026. The source also provides a downloadable nomination form that nominators can use to draft and save their nomination before submitting it online. The published key dates state that applications and nominations open in August 2026, nominations close in December 2026, and applications close in January 2027. The source provides an exact nomination deadline but does not provide an exact January 2027 application deadline date. Applications undergo an extensive evaluation by the Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards Review and Selection Committees, which include more than 100 volunteers and leaders from across the country. The evaluation system focuses on demonstrated current leadership, commitment, and project impact. Multiple evaluators read each application, and their scores determine which applicants advance to the semifinalist and finalist rounds. Semifinalists must provide project status updates and contact information for three references. The Selection Committee reviews finalist applications, and awardees are ultimately selected through a committee process. In addition to the 36000 award for education or the recipient's initiative, recipients participate in an Awards celebration weekend in San Francisco, including a retreat with other recipients, alumni, and program leadership. Benefits also include connection to a network of changemakers and leaders, media opportunities that can increase visibility for the recipient's project, and ongoing support and guidance from Awards leadership. The published key dates identify an Award Announcement in June 2026 and an Awards Celebration in August 2026, while the review description separately states that awardees will be notified in late May. The source does not state a performance period, matching requirement, total program funding amount, or number of awards. Questions about the Awards may be directed to dillerteenawards@jewishfed.org or by text or telephone at 415-684-8618. The source does not identify an individual grant contact by name. It also does not explicitly state that the opportunity recurs annually or on another regular schedule, so recurrence is not inferred. The current nomination deadline is December 22, 2026, while the exact application deadline is not supplied beyond January 2027.

Demonstrate current leadership, sustained commitment, measurable project impact, vision and creativity, effective project development and implementation, dedication over time, growing engagement, and the ability to clearly articulate the project's history, significance, goals, impact, and potential to engage others.