American Jewish World Service Inc

WE WORK TO REALIZE HUMAN RIGHTS AND END POVERTY IN AFRICA, ASIA, LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN.

PROGRAMS DIVISION: THE PROGRAMS DIVISION (PD) OVERSEES AND IMPLEMENTS AJWS'S INTERNATIONAL GRANTMAKING. IN FY2022, AJWS AWARDED 696 GRANTS TO 542 HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS WORKING TO DEFEND CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS, ADVANCE SEXUAL HEALTH AND RIGHTS, PROTECT LAND AND WATER RIGHTS AND PROMOTE CLIMATE JUSTICE, AND RESPOND TO DISASTERS. AJWS FOCUSES ITS CORE WORK IN 18 COUNTRIES AND SUPPORTS AN ADDITIONAL 24 GRANTEES IN 10 ADDITIONAL COUNTRIES VIA A DONOR-ADVISED FUND. IN PARTICULAR, THE PROGRAMS DIVISION CONTINUED YEAR SEVEN OF A 10-YEAR INITIATIVE TO END EARLY AND CHILD MARRIAGE IN INDIA; SUPPORTED INDIAN PARTNERS TO CREATE A MEDIA CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTING WOMEN'S EXPERIENCES IN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, WHICH WON THE PRESTIGIOUS (SEE SCH. O)LAADLI MEDIA AWARD FOR GENDER SENSITIVITY; CONTINUED TO SUPPORT PARTNERS RESPONDING TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN THEIR COUNTRIES, INCLUDING THE PROVISION OF LIVELIHOOD SUPPORT, FOOD AID, PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT, ACCESS TO PHYSICAL AND MENTAL MEDICAL CARE, HYGIENE MATERIALS, AND CRITICAL INFORMATION TO PROTECT AGAINST VIRAL SPREAD AND VACCINE SAFETY. ADDITIONALLY, AJWS SUPPORTED A DELEGATION OF HAITIAN PARTNERS TO APPEAR AT A VIRTUAL U.S. CONGRESSIONAL HEARING, WHERE THEY SPOKE TO MEMBERS OF CONGRESS ABOUT HAITI'S DIRE POLITICAL INSTABILITY, RAMPANT GANG VIOLENCE, AND EGREGIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES.THE PROGRAMS DIVISION ALSO ENGAGED IN DOMESTIC AND GLOBAL ADVOCACY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS. THE WASHINGTON, D.C.-BASED GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS OFFICE BROUGHT PARTNERS FROM SEVERAL OF AJWS'S PRIORITY COUNTRIES TO ADVOCATE TO U.S. LAW MAKERS FOR THE PASSAGE OF LEGISLATION THAT PROVIDES CRITICAL HUMAN RIGHTS FUNDING AND HOLDS GOVERNMENTS ACCOUNTABLE FOR CORRUPTION AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS; SUCCESSFULLY INFLUENCED MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO BLOCK LEGISLATION THAT WOULD HAVE SEVERELY HARMED MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES, PARTICULARLY WOMEN AND THE LGBTQI+ COMMUNITY; AND WROTE SEVERAL LETTERS SIGNED BY HUNDREDS OF LEADERS IN THE AMERICAN JEWISH COMMUNITY TO U.S. POLICYMAKERS ON KEY ISSUES AFFECTING PARTNERS ACROSS THE GLOBE. THE PROGRAMS DIVISION ALSO COLLABORATED WITH THE STRATEGIC LEARNING, RESEARCH AND EVALUATION (SLRE) DIVISION TO MONITOR AND EVALUATE THE PROGRESS OF AJWS'S GRANTEES USING THEMATIC AND REGIONAL STRATEGIES, COLLABORATIVE MULTI-YEAR BENCHMARKS, AND CASE STUDIES.

COMMUNICATIONS DIVISION: THE COMMUNICATIONS DIVISION IS RESPONSIBLE FOR COMMUNICATING ABOUT AJWS TO DIVERSE AUDIENCES IN ORDER TO RAISE AJWS'S PROFILE ON THE NATIONAL AND GLOBAL STAGE. IN FY2022, COMMUNICATIONS STAFF MEMBERS MAINTAINED AND DEVELOPED THE AJWS WEBSITE AS A VEHICLE FOR EDUCATING AND MOBILIZING OUR AUDIENCE, CONDUCTED ONLINE FUNDRAISING AND ADVOCACY INITIATIVES, SUPPORTED AND PROMOTED VIRTUAL EVENTS TO EDUCATE AND INSPIRE OUR COMMUNITY, AND PROMOTED AJWS THROUGH TRADITIONAL MEDIA RELATIONS AND THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA. COMMUNICATIONS ALSO PRODUCED AND DESIGNED AN ARRAY OF CONTENT AND PUBLICATIONS INCLUDING AN ANNUAL REPORT AND STORIES THAT HIGHLIGHTED AND ADVANCED THE WORK AND IMPACT OF OUR GRANTEES AND ACTIVISTS. (SEE SCH. O)WE USED THESE STRATEGIES TO AMPLIFY THE IMPACT OF OUR GRANTEES' WORK IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD, INCREASE AWARENESS OF HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES AMONG THE AMERICAN JEWISH COMMUNITY AND GENERAL PUBLIC, INSPIRE ACTIVISM TO PROMOTE SOCIAL CHANGE, AND POSITION AJWS AS A THOUGHT LEADER IN THE HUMAN RIGHTS ARENA AND IN JEWISH COMMUNITIES. IN PARTICULAR IN 2021, COMMUNICATIONS WAS INTEGRAL TO ADVANCING AN ORGANIZATION-WIDE CAMPAIGN TO RESPOND TO THE COVID-19 CRISIS WORLDWIDE; SUPPORTED AJWS'S INITIATIVE TO END CHILD MARRIAGE IN INDIA; PROMOTED AJWS'S GLOBAL JUSTICE CHAVURAH MOBILIZING JEWISH CLERGY FOR SOCIAL CHANGE; AND CREATED NEW HOLIDAY RESOURCES TO INSPIRE AMERICAN JEWS TO TAKE ACTION ON GLOBAL JUSTICE ISSUES.ACROSS OUR WHOLE PORTFOLIO, COMMUNICATIONS WORKED CLOSELY WITH DIVISIONS THROUGHOUT AJWS TO ENSURE THAT OUR MESSAGES ACCURATELY REFLECTED HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES, THE SITUATION IN EACH COUNTRY, AND THE WORK OF OUR GRANTEES; AND ADVANCED THE ORGANIZATION'S REPUTATION, BRAND AND MISSION.

STRATEGIC LEARNING, RESEARCH AND EVALUATION (SLRE): THE STRATEGIC LEARNING, RESEARCH AND EVALUATION DIVISION IS RESPONSIBLE FOR YIELDING NEW INSIGHTS THAT CAN BE USED TO STRATEGICALLY IMPROVE AJWS'S WORK TO ADVANCE HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE 18 COUNTRIES WHERE WE WORK. SLRE GUIDES ONGOING STRATEGY MANAGEMENT AND INVESTIGATES KEY QUESTIONS ABOUT AJWS'S STRATEGIES INCLUDING HOW WE CREATE SUSTAINED HUMAN RIGHTS CHANGE AND WHAT IMPACT WE HAVE HAD. IN ADDITION TO DESIGNING RESEARCH AND EVALUATION THAT ANSWERS THESE QUESTIONS, SLRE ALSO HELPS AJWS'S PROGRAMMATIC STAFF SEEK AND APPLY LESSONS LEARNED AND CREATE INNOVATIVE, EVIDENCE-BASED INITIATIVES. (SEE SCH. O)IN FY2022, SLRE HAS FURTHERED ITS WORK IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS OF REPORTING, MONITORING, EVALUATION, LEARNING AND RESEARCH: -IN FY2022, SLRE SUPPORTED PROGRAMMATIC STAFF TO INITIATE STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT. SLRE LED THE DEVELOPMENT OF GUIDELINES FOR THIS INITIATIVE, INCLUDING KEY REFLECTION QUESTIONS, AND PROVIDED NUMEROUS SPACES FOR STAFF TO DEEPEN THEIR UNDERSTANDING AND APPROACH TO STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT. FOR EXAMPLE, SLRE FACILITATED THE CO-CREATION OF A MATRIX TO MAKE VISIBLE THINKING ABOUT WHO IS ENGAGED IN STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT, TO WHAT EXTENT, AND TO WHAT END. -SLRE WORKED WITH STAFF TO IDENTIFY POWERFUL LEARNING QUESTIONS WHICH NEEDED TO BE ANSWERED IN ORDER TO HONE THEIR STRATEGIC APPROACH. AFTER LEARNING QUESTIONS WERE PRIORITIZED, SLRE SUPPORTED DATA GATHERING, OFTEN THROUGH PRIMARY RESEARCH, AND DIALOGUE ON STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS OF THE EVIDENCE. - SLRE AND PROGRAMS FACILITATED A SERIES OF FEMINIST LEARNING LABS AS A SPACE TO ENGAGE IN DEEPENING PERSPECTIVES AND PROVIDING TOOLS AND PRACTICAL SUPPORT FOR STAFF TO INTEGRATE OUR COLLECTIVE FEMINIST ASPIRATIONS INTO STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT. - SLRE CONTINUES TO REFINE AND UTILIZE AJWS'S MEASUREMENT FRAMEWORK TO MONITOR AND MANAGE PROGRAMMATIC STRATEGY. AS PART OF STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT, SLRE SHARED STATISTICAL ANALYSIS ON PATTERNS THAT EMERGED FROM OUR MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS ABOUT PROGRESS TO INFORM STRATEGIC DECISION-MAKING. IN FY2022, SLRE BEGAN TO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO PROGRAMMATIC STAFF TO WRITE STRONG OUTCOMES THAT THEY WILL TRACK PROGRESS TOWARDS MOVING FORWARD. SLRE HAS CONTINUED TO ENSURE TIMELY OUTCOME MONITORING, DATA ANALYSIS AND DISSEMINATION, AND SUPPORT FOR BIANNUAL REFLECTION SPACES FOR LEARNING AND ACTION. SLRE ENGAGED ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND BOARD IN THE UNDERSTANDING OF AJWS'S PROGRAMMATIC WORK BY SHARING DATA FROM OUR MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS, AND IN FY2022 INITIATED A BOARD LEARNING AGENDA FOCUSED ON STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT.- SLRE CONTINUED ITS PARTNERSHIP WITH INSTITUTIONAL GIVING AND PROGRAMS TEAMS TO FULFILL REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR INSTITUTIONAL GRANTS AND TO SEEK ADDITIONAL FUNDS TO SUPPORT OUR WORK IN PRIORITY COUNTRIES. OUR SUPPORT INCLUDED PREPARING QUARTERLY MONITORING REPORTS FOR EXISTING GRANTS, FACILITATING PROJECT DESIGN CONVERSATIONS FOR NEW PROPOSALS, AND COMMISSIONING A BASELINE EVALUATION FOR A NEW PROJECT.-SLRE SUPPORTED RESEARCH TO ASSESS PROGRESS TOWARDS OUR STRATEGIC GOALS WITHIN OUR ADOLESCENT GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN PORTFOLIO IN INDIA THAT INCLUDED ANALYSIS OF SECONDARY DATA SOURCES IN WHICH PARTNERS HAVE PROVIDED EXAMPLES OF SUCCESS AND CHALLENGES RELATED TO PARTICULAR ASPECTS OF THEIR WORK. SLRE ALSO SUPPORTED A LARGE-SCALE SURVEY OF GLOBAL ADVOCATES TO UNDERSTAND DRIVERS AND THE EFFECTS OF HOW THEY FRAME THEIR WORK ON CHILD, EARLY, AND FORCED MARRIAGE.- SLRE ADVANCED THE WORK TO FURTHER OUR UNDERSTANDING OF OUR ACCOMPANIMENT MODEL. AN INTERNAL WORKING GROUP WITH AN EXTERNAL EVALUATOR DEVELOPED A FRAMEWORK AND GUIDANCE DOCUMENT THAT DETAILS OUR MODEL'S OBJECTIVES, CLARIFIES OUR TERMINOLOGY, AND OUTLINES A DRAFT TOOL TO SYSTEMATICALLY CAPTURE THE SUPPORT WE PROVIDE TO OUR GRANTEE PARTNERS. THIS TOOL WAS PILOTED WITH AJWS STAFF IN FY2022, AND PILOTING WILL CONTINUE IN FY2023. THE DATA WILL BE ANALYZED TO FURTHER OUR UNDERSTANDING OF OUR PARTNER NEEDS, ACTIONS TAKEN TO ADDRESS THEIR NEEDS, AND THE CHANGES THAT RESULT TO INFORM AND IMPROVE OUR PRACTICE.- SLRE, IN COLLABORATION WITH THE PROGRAMS AND INSTITUTIONAL GIVING TEAMS, FURTHERED OUR WORK TO REFINE OUR SOCIAL MOVEMENT TOOL AND DEVELOP A PARTICIPATORY METHODOLOGY FOR USE WITH MOVEMENT ACTORS. AN EXTERNAL ADVISORY BODY WAS ESTABLISHED TO SERVE AS A POINT OF REFLECTION, EXCHANGE AND JOINT LEARNING. IN FY2022, SLREWITH AN EXTERNAL CONSULTANTHELD THE SECOND PILOT OF OUR TOOL AND PARTICIPATORY METHODOLOGY WITH A MOVEMENT'S ACTORS. THESE ACTORS HELD A JOINT DISCUSSION AROUND THE RESPONSES TO THE TOOL AND IDENTIFIED WAYS THEY CAN MOVE THEIR MOVEMENT FORWARD. THE TOOL WAS ALSO LAUNCHED WITH AJWS PROGRAMS STAFF TO REFLECT ON AJWS GRANTEES' MOVEMENTS AS ONE INPUT TO INFORM STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT. IN FY2023, THE TOOL AND METHODOLOGY WILL CONTINUE TO BE IMPROVED BASED ON FURTHER PILOTS WITH ADDITIONAL SOCIAL MOVEMENTS AND ANALYSIS AND FEEDBACK FROM AJWS STAFF. -SLRE HAS DEEPLY PRIORITIZED DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION AND TAKEN STEPS TO BUILD STANDARDIZED ROUTINE SPACES FOR DIVISIONAL EDUCATION, REFLECTION, AND CONVERSATION THAT SUPPORT OUR PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL GOALS TO BE MORE INCLUSIVE AND ANTI-RACIST. SLRE TEAM MEMBERS SUPPORT FOUR ORGANIZATIONAL SUBGROUPS THAT HAVE BEEN FORMED TO ADDRESS ACTION STEPS NAMED IN THE ORGANIZATIONAL DEI ROADMAP. SLRE HAS SUPPORTED ONGOING CONVERSATIONS WITH THE DEI DIRECTOR ABOUT LEARNING FROM AND MEASURING OUR DEI WORK. SLRE FUNDED AND MANAGED A DEI CONSULTANT WHO SUPPORTED INTERNAL QUALITATIVE RESEARCH TO INFORM DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW PROCESS FOR REPORTING AND ACCOUNTABILITY WHEN BIAS, MICROAGGRESSIONS, AND DISCRIMINATION OCCUR.