The Jewish LGBTQ Donor Network (the Network) is an international community of LGBT-identifying Jews who donate to various LGBT-related philanthropic causes. It is based in San Diego, California and donates to Jewish LGBT causes mostly in the United States and Israel. ¹

The Network has formed partnerships with other LGBTQ Jewish organizations including Keshet and the Hebrew Free Loan Society (HFLS). ²

Background

The Jewish LGBTQ Donor Network (the Network) was founded in 2021 by three gay Jewish philanthropists: Alex Greenbaum of Tel Aviv, Israel; Stuart Kurlander of Washington, D.C. and Miami; and Jeff Schoenfeld of New York. ^{3 1}

The Network hired Neil Spears as its first executive director in 2023. Spears was tasked with creating a round of renewable grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 over one to three years. After helping the Network issue $150,000 in grants in 2023, Spears stepped aside, and the Network hired Shira Frank, who is the group’s executive director as of 2025. ¹

Grantmaking

The Jewish LGBTQ Donor Network (the Network) prioritizes grant applicants whose work claims to enhance the lives or situations of LGBT-identifying Jews. In 2024, the Network received 60 applications, three times the number it received in 2023. ⁴

In 2023, the Network distributed $150,000 in its first round of full grants to three major groups whose activism lies at the intersection of Jewish and LGBT identity. First, the Network issued a $50,000 grant to Keshet, another left-wing Jewish LGBT activist group, to mobilize Jewish communities across Texas, Florida, and Arizona to advocate for LGBT interests and to train leaders throughout the United States to make their communities align with left-of-center views on LGBT issues. ^{5 6}

The Network also granted $50,000 to Project Kesher Israel to support relocating Ukrainian and Russian LGBT refugees who fled to Israel during the Russia-Ukraine war. ^{7 5}

Last, the Network wrote a $50,000 grant to the Israeli LGBTQ+ Medical Society, which seeks to improve access to sex-reassignment drugs and surgeries in Israel, where people who identify as the opposite of their biological sex can wait up to 18 months for hormones and operations to attempt to change their sex. ¹

Other Jewish Partner Organizations

In addition to continuing its work with Keshet, in March 2025 the Jewish LGBTQ Donor Network announced its partnership with the Hebrew Free Loan Society (HFLS) to offer an interest-free loan program for Jewish LGBT individuals and families relocating from conservative U.S. states in search of regions perceived as safer for LGBT individuals. ^{2 8}

Leadership

Neil Spears was the inaugural executive director of the Jewish LGBTQ Donor Network (the Network). Spears previously worked in education and as executive director of the Silverlake Independent Jewish Community Center. He is a Schusterman Senior Fellow, a recipient of JQ International’s Inspiration Award, and sits on the board of JQ International, a left-of-center nonprofit for LGBT Jews. He is also a regular participant at SVARA’s Queer Talmud Camp. Spears has a B.S. in psychology from the University of California, San Diego and a Master’s in Education Policy and Management from Harvard University. ^{9 10}

Shira Frank is the executive director of the Network. Frank was a fundraiser for 20 years before joining the Network, during which time she raised over $30,000,000 in partnerships with donors across the United States, Canada, Europe, and Israel. Her experience includes executive roles at the MIT Media Lab, Maiden Labs, and the Jewish Day School of Washington, D.C. ^{11 1}

Financials

The majority of the Jewish LGBTQ Donor Network’s funding originated from its founders, Alex Greenbaum, Stuart Kurlander, and Jeff Schoenfeld. It operates on funding from mostly gay Jewish donors from around the world. The Network’s finances are managed by FMW Nonprofit Solutions. ^{12 13}

1. “Welcoming new Director, Shira Frank, to the Network!.” Jewish LGBTQ Donor Network. March 28, 2024. Accessed April 7, 2025. https://jewishlgbtqdonornetwork.org/f/welcoming-shira-frank-to-the-jewish-lgbtq-donor-network
2. “Network partners to create interest-free loans for LGBTQ families.” Jewish LGBTQ Donor Network. March 12, 2025. Accessed April 7, 2025. https://jewishlgbtqdonornetwork.org/f/network-partners-to-create-interest-free-loans-for-lgbtq-families
3. “About.” Jewish LGBTQ Donor Network. Accessed April 7, 2025. https://jewishlgbtqdonornetwork.org/about
4. “Grants.” Jewish LGBTQ Donor Network. Accessed April 7, 2025.  https://jewishlgbtqdonornetwork.org/grants
5. “Jewish LGBTQ Donor Network Awards $150,000 in Inaugural Grants.” Jewish LGBTW Donor Network. September 15, 2023. Accessed April 7, 2025. https://jewishlgbtqdonornetwork.org/f/jewish-lgbtq-donor-network-awards-150000-in-inaugural-grants
6. “Jewish LGBTQ Donor Network awards $150K in inaugural grants.” Akron Jewish News. Sep 29, 2023. Accessed April 7, 2025. https://www.akronjewishnews.com/news/local/jewish-lgbtq-donor-network-awards-150k-in-inaugural-grants/article_ad6c9f36-1eba-5b2d-b3c9-45edd7f54465.html
7. ^[1] “Jewish LGBTQ Donor Network awards $150K in inaugural grants.” Akron Jewish News. Sep 29, 2023. Accessed April 7, 2025. https://www.akronjewishnews.com/news/local/jewish-lgbtq-donor-network-awards-150k-in-inaugural-grants/article_ad6c9f36-1eba-5b2d-b3c9-45edd7f54465.html
8. Gergely, Julia. “How a nonprofit, loan society and donor network launched a fund to help trans people relocate.” E Jewish Philanthropy. March 27, 2025. Accessed April 7, 2025. https://ejewishphilanthropy.com/how-a-nonprofit-loan-society-and-donor-network-launched-a-fund-to-help-trans-people-relocate/
9. “Jewish LGBTQ Donor Network Announces Inaugural Executive Director.” Jewish LGBTQ donor Network. January 3, 2023. Accessed April 7, 2025. https://jewishlgbtqdonornetwork.org/f/jewish-lgbtq-donor-network-welcomes-inaugural-executive-director
10. Kustanowitz, Esther D. “Meet Neil Spears, inaugural director of the Jewish LGBTQ Donor Network.” E Jewish Philanthropy. January 5, 2023. Accessed April 7, 2025. https://ejewishphilanthropy.com/meet-neil-spears-inaugural-director-of-the-jewish-lgbtq-donor-network/
11. ^[1] Hamelin, Braden. “Shira Frank Named New Executive Director of the Jewish LGBTQ Donor Network.” Washington Jewish Week. May 1, 2024. Accessed April 7, 2025. https://www.washingtonjewishweek.com/shira-frank-named-new-executive-director-of-the-jewish-lgbtq-donor-network/
12. ^[1] “Welcoming new Director, Shira Frank, to the Network!.” Jewish LGBTQ Donor Network. March 28, 2024. Accessed April 7, 2025. https://jewishlgbtqdonornetwork.org/f/welcoming-shira-frank-to-the-jewish-lgbtq-donor-network
13. “Donate – Jewish LGBTQ Donor Network c/o FMW.” Jewish LGBTQ Donor Netwrok on Hubspot. Accessed April 7, 2025. https://app.hubspot.com/payments/purchase/hscs_81NUiPLtSKUWbHgoY4kqocGK01kbQ77US2Svv7xsQfyOvbahSVfQAe57xb70rrMd?referrer=PAYMENT_LINK