Applications Open for National
$36k Award Recognizing Jewish Teen Leadership

Nominations and applications are now open for the 2023 cohort of the Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards, a signature program of the Helen Diller Family Foundation. Recognizing up to 15 Jewish teens from across the nation, the Awards honor extraordinary young leaders annually with $36,000 each for their impact and proven leadership to repair the world.

Teens are encouraged to apply at dillerteenawards.org for the 2023 awards or individuals may nominate a remarkable teen who meets the qualifications. Eligible applicants must be residents of the United States, between 13 and 19 years old at the time of the application deadline, serving in a leadership role on a project that is aimed at repairing the world, and self-identify as Jewish. Applications are due by Thursday, January 5, 2023, with finalists selected in April and awardees announced in May. The 2023 Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards recipients will be selected by committees of Jewish community leaders and educators located in cities across the country. Candidates will complete detailed applications describing their project’s goals, inspirations, challenges, outreach tactics, and measurable impact.

The Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards were the vision of Bay Area philanthropist Helen Diller, who sought to recognize the next generation of socially committed leaders whose dedication to volunteerism exemplifies the spirit of tikkun olam, a Jewish value meaning “to repair the world.” Since 2007, the Helen Diller Family Foundation has recognized 174 Jewish teen leaders, awarding more than $6 million as a continuation of Helen Diller’s legacy. The Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards is one of many programs funded by the Helen Diller Family Foundation, a supporting foundation of the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin, and Sonoma Counties.

This August, the 2022 Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards recognized 15 teen leaders addressing some of society’s greatest challenges, from the growing risks of climate change to the need to support veterans, refugees, and senior citizens. Their work includes advocating for LGBTQ+ inclusion in schools, inspiring girls to become entrepreneurs, increasing access to computer science, and providing shoes to those experiencing homelessness. Awardees support community needs by creating networks that mobilize their peers to take collective, meaningful action and inspire others to join them. The 2022 Awardees represented all corners of the country, including the Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York, Texas, Washington state, New England and the D.C. area. 

For more information on the 2023 application/nomination process and criteria, or to read bios of past recipients, visit dillerteenawards.org or follow Diller Teen Awards on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards celebrate tikkun olam, or “repairing the world.” The Helen Diller Family Foundation knows that supporting Jewish teen leadership today means creating and inspiring future generations of strong Jewish leaders in the global community. The Awards provide $36,000 for each recipient to use towards their education or to further their impact.