Sabbatical Granting

2025 R&R _ SabbaticalKickOff.png

Each organization will receive a $30k grant for their leader to take a 3-month consecutive sabbatical to invest in the organization’s talent that will support the team in the leader’s absence. This grant honors these executives’ significant and longstanding contribution and leadership. The award also looks to provide much-deserved time for leaders to rest and recover. Summatively, our research shows that sabbaticals are a powerful intervention that positively impacts leaders, organizations, and ultimately, the sector.  R&R’s research can be found here.

More about our 2025 Sabbatical Granting process can be found here.

Applications are currently closed.

Our vision is that we will continue to demonstrate the power of sabbaticals in the Jewish non-profit sector, helping to give diverse leaders time away from work. Leaders will have a chance to rejuvenate, slow down, and avoid burnout from the demands of their positions. Organizations and projects will become stronger and healthier, contributing to the long-term success of their leaders and the broader ecosystem. This change will come from launching and norming sabbaticals for talent across the Jewish nonprofit sector.

  • To acknowledge and reward nonprofit leaders with a 3-month break from their professional work for rest and rejuvenation

  • To support sabbatical organizations in advancing a shared leadership model across their organizations

  • To advance the skills and capacity of staff at sabbatical organizations so that they can assume increased leadership

  • To advocate for building and expanding equitable rest policies and practices within the nonprofit sector, generating widespread appreciation for the critical value of workers and a sustainable environment that supports them

Program Goals

For 2024, sabbaticals will be granted for at least three (3) months, with a total of $30,000 granted per sabbatical recipient. The intention of the grant is to encourage the grantee organization to match the funds, if necessary, to ensure the full maintenance of the salary and benefits of the leader during leave (a criteria to receive a grant), and offer stipends and/or professional development for the staff person(s) taking on primary responsibility of the leader’s role in their absence. 

In addition to the $30k investment, grantees will receive the following:

  • Access to four (4) sabbatical coaching sessions with a coach of their choice, to be used prior to, during or after return from sabbatical

  • Access to facilitated grantee community of practice (one for leaders and one deputies)

  • Ongoing support from R&R as needed

2024 Grant Details

  • August 19 - September 27: Online Applications Open. Apply here.

  • September 12 @ 1pm ET / 10am PT: Virtual Grant Info Session. RECORDING HERE.

  • Week of October 28: First round notifications sent to applicants

  • November 4 - 15: Second round applicant interviews

  • Week of December 2: Final notifications sent

  • No earlier than May 1, 2025 and no later than December 1, 2025: By when all sabbaticals must start

Timeline

Individuals applying should: 

  • At least 7 years of professional leadership experience within the nonprofit sector (though not necessarily for one organization) 

  • At least 3 years in current leadership role within the Jewish communal sector; and committed to remaining in their role for the next 3 years 

  • Hold the title of CEO, Executive Director, or an equivalent full-time position that reports directly to the board of a 501c3 nonprofit organization and/or a fiscally sponsored project (still a c3)

  • Be able to start their 3-month sabbatical no earlier than May 1, 2025 and no later than December 1, 2025

Employing organizations should: 

  • Be a nonprofit organization 

  • Have at least 5 full-time paid staff 

  • Look to the applicant’s sabbatical as an opportunity to develop the next level of leadership within the organization

  • Offer its endorsement of the request for leave w/ board approval. 

  • Feel confident in sustaining regular operations during the candidate’s absence 

  • Demonstrate financial need to underwrite the candidate’s leave

Our criteria correlates with 20 years of research from the Durfee Foundation for how to provide sabbaticals for nonprofits that are achievable and sustainable for the organization. However, if you believe that you have a unique case that includes exceptions to the. criteria, we welcome you to submit an application that includes making your case.

Grant Eligibility

Our decision making process will be made by an outside panel, and facilitated by the R&R team.

Our panel includes:

The panel will be focused on equity in the selection process as R&R seeks to fight for a system that works for all, not the few, and work to dismantle systems of oppression within the workplace. R&R operates through a set of guiding values that will inform the way in which our panel evaluates applications. The panel will consider each application in light of these questions:

Equity

  • Has the identity(s) and/or circumstances shared by the candidate contributed to hardship(s) experienced in leadership and/or the workplace?

Role and Tenure

  • Has the candidate been in a leadership role of a nonprofit for at least the past seven years?

  • Is the candidate ultimately responsible for the organization — i.e. is this the person with whom the buck stops?

Leadership Beyond the Organization

  • Has the candidate demonstrated leadership beyond the four walls of their organization?

  • Will the candidate participate in and contribute to the sabbatical peer network?

Organizational Readiness

  • Is there stable secondary staff in place to take over interim leadership during the sabbatical?

  • Are there enough of a staff to absorb the load?

  • Is the organization well poised to take advantage of this opportunity — i.e., does the organization have strong finances, no immediate debt, not in transition, or dealing with any other issue that would destabilize the organization?

  • Is the board supportive?

Timing

  • Is this a good moment, both personally and professionally, for the leader to step away?

  • Is there a sense of urgency about why this year is the right year — i.e., new building recently completed, child going off to college, capital campaign forecast to begin in 2-3 years?

  • Is the candidate committed to remaining for at least the next three years at their organization?

Candidate Readiness

  • Does the candidate have a good plan for the sabbatical that is not work-related?

  • Does the candidate really seem capable of disengaging from work?

Financial Need

  • Could the candidate afford to take a leave without financial subsidy?

  • Does the organization have an endowment or a sufficiently large budget that would suggest it could underwrite the sabbatical without R&R’s support?

Review Criteria

Research & Resources

If you have any questions that are not listed on this FAQ, please feel free to reach out to josh@restofourlives.org. And, if applicable, we’ll also add the question/answer to this list for others after we share it with you!

FAQs

  • Unfortunately, R&R cannot offer the grant to more than one leader at an organization. We strongly encourage that you and your co-director(s) have a discussion before applying to determine which of you would be more suited for the Sabbatical award based on the review criteria.

  • At this time, R&R grants are only available to US-based nonprofits. We hope to expand in the future.

  • The R&R program requires a sabbatical of at least three (3) consecutive months. The purpose is to provide nonprofit leaders with a real break from their work. We understand that a longer break requires more preparation, but evidence has shown that this is a powerful way for the organization to ensure its valued leader has the proper amount of time for rest and rejuvenation.

  • For 2024 grants, R&R will require that all three (3) month sabbaticals begin no earlier than May 1, 2025 and no later than December 1, 2025.

  • We recognize the critical importance for a sabbatical policy to be accessible to all staff at an organization. For this granting round, only CEOs, ED’s or the most senior leader at an organization are eligible for R&R sabbatical grants. Research has shown that many times executives return from their sabbaticals incredibly inspired and ready to implement new org-wide rest policies and practices (such as a sabbatical policy) for their organization. Our hope is that this will come to fruition in meaningful ways.

  • Yes, leaders of small nonprofits are eligible for the program as long as there is strong secondary leadership and at least five* full-time staff. All applicants must demonstrate that existing staff can carry on the work of the organization as usual while the candidate is away.

    *If you have less than five full-time staff, but have part-time staff that make-up at least five in full-time capacity, you can still apply, but we strongly encourage you to explain the staffing structure in more detail in the last question of the application in order to best understand the plan for bench of leadership during sabbatical.

  • Yes, applicants from large nonprofits are eligible. However, the program requires that nonprofits receiving the sabbatical grant must demonstrate financial need. Organizations with very large budgets, especially those with significant endowments, may not be fare as well in the application process.

  • Our research and that of others has indicated that providing stipends/financial incentives to deputy(s) taking on the roles and responsibilities of the leader in their absence contributes to healthier, more effective sabbatical experience for both the organization and the team. The amount of the stipend could be dependent on the workload, your organization's budget and conversations with the deputy(s) to ensure they feel valued and supported in this experience.

  • If you are planning a sabbatical and either the dates do not align with our grant program and/or you are ineligible to apply, the R&R team has opportunities to engage with us separately through Sabbatical Coaching. Reach out to josh@restofourlives.org to discuss your needs further.

Questions?

Josh Feldman, CEO
josh@restofourlives.org