Josh Miller - How Great Grants Get Made (and What Happens When They Don’t)

Episode 67 of What Gives?—the Jewish philanthropy podcast from Jewish Funders Network, hosted by JFN President and CEO Andrés Spokoiny. In this episode, we speak with Josh Miller, Chief Program Officer at the Jim Joseph Foundation. Over the past 17 years, Josh has helped shape some of the most significant philanthropic investments in Jewish education and talent development. In this episode, we talk about how the field of Jewish philanthropy has professionalized, why general operating and multi-year grants are smarter bets, and what it really takes to support meaningful innovation, whether inside legacy institutions or bold new ventures.

Josh also reflects on the “accidental” path that led him into Jewish professional life, the critical importance of field experience for funders, and how October 7 has reshaped our sense of urgency, purpose, and possibility.

Take a listen.