In an effort to increase the number of future educators and improve the quality of professional preparation and Jewish education they receive, the S.F.-based Jim Joseph Foundation will award $12 million in grants to the three leading training institutions for Jewish educators: the Jewish Theological Seminary, Hebrew Union College’s Jewish Institute of Religion and Yeshiva University.

The five-year grants will be used as financial aid for students pursuing education degrees or certification in programs that prepare them to work with Jewish youth and young adults, and to assist each institution in planning new and enhanced programs that will attract more educators to the field. The grants may also foster inter-institutional collaborations to improve new technologies for distance learning and marketing of Jewish education as a desirable professional career.