Feb 9, 2011
Interest-free JELF Loans Provide Opportunities for Miami-Dade Students
Jewish Community Services of South Florida (JCS) will soon be offering interest-free loans to Jewish students in Miami-Dade County for the 2011-2012 academic year through the Jewish Educational Loan Fund (JELF). Loans are needs-based and available to U.S. citizens and legal residents who are attending accredited undergraduate, graduate and vocational schools full-time in pursuit of a degree or certificate.
Applicants for JELF loans must be residents of Miami-Dade County for at least a year and be eligible for financial aid through their school. Dollars provided through JELF are considered “last-dollar financing,” bridging the final gap of all other funding sources.
Based in Atlanta, JELF makes need-based, interest-free loans for post-secondary education, including college, graduate school and vocational courses of study. In South Florida, JELF is administered by Jewish Community Services of South Florida, a beneficiary agency of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation.
Since 1961, JELF has granted more than $6.3 million in loans to more than 2,900 Jewish students. Last year, 18 students in Miami-Dade were awarded more than $81,000. Loans are based solely on need, and recipients come from a variety of backgrounds. While JELF currently administers approximately $2.9 million in outstanding loans, it has maintained its impressive 98 percent repayment rate. As students repay their loans, JELF uses those payments to make new loans, creating a circle of tzedakah.
JCS serves as the local administrator of the loan program. Applications are available at the JELF website starting March 1 and the deadline for submission, including a personal interview, is April 15. Contact the local JELF coordinator, JCS’ Laurie Turner, at 305.271.9000, ext. 266 for further information prior to completing the online application.
