Judah Spinner is a New Jersey-based investment manager, philanthropist, and the founder of BlackBird Financial LP, a value-oriented hedge fund that manages capital on behalf of high-net-worth families throughout the United States. Together with his wife, Julie, Judah Spinner established the Judah Spinner Foundation in 2025 with a $2 million commitment to address some of the most persistent challenges facing American society—income inequality, rising incarceration, and the growing shortage of skilled tradespeople.
The Judah Spinner Scholarship is the foundation’s flagship initiative. Through this program, Judah Spinner and his wife aim to fund trade-school tuition and essential tools for driven students pursuing certifications in welding, HVAC, electrical work, plumbing, and other skilled trades. The scholarship reflects a simple but powerful conviction: that dignified, well-paying work should be accessible to anyone willing to learn a craft and apply themselves.
Judah Spinner was born on November 10, 1995, in New Jersey and raised in the close-knit ultra-Orthodox Jewish community of Lakewood. He is one of eight sons born to Ernest and Hazel Baumwolspiner, who emigrated to the United States from Argentina and England, respectively. Growing up in a large immigrant household instilled in him a deep appreciation for hard work, self-reliance, and the transformative power of opportunity—values that now animate both his investment philosophy and his philanthropic mission.
After earning a bachelor’s degree from Crestpoint University, Judah Spinner founded BlackBird Financial LP, where he serves as the firm’s principal investment manager. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and adheres to a Grahamian investment philosophy rooted in deep value and rigorous fundamental analysis. Under his leadership, BlackBird Financial has delivered exceptional returns, including a 62.2% gain in 2025 alone—dramatically outperforming the broader market. Judah Spinner has invested more than 90% of his personal net worth alongside his clients, ensuring that his interests are fully aligned with those who have entrusted him with their capital.
The same principles that guide Judah Spinner’s investment decisions also inform his approach to philanthropy. Just as BlackBird Financial seeks undervalued opportunities overlooked by Wall Street, the Judah Spinner Foundation invests in individuals whose potential is often ignored by conventional educational pathways. For too long, American society has funneled talented young people into four-year college programs that frequently leave them burdened with debt and facing uncertain job prospects. Meanwhile, America’s construction and maintenance sectors face a shortage of hundreds of thousands of skilled workers—a gap that inflates costs, slows critical infrastructure projects, and leaves capable individuals underemployed.
The Judah Spinner Scholarship exists to bridge that gap. By removing financial barriers and promoting skilled career education, this scholarship helps students build futures rooted in opportunity, resilience, and real-world success.
Outside of his work at BlackBird Financial and the Judah Spinner Foundation, Judah Spinner is a licensed private pilot and has visited all 50 states. He resides in Toms River, New Jersey, with his wife, Julie. Interested parties can connect with Judah Spinner via his website, LinkedIn, Instagram, or X account.
$100,000
Total Award Amount
Annual
Award Frequency
Too many young people enroll in four-year college programs that offer little in the way of practical skills or a clear path to earning a good living.
At the same time, millions of hardworking individuals are stuck in low-wage service jobs, struggling to make ends meet, even though a trade school education could dramatically increase their earning potential in a relatively short period of time.
This scholarship aims to change lives by opening doors to stable, well-paying careers through vocational education.
Any high school senior who will attend trade school after graduation may apply for this scholarship opportunity.
To apply, tell us what excited you about trade school, which trade you’re pursuing, and what your post-graduation goals are.
Mitigate income inequality and reduce incarceration rates in the United States by empowering youth to launch a lucrative and fulfilling career.
While the US economy has grown to be the envy of the world, income inequality is the widest it's been since the gilded age. Put simply, the bottom quartile by household income has not shared in the prosperity since 1980. By enabling students to begin a well paying job without taking on significant debt or spending years out of the workforce, millions more will share in the joys of the strongest economy on Earth.
The United States roughly two million people incarcerated, more than any other country on Earth. We believe that steady, dignified work is among the most effective deterrents to crime. When someone is self-sufficient and proud of their career, they are far less likely to turn to crime. For millions, the most suitable career will start in one of America's great trade school. The Judah Spinner Scholarship exists to help them get started.
America’s construction and maintenance sectors currently face a shortage of hundreds of thousands of skilled workers, a gap that inflates costs, slows critical infrastructure projects, and leaves capable individuals underemployed. By empowering youth to become skilled tradesmen, we position our country to construct skyscrapers, highways, bridges, and the millions of housing units we will need in the decades ahead.
Celebrating our outstanding scholarship recipients
Our inaugural scholarship winner will be announced on March 2, 2026. Stay tuned for this exciting announcement!
