Shared Society Programmes

As part of NIF’s new strategy we will be moving away from individual projects and grantees, towards supporting multiple grantees collaborating on an area of expertise with joint objectives that maximise impact. These “programmes” are long-term (3+ years) and work to provide a solution to a significant need or problem in Israeli life; have clear and measurable outcomes and includes grants to several organisations, as well as Shatil¹ interventions. We have two large scale Shared Society Programmes we are seeking investment for in 2022 and beyond. Outside of these we are supporting the work of particular grantees we feel have the capacity to scale significantly through increased funding

1. Promoting Inclusion of Palestinian citizens of Israel in Decision Making

• This programme works with several grantees with expertise in different sectors to ensure appropriate representation for Palestinian citizens of Israel in influential sectors at all levels of seniority including: the Civil Service, professional bodies (specifically Planning and Social), Media and Politics (local authorities, ministries and national government).
• Creating infrastructure, spaces, and opportunities for increased collaboration in Mixed Cities i.e. Lod.
• Increase public legitimacy for the inclusion of Palestinian citizens of Israel in decision centre’s as part of a truly Share Society.

Grantees:

Have You seen the Horizon Lately, Neve Shalom, Alliance for Israeli’s Future, Givat Haviva, Ilan Media Centre, Sikkuy-Aufoq, Abraham Initiatives

Shatil input:

Shatil will create and run two forums for grantees and the wider Shared Society sector:

(1) Shared society Forum: facilitate increased coordination and cooperation between a broad group of Shared Society organisations, build capacity of shared society professionals and organisations through focused learning and sharing of best practise and organise forum wide public education initiatives increasing their visibility, strength and impact.
(2) Representation Forum: a smaller forum in cooperation with the aChord Centre² working to increase Palestinian-Israeli representation in decision-making centre’s. Their two offices also serve as community hubs accessible to these organisations in strategic locations: (1) Haifa (2) Beer Sheva.

2. Strengthening Palestinian Civil Society

• This programme develops individuals and organisations (small and established) through Shatil to create strong, dynamic, and influential, Palestinian partners who will play a greater role in national, regional, and local decision making, this will allow them to better serve their communities and ultimately strengthen Israeli democracy.
• Supporting veteran grantees (The Follow-up Committee for Arab Education, The National Committee of Heads of Arab Local Authorities, Tishreen) working to adapt, monitor and implement Government Resolution 550 (£7billion) over the next 5 years to reduce gaps to education, health, housing, and essential services.

The Need:

An NIF study demonstrated that Palestinian-Israeli civil society organisations are significantly underdeveloped when compared to their Jewish counterparts. In particular, organisations were found to lack a voice in public debates, to be insufficiently networked with one another, and to be lacking in human and financial resources. The study also pointed to a narrowing influence of Palestinian civil society and a shrinkage of its activity and public presence in the last decade. As this presence has weakened, crime, violence, police brutality and negligence has flourished.

• 250-300 Palestinian-Israeli social change groups (charities, grassroots movements…) are established annually, but only a handful survive beyond 2 years.
• There are less than 20 Palestinian charities equipped to pursue policy change locally or nationally.
• Recruitment is becoming increasingly difficult with young people choosing private over nonprofit sector roles due to their limited reach and impact.
• Only 40% of Palestinian-Israeli women are employed (up from 22% a decade ago) compared to 70% of Jewish women. Over 60% of Palestinian-Israeli women earn below minimum wage.

Shatil input:

To address this, Shatil has developed Al-Bab (The Door), a five-year three-tiered project focused on growing the power, capital, and capacities of Palestinian activists and organisations at every stage of development:

1. Investing in students and young professionals (aged 20-35) interested in social change through a 6-month leadership course in Arabic in partnership with charities working on a diverse array of issues, a month-long leadership retreat and providing access to an innovation incubator for start-ups.
2. Supporting small charities (>3 staff) with professional resources and consultation for effective management and organisational development and pairing with mentors of veteran organisations.
3. Equipping established organisations (>3 staff) with the tools to become influential players on the national stage in terms of policy change, media and public awareness, as well as creating a forum for collaboration.

1/3 of the organisations and leaders developed through this programme will be female.

Tzedek Centre’s

We are seeking funds to increase our investment in the Tzedek Centre’s (mentioned above) so they can continue to expand and develop their work in Ramle and other mixed cities. They already have plans to open a new Shared Centre in Akko this Autumn, utilising the learnings from the Ramle Centre. In 2022 their plans also include:

Ramle Centre:

• 200 Arab-Jewish graduates taking part in a mixed training programme (weekly sessions for 2 ½ months and concluding in a communal event). The number of courses and graduates will increase year on year until in line with established centre’s.
• Setting up 2 municipal action groups chosen by the participants – currently 1 around equalising informal summer education opportunities for young Arab-Jewish people.
• Hosting 5 public events bringing Arabs and Jews together for shared experiences, meaningful dialogue and ultimately creating a multi-cultural alliance.

Nationwide:

• Evaluating the Centre’s and the effectiveness of their training programmes in igniting social activism in partnership with the aChord Centre.
• Opportunities for graduates to take part in National Movement Seminar and work with other centre’s on national projects.

¹Shatil is NIF’s action arm that trains and nurtures inspiring leaders, develops organisations defending democracy, and builds coalitions to strengthen Israel’s marginalised communities.

²The aChord Centre specialise in research within the field of inter-communal relations in Israel and shared society.