The New Israel Fund empowers Israelis to stand up for a fair and just society for all.
Israel today faces threats to its democracy, and its progressive values are being undermined and eroded. Many Israelis feel that the country is moving further and further away from the values held by its founders.
We stand with Israelis fighting for safety and justice for everyone living in Israel. Our work enables Israelis and Palestinians to fight back against inequality, injustice and extremism.
How do we do this?
Since it was founded in 1979, NIF has provided more than £225 million (including £30 million from the UK) to more than 900 grassroots organisations working to defend democracy and human rights.
We are funding, supporting and partnering with those working to ensure that Israel returns to being a vibrant democracy.
But we are more than a funder. Through Shatil, a branch of NIF on the ground in Israel, we provide tailor-made consultancy for the civil society organisations that we fund. Shatil helps these organisations to identify their weaknesses, build on their strengths and work together.
Shatil provides 22,500 hours of training and advice per year to 300 organisations across Israel. This training covers everything from leadership to strategy, policy promotion, marketing and communications. Shatil also forges connections between organisations with similar goals or in the same geographical area, training them to amplify their influence by working together.
NIF advocates for equality for everyone living in Israel. This means defending women’s rights, fighting for LGBTQ equality and standing up for the rights of orthodox and non-orthodox Jews.
We advance partnerships between Arab and Jewish leaders and communities, and we work relentlessly to support human rights in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.
We engage with thousands of our supporters every year, in person and online, connecting supporters in the UK with our work in Israel. We also sponsor cultural events with organisations including Jewish Book Week, Seret and UK Jewish Film, highlighting the issues we address.
What have we achieved?
NIF-funded organisations have changed laws, set up support groups, trained leaders and raised awareness on a range of issues. Achievements include:
- Setting up Israel’s first rape-crisis centres
- Persuading the Knesset to pass a law banning torture during the interrogation of civilians
- Advancing access to social services for Haredi citizens
- Banning “conversion therapy” for LGBTQ+ people
- Ensuring that Palestinians are able to access and cultivate privately owned land beyond the separation barrier
- Educating Israeli soldiers on their responsibilities to address settler violence
- Improving funding and legal rights for asylum seekers in Israel
Click here to learn more about the work that Shatil does.
