Why NIF exists

For over thirty years, NIF has sought to strengthen Israel and ensure its future prosperity, by underpinning its Jewish and democratic values. While understandably, for many, the focus is almost solely on securing Israel’s borders and its people militarily, we believe that Israel can only survive and prosper in the long term if it also protects the rights of all its citizens, tackles poverty, promotes religious tolerance and inspires peaceful co-existence. Only then can Israel be at peace with itself, a prerequisite to making peace with its neighbours.

This necessity was well-understood by Israel’s founders, and is specifically and explicitly enshrined in the Declaration of independence, which says:

“Israel will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture.”

So the New Israel Fund exists to support all those organisations and projects which work to protect and promote the vision of Israel’s founders, as key to securing Israel’s long term safety. We support those that:

• Work with those on low and no incomes to develop their skills and help them out of poverty
• Empower women and promote gender equality within and across communities
• Protect the environment, which is so often a cause of disputes within and beyond Israel’s borders
• Uphold the rights of Israel’s minority communities, both Jewish and non-Jewish
• Seek to ensure Israel remains a welcoming home for all Jews regardless of their background, beliefs or practices
• Ensure all Israel’s actions reflect its commitment to its Jewish ethics and western concepts of civil liberties and human rights
• Reconcile neighbours with each other and inspire peaceful coexistence.

A philanthropic partnership of Israelis, North Americans and Europeans, NIF is today the leading funder of social action within Israel. It has planted the seeds for much of the country’s vibrant civil society, and is providing financial and technical support to help hundreds of national and community-based organisations grow.