[..] The Ford Foundation, which has provided $40 million to civil society NGOs in Israel since 2003, will not resume its funding for programs in Israel once its current grant round ends in two years. The reason, the organization explains, has to do with changing priorities, not with politics.
But for struggling groups in Israel, losing the Ford Foundation’s financial backing means spending time and effort on developing alternative resources in an atmosphere of growing hostility toward civil society organizations that focus on human rights.
[..] The Ford Foundation, ranked the second-largest philanthropic foundation in America, with assets of more than $10 billion, launched its program in Israel in 2003 as a partnership with the New Israel Fund, which provided the presence on the ground and administered the grants. Prior to this program, the Ford Foundation had given to a broad array of causes in Israel since the Jewish state gained its independence in 1948.
The establishment of the Ford Israel Fund made the Ford Foundation a key player in Israel’s NGO world. The initiative focused its grant making in three fields — advancing civil and human rights, helping Arab citizens in Israel gain equality and promoting Israeli-Palestinian peace. The initial $20 million grant expired in 2008. But the Ford Foundation then followed up with a new five-year, $20 million commitment.
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The vast majority of funds from the Ford Foundation were for anti-Israel, pro-Arab, and/or extreme Left activities. I’m sure other anti-Israel countries and organizations will make up any shortfall. In the meantime, let us be thankful that publicizing the Ford Foundation’s anti-Israel agenda caused the FF to withdraw.
GOOD
As it has been it is Muslims and the Ford Foundation.
Since when did the New Isral Fund represent Jewish Israel?
Martel
“helping Arab citizens in Israel gain equality and promoting Israeli-Palestinian peace”–what this truly means is they were acting against Israel’s best interest–Israel will be much better off without this so called aid!
NGO Monitor was instrumental in making this happen. They may not go out of existence but losing the Ford Foundation is a big victory for our side.
Too bad. I was hoping that all these anti-Israel NGO’s would cease to exist. Maybe they will solicit funds from the muslim brotherhood as NPR radio was willing to do.