FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Glenn Rosenkrantz
Glenn.rosenkrantz@gmail.com 646-245-8975
THE GOOD PEOPLE FUND ANNOUNCES NEARLY $1.5 MILLION IN
ISRAEL- AND U.S.-FOCUSED GRANTS
Diverse Group of Social Service and Humanitarian Organizations and Initiatives
July 20, 2017 — The Good People Fund (GPF) today announced nearly $1.5 million in Israel- and U.S.- focused grants as part of its mission supporting and advancing grassroots, community-based organizations meeting some of the most compelling and pressing societal challenges.
Across the spectrum of social and humanitarian needs – from poverty and hunger, to eldercare and youth-at-risk – the grants underscore GPF’s commitment to innovative, impactful work that improves and lifts lives and communities and are models for replication elsewhere.
“We proudly support and partner with these visionary organizations designing creative approaches that fill gaps in social and humanitarian services and structures across Israel and the United States,” said Naomi Eisenberger, GPF’s Co-Founder and Executive Director.
“Their work and impact underscore what change agents can achieve when their considerable entrepreneurial talents and passions are channeled toward the sacred value of tikkun olam, repair of the world.”
Since its inception in 2008, Millburn, NJ-based GPF has directed nearly $11.3 million to more than 130 non-profit organizations in Israel and the United States. Of the nearly $1.5 million announced today for the fiscal year that ended June 30, $1,008,033 will go to Israeli organizations, and $455,690 will be directed at programs in the United States.
“In each case, an individual or group of individuals saw a pressing need and developed an impassioned and unique way to address it,” Eisenberger said. “Our funding and mentoring give them visibility and recognition and hope that others will join us in supporting their work and deepening their impact.”
The Good People Fund targets initiatives in key crucial areas, including: Human Needs; Inclusion; Health; Women’s Empowerment; Children and Youth Welfare; Elder Care; Hunger and Food Rescue; Alternative Healing of Body and Mind; Literacy and Education; Military and Veteran Welfare; and, Refugee Support.
A full list of new grantees appears at www.goodpeoplefund.org. Among the grants announced today are:
• Pesia’s Kitchen – $61,800 for the collection and distribution of 200 tons of food per year to shelters, day care centers and other venues serving needy people in and around Tel Aviv. (Human Needs)
• Shalheveth – $43,400 to support operations – including a social worker and van driver – to enable Israeli adults with severe disabilities to lead autonomous lives and reach their potential in a non-institutional setting. (Inclusion)
• Jeremy’s Circle – $39,505 to support a community of care and socialization for Israeli children and teens who have a family member with cancer or who have lost a family member to the disease. (Health)
• Ba’asher Telchi – $22,500 to increase staffing and programming supporting religious and ultra-Orthodox women in Israel economically, socially and emotionally as they endure a separation or divorce. (Women’s Empowerment)
• SAHI (Special Grace Unit) – $32,000 to expand the organization’s programs for at-risk Israeli youth who deliver food packages to needy people and take part in other acts of loving kindness throughout Israel. (Children and Youth Welfare)
• LILY – Lifeforce in Later Years – $12,000 to support a social worker position in a community-based eldercare program that serves older seniors living at home in New York City. (Elder Care)
• Project Kruvit – $36,500 for the purchase of food for freshly cooked, high-quality holiday meals prepared by volunteers and delivered to 5,000 people throughout Israel for Pesach, Shavuot and Rosh Hashanah. (Hunger)
• Village Harvest – $6,000 to support fruit tree harvests from backyards and small orchards in Northern California, and the distribution of the food to organizations and needy people in the Bay Area. (Food Rescue)
• HAMA Israel (Humans and Animals in Mutual Assistance) – $60,675 to support several programs including one employing art, music and animal-assisted therapy to heal children in the Negev region traumatized by rocket attacks from nearby Gaza. (Alternative Healing of Body and Mind)
• Breaking the Chain Through Education – $4,500 to support the rescue of trafficked children in Ghana and restore their dignity by putting them on a path of education and renewal. (Literacy and Education)
• Plant it Forward – $16,600 to support organic farming initiatives and projects for refugees in Houston, allowing them to use their existing skills to grow crops to be sold at farmers markets and through farm shares. (Refugee Support)
Inspired by the Jewish value of tikkun olam (repairing the world), The Good People Fund responds to significant challenges such as poverty, disability, trauma and social isolation in the United States and Israel. The Good People Fund provides financial support and management guidance to small and medium-sized grassroots efforts that are determined to make a difference in their communities. With its guiding philosophy that small actions can have huge impact, The Good People Fund has raised and granted more than $11 million since its founding in 2008. www.goodpeoplefund.org
