[eJP note: This post, by Gidi Grinstein, was originally published on May 13, 2008, as part of a series on Philanthropy in Israel. With this year's Jewish Funders Network conference taking place in Israel, we thought it would be timely to rerun the series.] As I mentioned in the first post of this series, my perspective in writing this series is that of a Jew and an Israeli, in that order (for a more elaborate discussion, please see the first post of my blog A Link in the Chain). I am also a grantee that has realized a dream and a vision due to the generosity of time, spirit, trust and money by lay leaders, Jewish professional, rabbis, communities and organizations from across the Jewish world. Why should we - Israelis - care? My answer is that we should care as both as Israelis and as Jews … Continue Reading

[eJP note: This post, by Gidi Grinstein, was originally published on May 13, 2008, as part of a series on Philanthropy in Israel. With this year's Jewish Funders Network conference taking place in Israel, we thought it would be timely to rerun the series.] A powerful and consistent trend that is affecting the role of Jewish philanthropy in Israel is the decline in the will and ability of the Government of Israel to address the needs of its constituency. I call this trend: the decline of Jerusalem. For world Jewry and philanthropy in Israel, this trend represents both a threat and an opportunity: while it expands the menu of options for philanthropic interventions it is also overstretching its resources. In every country people are frustrated with the way their government spends their tax … Continue Reading

[eJP note: This post, by Gidi Grinstein, was originally published on May 13, 2008, as part of a series on Philanthropy in Israel. With this year's Jewish Funders Network conference taking place in Israel, we thought it would be timely to rerun the series.] The diminishing marginal impact of Jewish philanthropy in Israel stems from the constant growth of the Israeli economy compared with the stagnation of Jewish philanthropic giving in Israel. The Zionist movement survived and thrived on the philanthropic generosity of world Jewry. However, as Israel grows in economic and political power, the relative importance of philanthropic giving by Diaspora Jewry is diminishing. In depth comprehension of these trends is critical to create the sense of urgency that is essential of the necessary … Continue Reading

[eJP note: This post, by Gidi Grinstein, was originally published on May 13, 2008, as part of a series on Philanthropy in Israel. With this year's Jewish Funders Network conference taking place in Israel, we thought it would be timely to rerun the series.] The gist of this series is that Jewish philanthropy in Israel requires an overhaul in order to recapture a central role in Israeli society. One of the powerful and persistent trends that are driving this sidelining is the growing disconnect from the Israeli socioeconomic center. It is a challenge of priorities, as well as communications. In the past, Diaspora Jewish philanthropy was perceived and framed in the context of economic and social assistance and as a supplement to Israel’s national budget. Hence, understandably, it has been … Continue Reading

[eJP note: This post, by Gidi Grinstein, was originally published on May 13, 2008, as part of a series on Philanthropy in Israel. With this year's Jewish Funders Network conference taking place in Israel, we thought it would be timely to rerun the series.] In recent years Israel has seen the rise of a new class of newly wealthy and homemade philanthropists. This trend is both a threat and an opportunity for world Jewish philanthropy here and amplifies the need for the overhaul. There is wide agreement that Israel’s wealthy have not given enough to their own society. Why? The reasons have been exhaustingly discussed and I have little to add to that discussion beyond naming them as a backdrop for this post. They are: First, a legacy of Socialism where citizens are cared for by the government … Continue Reading

[eJP note: This post, by Gidi Grinstein, was originally published on May 13, 2008, as part of a series on Philanthropy in Israel. With this year's Jewish Funders Network conference taking place in Israel, we thought it would be timely to rerun the series.] The theme of this blog series is that Jewish philanthropy in Israel is being marginalized and needs an overhaul in order to preserve a central role in Israeli society. In this post I suggest that the response has to be qualitative and focus on leveraging greater impact from the existing dollars. In previous posts of this series (posts 3-6) I have discussed the most powerful trends that are sidelining world Jewry in Israel. They are: the decline in the will and ability of the Government of Israel to provide services to the Israeli public … Continue Reading

[eJP note: This post, by Gidi Grinstein, was originally published on May 13, 2008, as part of a series on Philanthropy in Israel. With this year's Jewish Funders Network conference taking place in Israel, we thought it would be timely to rerun the series.] The ISRAEL 15 Vision aims to place Israel among the fifteen most developed nations in terms of quality of life within fifteen years. This vision is an example of a possible useful framework and context for refocusing Diaspora Jewish philanthropy in Israel as it strives to increase its impact in Israel. The ISRAEL 15 Vision requires leapfrogging Israel’s socioeconomic performance. Such a leap happens when a nation sustains out-of-the-ordinary growth for a prolonged period (See my post “Leapfrogging or Growth? The Differences”.) This is … Continue Reading

[eJP note: This post, by Gidi Grinstein, was originally published on May 13, 2008, as part of a series on Philanthropy in Israel. With this year's Jewish Funders Network conference taking place in Israel, we thought it would be timely to rerun the series.] Standardizing expectations from grantees should be high on the agenda of the heavy hitters of Jewish philanthropy in Israel. At present, each grantor has a particular set of expectations for proposals, as well as for reporting. This reality leads to a huge waste of resources of time and money. A few simple agreed guidelines could make a big difference here. A couple of years ago, the Reut Institute that I founded and head submitted a request for a grant in the sum of few tens of thousands of dollars from a very prominent West Coast … Continue Reading

[eJP note: This post, by Gidi Grinstein, was originally published on May 13, 2008, as part of a series on Philanthropy in Israel. With this year's Jewish Funders Network conference taking place in Israel, we thought it would be timely to rerun the series.] Small nonprofits represent one of the toughest challenges of efficiency for philanthropy in Israel. Such nonprofits need to merge into bigger enterprises or scale in order to effectuate meaningful social change and generate significant value. This is not only a challenge of efficiency but also a matter of broader socioeconomic context. Naturally, there should be a space in our society for small nonprofits. They represent a vital platform for social experimentation. Almost all of the most important nonprofits started as small initiative that … Continue Reading