Genesis Prize Foundation and Robert Kraft Announce Launch of Speak Out for Israel Campaign

Today The Genesis Prize Foundation (GPF) and the 2019 Genesis Prize Laureate Robert Kraft announced the launch of “Speak Out for Israel” – an international campaign designed to help combat the global rise of anti-Semitism and attempts to de-legitimize the Jewish State. Through this campaign, GPF and Kraft plan to award $1 million in grants to Israeli nonprofit organizations capable of delivering an innovative response to this grave challenge.

“The 2019 Genesis Prize theme focuses on combatting global anti-Semitism and increasingly aggressive efforts to challenge the legitimacy of the State of Israel,” said Stan Polovets, Co-founder and Chairman of The Genesis Prize Foundation. “These grants are designed to help Israel’s nonprofit sector stand up to this scourge by promoting a truthful, inspiring narrative of Israel to audiences around the world, countering Israel’s detractors with factual, positive messages of what the Jewish State truly represents.”

“Speak out for Israel” grants will be awarded on a competitive basis to nonprofit organizations that propose programs designed to tell the story of Israel by emphasizing such democratic values as tolerance and respect for the rights of minorities, as well as scientific, technological and cultural achievements. The programs shall aim to build cross-community bridges, dismantle stereotypes and educate both Jews and non-Jews alike about Israel.

Upon receiving the $1 million Genesis Prize in June in Jerusalem, Kraft also announced a $20 million donation to seed the creation of the Foundation to Combat Anti-Semitism (FCAS). Philanthropist Roman Abramovich added $5 million, and an anonymous donor committed an additional $5 million.

In 2018, more than 250 nonprofit organizations in the United States and Israel applied for Genesis Prize women’s empowerment grants in honor of US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 2018 Genesis Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree. Fifty-one organizations received – including matching funds – a total of $3.5 million.

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The Genesis Prize Foundation invites interested nonprofit organizations registered in Israel to apply for “Speak Out for Israel” grants here. The application deadline is December 12, 2019. The competition is being administered by Matan-United Way Israel, with winners to be announced in April 2020.