The Green Environment Fund (GEF) and its micro-grant program, the SHELI Fund, will be making its final grants in 2014. Over the years, GEF has provided Israel’s environmental NGOs with grants totaling $15 million.

In announcing the Fund’s plans yesterday, Jay Shofet, Executive Director, said: “We have witnessed a major shift in the way that the Israeli public, government, and industry view environmental issues. Policy makers now take into consideration these concerns, which are often at the top of the public agenda as well. There is a growing commitment in Israel to sustainability, wherein environmental principles determine decisions in the areas of transportation, energy and open spaces and more. The Green Environment Fund has contributed to these changes in Israeli society’s relationship to its environment through its grants, partnerships, networking and strategic approach throughout the years.”

Representatives of the Samuel Sebba Charitable Trust and the New Israel Fund will continue to monitor existing grants during 2014.