A new partnership between New York based Natan Fund and Jerusalem-based New Spirit (Ruach Hadasha) issued a first open “glocal” call for applications seeking to highlight Jerusalem’s importance in new, creative and imaginative ways.

The partners invite Jerusalem-based social entrepreneurs, grassroots initiatives and community builders that are spearheading innovative initiatives that revitalize and strengthen Jerusalem as a diverse cultural, spiritual, and educational hub to apply for seed grants of up to $15,000. Preference will be given to initiatives that take creative approaches to building and strengthening community in Jerusalem through arts and culture.

The application deadline is April 30, 2016. For additional information and eligibility criteria for this grant opportunity, please visit New Spirit’s facebook page or contact Elad Ben Harush at eladb@new-spirit.org.il

The collaboration is part of Natan’s experimentation in structuring hands-on partnerships that bridge language, cultural and geographic barriers for funders, applicants and grantees. Applicants will apply through a simplified and localized grant application process in Hebrew, which is run by an Israeli, Jerusalem-based partner and Natan’s Israeli representative. Finalists will receive assistance and guidance in preparation for their English presentations to Natan’s New York-based members; and grantees will enjoy year-round points of contact on the ground and tailored benefits offered by New Spirit’s activities and programming to support the city’s creative communities.

From the funding partners’ perspective, the partnership is expected to enhance the outreach to grassroots, innovative entrepreneurs through a mix of global and local networks, Israeli social media and the use of Hebrew; improve the ability to assess and understand each application potential and enable building more meaningful year-round relations with each grant recipient.