The "Forward" reports that the Ford Foundation, one of the world's largest philanthropy organizations, will stop giving donations through the New Israel Fund in two years.
The decision means that Ford Foundation grants for Israeli academic and research organizations, such as the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Van Leer Institute, as well as NGOs that monitor human rights, including the rights of Palestinians and other Arabs, such as B'Tselem, Adalah - The Legal Center for Arab Minority Right in Israel,and Ir Amim for an Equitable and Stable Jerusalem with an Agreed Political Future will no longer receive five and six-digit donations via the New Israel Fund. New Israel Fund CEO Daniel Sokatch and associate director Aviva Meyer in Washington confirmed the report to "Globes".
Sokatch and Meyer emphasized that the decision had been made a long time ago, as part of an organized procedure, and that it will come into effect in two and a half years. They said that the decision was not motivated by politics, nor was it due to the harsh criticism levied against the New Israel Fund by right wing groups in Israel and elsewhere.
"Forward" correspondent Nathan Guttman wrote the article. Sokatch told "Globes" that it was hard to assess the impact of the halt in Ford Foundation funding on the NGOs that receive it, but he believes that they will continue to operate.
The Ford Foundation financial program in Israel is managed through its Ford Israel Fund.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on April 7, 2011
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2011