New Israel Fund

Website: www.nif.org
Founded in 1979. Executive director Daniel Sokatch, appointed 2009.
Mission statement: “The New Israel Fund (NIF) works to strengthen Israel's democracy and to promote freedom, justice and equality for all Israel's citizens […] NIF is committed to addressing the internal challenges that also affect the long-term survival of Israel's democracy.”
Funding focuses on: “Civil and Human Rights,” “Social and Economic Justice,” “Religious Pluralism & Tolerance,” “Israeli Arabs & Bedouin Citizens,” “Environment,” “Immigrants,” and “Women’s Rights.”
“Since its founding in 1979, NIF has granted more than $200 million to more than 800 organizations in Israel.” This includes $40 million from the Ford Foundation for “peace and social justice” programs.
Ford support is channeled through the “Ford Israel Fund,” a “grant making partnership.” “Grant recommendations are considered and approved by the board of the New Israel Fund.”
In 2008, NIF distributed over $20 million to over 300 NGOs in Israel. Approximately 20% goes to NGOs that engage in political activities related to the Arab-Israeli conflict, including some that reject the legitimacy of Israel as Jewish democratic state, and are active in boycott and similar campaigns.
Examples:
- Five grantees – Machsom Watch, Coalition of Women for Peace, Women Against Violence, Social TV, and Mossawa – signed a divestment letter, which was sent to the Norwegian Government Pension Fund.
- Adalah ($500,000 in 2008) promotes a “Democratic Constitution” calling for eliminating Israel’s Jewish framework, and based on the “one-state solution.” Adalah officials were also involved in writing and editing a May 2009 South African publication “Occupation, Colonialism, Apartheid?: A re-assessment of Israel´s practices in the occupied Palestinian territories under international law.” The document refers to Israeli occupation as a “colonial enterprise which implements a system of apartheid.”
- NIF funded NGOs and their groups were featured centrally in the Goldstone report, which focused on alleged Israeli “war crimes” in the 2009 Gaza war. The report referenced B’Tselem more than 56 times; Adalah, 38; and Breaking the Silence, 27.
NIF’s Shatil project provides Israeli NGOs with “consulting, training, coalition-building assistance and other services”, including a number of politicized groups.
CEO of NIF-Israel Rachel Liel rejected an invitation to participate in a November 2009 Knesset conference on “Foreign Government Funding for NGO Political Activity in Israel.” Instead, NIF published a position paper, distributed at the conference, falsely charging that the “purpose [of the conference] is repression and silencing of voices.”
In February 2010, Israeli student group Im Tirzu launched a public campaign criticizing NIF for its grantees role in promoting the Goldstone Report and their involvement in “lawfare” cases in foreign courts. The campaign included personal attacks against NIF President Naomi Chazan.

NIF Essentials:

NIF Whistleblower Exposes NIF´s Role in Demonization, NGOs in the News, July 21, 2010
Ethical Guidelines for the New Israel Fund, June 22, 2010
NIF Has Crossed the Line, NGO Monitor Reports, May 14, 2010
NGO Monitor ad on NIF funding (May 2010) and on funding recommendations (June 5, 2010)
NGO Monitor Calls on New Israel Fund to Draw “Red Lines,” February 11, 2010
NIF-Funded NGOs: Goldstone’s Building Blocks, NGO Monitor, February 9, 2010
Open letter to the NIF: False Claims in Attack on Knesset Conference, NGO Monitor, December 7, 2009