Note: All grant details in this report are taken directly from publicly available annual report submissions to the Israeli Registrar of Non-Profits (a department of the Ministry of Justice). No changes were made to the sums. A number of NGOs use slightly different names for the same donors. In order to create an accessible and understandable database, NGO Monitor adjusted some of these entries to establish uniformity. For this reason, we have also corrected typos and other spelling mistakes.

Introduction

Politicized Israeli non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are influential, and controversial, due their ability to shape international human rights discourse about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. A key element of this “soft power” operating outside the democratic framework is the financial support that enables and sustains NGO activities – including, in some cases, campaigns of delegitimization and demonization. 

The analysis below is based on annual financial reports for 2020–2023 (the most recent comprehensive data available) submitted to the Israeli Registrar of Non-Profits (Rasham Amutot) by 40 Israeli NGOs engaged in political advocacy and receiving major foreign government funding. Grants are categorized by amount, donor identity, and funding source (governmental, private, or non-transparent/unclear). (For the complete list of grants, see here.)

Because of standard accounting practices – such as multi-year grant reporting – the figures disclosed by NGOs may not always align exactly with data from donor reports or other sources. The analysis therefore focuses exclusively on the donations recorded by the NGO recipients in their annual financial filings.

Summary of Findings

• In 2020-2023, the 40 NGOs received a total of NIS 470,243,877 (~$138 million) in donations. Of this, 60% (NIS 281,396,479) came from governments (through direct and indirect funding), 40% (NIS 188,847,398) from private donors.
• Of the 40 NGOs, 25 reported receiving at least 50% of their funding from foreign governments. Akevot (100%), Yesh Din (98%), Comet-ME (96%), and Terrestrial Jerusalem (93%) reported the highest shares of income from foreign governments.
• 19 different governmental and intergovernmental entities (including the EU and the UN) fund these 40 Israeli NGOs.
• In addition to contributions received directly from governmental bodies, the United Nations, an intergovernmental institution that operates with contributions from and at the behest of member states, is the largest donor to the 40 NGOs, providing NIS 29,079,362. This reflects a trend of some European governments – apparently in response to public criticism stemming from NGO Monitor publications – redirecting their support for NGOs in the region via UN agencies. This attempt by donor governments to evade accountability also means less transparency regarding the origin of funds. The next highest were the European Union (NIS 24,821,199) and Switzerland (NIS 24,573,343).
• Of the NIS 188,847,398 in private funding provided to NGOs, the New Israel Fund (NIF) provides 19%, Open Society Institute 9%, American Friends of the Parents Circle-Families Forum (AF-PCFF) 6%, foreign Amnesty branches 5%, Sigrid Rausing Trust 3%, and the Rockefeller Brothers Foundation 3%.
• 33% of the total funding (NIS 63,119,187) is donated by Christian groups (churches and Christian humanitarian aid organizations). Over half of this amount (NIS 35,658,850) originates from German Christian organizations. Most of these institutions receive large sums of government funding, and in most instances, funding for Israeli NGOs is considered indirect government funding.
• A large percentage of the government-funded church bodies that disburse grants to the Israeli NGOs are themselves involved in anti-Israeli campaigns – including BDS, lawfare, and other delegitimization campaigns against Israel – and some engage in antisemitic rhetoric. For example, in October 2024, Irish Catholic group Trocaire called on Ireland to “take a stronger stance; to put pressure on Israel with economic sanctions.” Similarly, in November 2021, the Church of Sweden’s decision-making body passed a resolution urging the church’s central board to “investigate Israel as an apartheid state” and “raise the issue of scrutinizing the implementation of international law in Israel and Palestine, also from the perspective of the United Nations convention on apartheid and the definitions of apartheid in the Rome Statute.”
• In 2020-2021, numerous Israeli NGOs including B’Tselem, Yesh Din, Breaking the Silence, PHR-I, and Kerem Navot, began labeling Israel an “apartheid” state, augmenting their advocacy for international sanctions against Israel. (See NGO Monitor’s “NGOs Intensify Apartheid Demonization Campaign.”)
• In 2020-2023, Israeli NGOs such as B’Tselem, Yesh Din, and Adalah repeatedly made allegations and statements supporting the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes. In 2024-2025 (not covered in this report), these NGOs have continued with such efforts. (See NGO Monitor’s “The Role of Israeli NGOs in Supporting the International Criminal Court (ICC) ‘Investigation’.”) In addition, New Israel Fund (NIF), which provided NIS 3.1 million to B’Tselem and Adalah in 2020-2023, stated in February 2021 that it no longer believed “with 100%” certainty, that Israel maintained “an independent judicial system.”

Two Primary Donor Types

Government Funders

• Foreign governments: Many Western governments fund NGOs under the ostensible goals of advancing human rights, humanitarian aid, and development assistance. NGO funding designated for these objectives is distributed through official channels such as foreign ministries, development agencies, embassies, and consulates.
• International organizations: The EU and UN play a significant role in financing human rights and humanitarian initiatives. These institutions allocate substantial grants to Israeli NGOs, effectively extending governmental influence through international mechanisms.
• Indirect government funding: Many governments allocate sizable budgets – hundreds of millions of euros annually – to aid agencies, church-affiliated groups, and foundations. These entities, which in some cases are almost entirely sustained by state funds, serve as secondary channels for promoting political objectives abroad, including in Israel.

Private Funding

• Private foundations: In democracies, philanthropic institutions can disburse donations in accordance with their declared missions. Some foundations also function as conduits for other private or corporate donors, channeling funds to NGOs active in Israel.
• Private donors: Private individuals – both domestic and international, including those providing legacy gifts – contribute directly to Israeli NGOs, supplementing governmental and institutional funding streams.

Methodology

The NGOs examined in this report are:

• Recipients of grants originating with foreign governments and/or foreign government entities.
• Politically active in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
• Registered in Israel as a non-profit association (amuta) or as a corporation for the public benefit, and therefore report their income annually.
• Considerably active abroad, including lobbying the ICC to prosecute Israeli officials, and/or providing materials to the Court; lobbying the EU, US and UN; participating and leading other delegitimization campaigns against Israel.

Table 1 : Private vs. Government Annual Funding to Political Israeli NGOs, 2020-2023

Table 2: Private vs. Government Annual Funding to Political Israeli NGOs, 2020-2023

* Data only includes annual reporting from 2020-2022. On December 31, 2023, Israel Social TV announced it was shutting down.

Table 3: Private vs. Government Annual Funding to Political Israeli NGOs, 2020-2023

Table 4: Direct Government Funding to Israeli NGOs, 2020-2023

Table 5: Direct Government Funding to Israeli NGOs, 2020-2023

Table 6: Private Funding to Israeli NGOs, 2020-2023

Table 7: Private Funding to Israeli NGOs, 2020-2023

Table 8: Church Affiliated Donors – Government vs. Private, 2020-2023

Table 9: Government Funded Church Aid Societies that Fund Politicized Israeli NGOs, 2020-2023