Our Work

The U.S. Government, through USAID, has provided more than $5.5 billion in assistance to the West Bank and Gaza since 1994. USAID West Bank/Gaza and the U.S. Embassy in Israel jointly invest in Conflict Management and Mitigation (CMM) grants, which support Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel, working on issues of common concern. The CMM program is part of a worldwide effort to bring together individuals of different backgrounds in people-to-people reconciliation activities. These activities provide opportunities to address issues, reconcile differences, and promote greater understanding and mutual trust by working on common goals such as economic development, environment, health, education, sports, music, and information technology. Since the program’s start in 2004, USAID and the U.S. Embassy have invested in 136 CMM grants.

GRANTS MANAGED BY USAID

The Abraham Fund Initiatives: The Shared Learning project bridges the cultural divide between 40 pairs of Jewish and Arab schools through language exchange studies. The project will provide joint learning opportunities for 200 Jewish and Arab educators and over 2,000 students, promoting positive and constructive interactions and demonstrating that cooperation leads to greater trust and understanding.

Akko Center for Arts and Technology: The Full STEAM Ahead project engages over 900 Jewish and Arab youth from underserved communities in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math activities to build their skills and knowledge to better compete in a 21st century job market. By working together in a bicultural and bilingual environment to create and innovate, students will develop an inclusive view of one another and strengthen Jewish-Arab relations in Israel.

Ein Dor Museum for Archaeology: The Youth Against Racism project advances peacebuilding among 400 Arab and Jewish youth in the Galilee area by developing their filmmaking skills to tackle the racism and violence that affect their daily lives. By telling their stories through the lens of a camera, youth will use film as a medium to facilitate dialogue in their communities and spark change among their peers and families.

Hand in Hand: The Mainstreaming Shared Society project will build upon Hand in Hand’s growing network of Jewish-Arab bilingual schools in Israel by establishing three new integrated schools to benefit 2,500 students. The project will support local communities to establish and/or expand a constituency of Arab and Jewish families committed to building a viable, growing, and resilient shared society in Israel.

Tsofen High Technology Centers: The Tech Bridges project harnesses common interests among Jewish and Arab individuals to drive changes in perceptions and attitudes that stymie reconciliation and peacebuilding. The project will mentor over 6,000 Arab and Jewish Israeli professionals and establish 18 Israeli startups in predominantly Arab cities. By creating an increasingly integrated hi-tech industry in Israel, Tech Bridges will foster greater mutual understanding between Jewish and Arab citizens that inspire a more inclusive economy and shared future.

Appleseeds Academy: The Net@ IT project provides information and communications technology (ICT) training to 240 youth from mixed cities within Israel. Participants will receive 640 hours of joint ICT and leadership training to promote greater understanding and cooperation between Jewish and Arab youth.

Moona – A Space for Change: With the aim to diminish the social and cultural divide between Arab and Jewish youth, the Co-Lab project provides a meaningful opportunity for over 500 youth in Israel’s Central Galilee region to interact over a shared interest in robotics and quadcopters.

Unistream: The Educating Tomorrow’s Leaders Today project brings together 400 Israeli Muslim and Christian Arabs, Jews, Druze, and Bedouin teenagers to work towards developing, establishing, and managing their own fully functioning startup companies and business ventures while increasing cooperation and mutual understanding.

GRANTS MANAGED BY THE U.S. EMBASSY

Itach Maaki Women Lawyers for Social Justice; Sub-partner: Adva Center: The Shared Spaces: Fostering Women’s Activism Toward Creation of Urban Spaces project will engage 40 Arab and Jewish women from bordering and mixed neighborhoods in Haifa and Acre to partner together in the creation of shared spaces for Arab and Jewish residents in their respective cities.

Kayan Feminist Organization; Sub-partner: Haifa Rape Crisis Center: The Uniting to End Sexual Harassment project is a joint initiative that harnesses the collective effort of Arab and Jewish women to end workplace sexual harassment. The project will work with over 100 motivated women to develop a sense of solidarity, establish greater mutual understanding, and leverage their cooperation toward the common goal of eliminating violence against women.

Merchavim Institute: The Arab Teacher Integration in Jewish Schools program is a joint initiative with the Israeli Ministry of Education to place 500 Arab Israeli teachers in Jewish schools to teach core subjects in English, math, and science. The program will provide opportunities for Jewish students and educators to have meaningful engagements with Arab citizens.

A New Dawn in the Negev; Sub-partner: Ossim Shalom-Social Workers for Peace and Welfare: Building on the importance of direct interaction between neighboring Jewish and Bedouin communities in the Negev, the Building a Shared Society Between Jews and Bedouins in the Negev project seeks to develop practical and strategic mechanisms to build shared societies and promote mutually beneficial cooperative work and conflict resolution based on shared experiences between Israeli Jews and Bedouins living in six locations in the Negev desert region.

Education for Excellence: The Lod’s Educational Campus for Excellence for Jewish and Arab Students project aims to build coexistence around common interests and shared experiences of young Jewish and Arab Israelis in the central Israeli city of Lod. The project engages about 220 Jewish and Arab grade school students and 330 women, many of whom are mothers of the students, as well as 80 university students, who will serve as instructors and role models. The participants will volunteer in community projects and experience historical site visits together.

The Rosh Pina Mainstreaming Network: The Our Story project aims to empower Arab and Jewish women, mainly mothers and teachers, to be leaders in community service and social entrepreneurship. The women share narratives and participate in reading and storytelling workshops with their children, increasing both literacy and tolerance of the next generation.

Yod Bet B’Heshvan: The Educators for a Shared Society in Israel project engages Israeli Arab and religious Jewish teachers in dialogue and training for mitigating conflict. Participants work on inter-group contact aiming to counteract prejudices and promote mutual cooperation.