Our Mission To assist the underprivileged in Israel, focusing on the younger generations and special-needs populations, helping them reach their true potential and become productive, contributing members of society.
Head Office at the Ben-Shemen Youth Village
Our Priorities Founded in 1984, the Rashi Foundation is an independent operating foundation. For more than 25 years, Rashi has been working vigorously to realize the vision of a stable and prosperous Israel that draws its strength from a society in which each individual can realize his or her potential, regardless of unfavorable personal circumstances.
In order to translate this vision into a concrete reality, the Foundation concentrates on Israel’s peripheral regions - the Galilee, Negev and deprived inner-city neighborhoods - where under-achievement is rife and opportunities for self-fulfillment or social mobility are limited. Our emphasis is on children, teenagers and young adults – the generation on which Israel’s future depends.
Rashi's distinguishing strength is our ability to work in close cooperation with the Israeli national and local government. In most cases, this means developing an intervention with the full coordination of the relevant ministry of authority, and building a funding model with relies on both philanthropy and government.
We believe that through joint government-philanthropy action that exerts an influence on government priorities, we can achieve systemic improvements in the scope and standard of educational and welfare services for all Israeli residents.
Our Action Our programs concentrate on solutions in education and social welfare, and aim to create social change on a systemic level, within the locality, the region and eventually on a nationwide scale.
Our activities fall into four broad categories: * Reducing educational gaps- supporting schools and school children, increasing scholastic and matriculation achievements * Children and youth at risk - creating nurturing and therapeutic environments for youngsters born into or growing up in difficult circumstances * Excellence and leadership - promoting science and technology education at a high level, easing access to higher education, improving conditions in colleges, developing young leadership and volunteerism among underprivileged youth * Special-needs populations - providing employment and housing solutions within suitable and pleasant conditions for young adults with disabilities, and educational opportunities for children in special education
We operate by building partnerships with private donors, philanthropic foundations, community federations, public organizations and government ministries and agencies. This synergy enables us to leverage each partner's resources to achieve greater impact and sustainability.
In each partnership, we jointly determine key issues, such as our partner's desired level of involvement, naming opportunities, reporting procedures and funding methods. We make our social network and established reputation available to partners, facilitating the smooth and efficient realization of projects.
One of Rashi's missions is to promote the vision and activities of philanthropies wishing to support projects in Israel without establishing an Israel office. We invite them to use Rashi's existing organizational infrastructure so as to make cost-effective use of their resources, without compromising their own philanthropic vision or identity.
