An Open Letter to our Donors
Dear PEF Donors – While there are hostages still in captivity and the current crisis continues, please accept this update regarding PEF’s operations during this critical period and our future plans. Since October 7th PEF has provided close to 12,000 grants...Supporting our Druze Brothers and Sisters
On July 27th, Israeli Druze youngsters were playing soccer when a violent explosion interrupted their game and 12 children between the ages of 8-14 were killed on the spot and sixteen children were injured including seven in serious condition by the impact of a rocket...PEF Emergency Fund
To address the unprecedented and barbaric attack launched on Israel, PEF announces the establishment of a $1 million PEF Emergency Fund which will be used to immediately fund approved charities (amutot) in Israel. PEF will also welcome donations designated to this...PEF listed charity itworks helps employ Ukrainian arrivals in Israel
In the past six months, 37,000 new arrivals from Ukraine, Russia and Belarus have poured into Israel, according to the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration. Nearly 18,000 are new citizens, and 19,000 have open claims to become citizens under Israel’s Law of...
Loan Fund for Charities
PEF is pleased to announce its participation in the creation of the Ogen Social Loan Fund. This emergency fund for Israeli nonprofits was launched to assist organizations affected by the coronavirus crisis and was launched by PEF approved charity Ogen-FreeLoan Fund...
COVID-19 and Israel Philanthropy
Due to the current COVID-19 crisis we ask that you EMAIL (rather than call) with any questions or concerns. We also expect significant delays in the processing of incoming check donations since the New York office is temporarily closed. For larger sums, please e-mail...
PEF Approved Charity Opens First Not-For Profit Social Bank in Israel
Today, Bloomberg reported that Ogen, a non-profit bank (previously called Israel Free Loan), will offer affordable credit to poor clients in Israel. According to Matthew Kalman, reporting from Jerusalem: Ogen, a non-profit bank, will offer affordable credit to poor...
PEF Charities can now accept Credit Cards
Until recently, PEF has not accepted credit card payments and we still do not process credit card payments over the phone or on our website. Recently, however, and in recognition of the explosive growth of ecommerce, PEF has addressed the growing demand for credit...PEF Posts its 2015 Financial Statement and Form 990
PEF Israel Endowment Funds, Inc. today posted its Financial Statement and Form 990 for 2015. These documents may be found, along with downloadable copies of its IRS Determination Letter and statements and returns from prior years at the Reports/Filings tab on its...Aid from Israel all over the world
The Israeli government and Israeli NGOs send aid and assistance to help people in crisis all over the world. Here is a recently published interactive map that shows the extent of this aid. Isra-Aid, Israeli Flying Aid and Tevel B’Tzedek are three PEF approved Israeli...
Charity focused on high-tech employment in NY Times
New York Times article showcasing efforts by Israeli Government and NGOs to train and place Israeli Arab Bedouins in high-tech industry highlights ITWorks. ITWorks won bids to operate a program which trains and helps place Arab graduates in tech companies. According...
during these difficult times…
an update from Emek Medical Center in Afula… which could have been written by any PEF approved hospital in Israel As horrific acts of inhumanity flood the world’s media and politicians on every side of every conflict jostle to boost their ratings, there is one...2014 Financial Statement and Form 990
Today P.E.F Israel Endowment Funds, Inc. posted its 2014 Financial Statement and Form 990. These documents can be found at the Reports/Filings page on our web site.
Herzog Hospital’s Ethiopian Nurse’s Aide Project
Herzog Hospital is one of many Israeli hospitals on our approved list and we are proud of Herzog Hospital’s Ethiopian nurse’s aide training program. PEF has been involved with funding this project from its inception and we are gratified that it has...
Dramatic Increase in Number of PEF Charities in 2014
There was a dramatic increase in the number of newly registered Israeli charities listed with P.E.F. Israel Endowment Funds in the past year. In the prior year there were 81 amutot which successfully applied and were approved to receive donor advised grants from PEF....Read morePEF, in particular, is an enigma: The organization is extraordinarily big, with $69 million in grants made in 2013 — more than all but the largest Jewish federations. Yet it has just five employees and paid its top-compensated employee just $124,000. Largely run by volunteers, PEF is a mega-“friends of” organization that also manages endowed funds for major donors. The group maintains a list of more than 1,000 Israeli charities that it has determined are eligible to receive American donors’ gifts. According to its president, Geoffrey Stern, the group covers its overhead with fees charged to its endowed funds, and doesn’t take any expenses out of regular gifts.
Read more: How To Be a ‘Friend’ and Get a Tax Break in Return The Jewish Daily Forward December 16, 2014
Change of Address
PLEASE NOTE THAT WE WILL BE CLOSED ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27-28 FOR THE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY. AND DON’T FORGET OUR NEW ADDRESS: P.E.F. Israel Endowment Funds, Inc. 630 THIRD AVENUE, 15TH FLOOR NEW YORK, NY 10017 our phone numbers and email...Charity Rating Organization Issues Report on P.E.F.
September 2014 – Today a major charity rating organization issued it’s 2014 report on P.E.F. Israel Endowment Funds, Inc. confirming that PEF meets its 20 Standards for Charity Accountability. PEF is a tax exempt public charity, not a private foundation,...Read moreSince `Protective Edge` has started all our children are staying at the Achuzat Sara Home instead of going to their families and enjoying their summer vacation, as their families live in the South\Center of Israel and it’s not safe for them to stay there… Unfortunately our budget was not prepared for these expenses and we are in a very difficult position. It costs us $100 per child per day including food, additional psychological help, toys and all of the enrichment activities.
Weinberg Foundation’s recent PEF grants
In it’s June e-news letter, The Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation announced more than $13 million in additional new grants including the following recommended grants to PEF. P.E.F. Israel Endowment Funds Kivunim: New Directions for Special Needs Youth in...Charity Reports as Art
At PEF, we expect and receive regular updates and reports from the charities in Israel that we support. As trustees, we make it our business to personally visit these amutot when we travel to Israel. On a recent visit, I was privileged to visit the Greenhouse...Read moreIn the nonprofit category, the winner is Dafna Lifshitz, CEO of Appleseeds Academy (formally Tapuach).
According to its website, the organization’s goal is to “provide equal opportunity to Israel’s socially disadvantaged communities through technological tools and the development of life skills.”
Ayala Tal-El, founder of AV Israel, received the nonprofit category’s honorable mention. Her organization works with deaf and hard-of-hearing children and seeks to integrate them in regular educational frameworks and society as a whole, with the aid of innovative treatments and technology.
2013 Financial Statement and Form 990
Today P.E.F Israel Endowment Funds, Inc. posted its 2013 Financial Statement and Form 990. These documents can be found at the Reports/Filings page on our web site.Read moreI personally visited the school a few years ago and found it to be quite advanced in it’s curriculum – both in religious studies, secular studies, and extracurricular activities. You can sense the happiness among the students as they spent time in music, art, and other liberal art type courses. The fact that many of the students come from impoverished and at times troubled homes did not deter them from having the passion to excel and be successful. It was a testament to the school and it’s faculty who spend enormous amounts of time and effort to continuously improve the school.