Applying to the Mack Ness Fund 2022-2023
Grant Cycle 2022-2023
The Mack Ness Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater MetroWest NJ (JCF) is helping to revitalize Israel’s Negev region. The Fund supports economic development in the region, with special focus on increasing the region’s population and promoting economic growth.
The Mack Ness Fund is having two tracks for support:
- Track 1- General Grant Cycle for NGO'S and "Amutot".
- Track 2 - Strategic collaborative projects for municipalities and NGO'S.
Timeline for Mack Ness Fund Grants Process
- The grant period is July 1,2022 -June 30, 2023
- Letter of Intent (LOI) Application Deadline: November 15, 2021, at 24:00! Responses to LOI: December 16, 2021.
- Full Application Deadline: January 6, 2022, at 24:00
- Site visits for finalists: Feb 20-24.
- Grant award announcement: on or before May 15, 2022.
Track 1 General Grant Cycle for NGO'S and Amotot only
A prospective grantee meeting for applicant questions, by zoom, will be held on October 27, 2021, at 10:00am.
Please register here for the meeting and get the full information
For more information, contact odelia@jfedgmw.org.il or Tel: 054-6112275.
Proposal Priorities
The Mack Ness Fund seeks proposals from Negev-based non-profit institutions with a clear vison for promoting economic development and a targeted approach that will grow and enhance the quality of life of the region’s population. We encourage applications from start-up, new organizations. In addition, we seek pilot programs and programs expanding in scale. Proposed programs must be innovative and address an issue that is a part of a complex ecosystem related to growth and sustainability of the broad Negev region and/or local municipalities.
The submitting organization should clearly describe the proposed impact of the project on the broad Negev region and/or local municipalities, types of economic development strategies and methodologies to be employed, changes that will be made, target population that will benefit, and range of partners to be associated with the initiative. Involvement of municipal leaders, quasi- governmental or governmental bodies, and other key leaders in the community is encouraged.
The Ness Committee will highly consider the lead individual who will be responsible for the project, seeking leadership and visionary skills as well as ability to complete the work associated with the proposed effort.
Priority will be given to proposals that involve more than one organization and have a clear plan as to the roles of the partner organizations.
We also encourage the applicant to be leveraging funding from different funding sources, public and private.
While the Fund permits submissions for a second or third year to expand these efforts, the applicants will need to demonstrate their plan for sustainability of the program when Mack Ness funding ends.
Requirements for Funding
All organizations applying for funding must have registered Amuta status in Israel and must have Nihul Takin status with the Registrar of NGOs (Rasham HaAmutot).
The grant duration is one year. However, the Mack Ness Fund will consider funding for a second or third year, depending upon performance and growth potential.
Letter of Intent
Please submit a brief letter of intent by November 15 ,2021, to odelia@jfedgmw.org.il. Your letter should include all the following information, in no more than two pages:
- Organization name and address
- Amuta status in Israel:
- Year established and current mission: Note the year established and summarize your organization's mission (2-3 sentences)
- Track 1 and Name of program for which you are requesting support
- Phase (select one): start up, scaling up, continuing to expand with new partners or enhancements, working toward sustainability, other.
- What are the distinctive needs and/or issues that your program plans to address, and why is your proposed program unique, innovative, and meaningful?
- Description of the long-term vision of your proposed initiative, three specific goals of changes to be made or opportunities to pursue during the grant period, anticipated measurable results, and activities that will occur to pursue these
- Description of target audiences and number of projected beneficiaries/program
- How often will you measure your progress?
- What challenges do you foresee?
- Geographic focus: Which cities/towns/regional councils will be targeted?
- Partnership: Which organizations and/or municipalities are you planning to partner with on this project? Describe their roles and and responsibilities.
- Reach: How will the project be marketed to both prospective participants and the communities as a whole? How will results be shared?
- Timeline: Indicate the timeline for implementing this program.
- Budget: What is the program’s overall (full) budget and the specific request from the Mack Ness Fund, parent organization contribution, and potentially leveraged funds (if relevant)?
- What is the parent organization's annual budget?
- Please list any other known or potential
Track 1 for General Cycle: A prospective grantee meeting by zoom or in person will be held on October 27, 2021, at 10:00am for applicant questions.
Please register here for the meeting and get the full information
Track 2 for Strategic Collaborative Grant Cycle: A prospective grantee meeting by zoom or in person will be held on October 27, 2021, at 12:30pm for applicant questions.
Register here to participate and get the full information for the meeting.
Track 2 Strategic Grant Cycle for Municipalities and Amotot
A prospective grantee meeting by zoom or in person will be held on October 27, 2021, at 12:30pm for applicant questions.
Register here to participate and get the full information for the meeting.
The strategic track for corporation between municipalities and association was created in 2020 in order to give municipalities the opportunity for promoting existing needs that had already passed a prosses of thinking and developing and had not enough resources to implement the ideas that had been suggested or developed for those needs.
The strategic track is an opportunity for municipalities to create one or more strong partnerships with NGO’s and associations. With focused and combined plans and efforts, specific changes will result involving a targeted area/issue of the economic development ecosystem in the Negev.
The Goal:
- Articulate a Strategic Vision which creates or involves an ecosystem related to economic development
- Choose one main critical issue to address
- Map all the potential partners and all the existing programs (concerning that anchor)
- Build one operational strategic plan with objectives and achievable results
- Ness may support up to 2 years Positive Considerations:
- The plan is relevant to the Ness Fund Mission/ Ness impact
- Connection to other Ness programs
- Impact- large number of people, large region
- Relevant Now
- Using/adapting an existing municipality strategic
- Implementable and achievable with clear timeline
- Committed partners with clear roles and responsibilities
- Additional funding sources
- Cooperation between municipalities
Letter of Intent
- Please submit a brief letter of intent by November 15 ,2021, to odelia@jfedgmw.org.il. Your letter should include all the following information:
- Up to 3 pages brief
- Main Organization
- Name and address of the relevant municipality (or regional council).
- Amuta status in Israel renewal date: (for the main amuta in which the funding will be awarded)
- Year established and current mission: Note the year established and summarize your organization's mission (2-3 sentences)
- Name of program for which you are requesting support
- Phase (select one): start up, scaling up, continuing to expand, working toward sustainability,
- What are the distinctive needs and/or issues that your program plans to address, and why is it unique, innovative, meaningful, and groundbreaking? How it is relevant and important to the municipality’s strategic plan I the next 5 or 10 years?
- Relevance to Ness mission.
- Description of the long-term vision of your proposed initiative, three specific goals of changes to be made or opportunities to pursue with anticipated results, and activities that will occur to pursue these goals.
- Description of target audiences and number of projected beneficiaries/program
- Reach: How will the project be marketed to both prospective participants and the communities as a whole?
- How will you measure your progress? Please provide two-three measurable indicators that will be used in the evaluation process for each goal.
- What challenges do you foresee?
- Geographic focus: Which cities/towns/regional councils will be targeted?
- Partnership: Which organizations and/or municipalities are you planning to partner with on this project? Describe their unique roles and
- Timeline: What is the timeline of operation for this program?
- Budget: What is the program’s overall (full) budget and the specific request from the Mack Ness Fund and potentially leveraged funds (if relevant)? What is the parent organization's annual budget? Please list any other known or potential partners.
- Vision: What is your long-term vision for this initiative and how you will sustain it?
Track 1 for General Cycle: A prospective grantee meeting by zoom or in person will be held on October 27, 2021, at 10:00am for applicant questions.
Please register here for the meeting and get the full information
Track 2 for Strategic Collaborative Grant Cycle: A prospective grantee meeting by zoom or in person will be held on October 27, 2021, at 12:30pm for applicant questions.
Register here to participate and get the full information for the meeting.
WE DO NOT FUND:
- Children and youth programs
- Welfare programs
- Construction projects
- Endowments
- Individuals

Click here for a detailed map of Ness grantees
For information about grants,
please contact:
Renie Carniol
Director, Mack Ness Fund, US
973-929-3097
rcarniol@jfedgmw.org
Odelia Karutchi
Director, Mack Ness Fund, ISRAEL