Ending 2020 with Two New Funds for Culture and Community
The world is living through difficult times. The coronavirus pandemic has affected everyone – each in a different way.
Here in Jerusalem, we have been at the forefront of the city’s response to the global pandemic. Since the start of the coronavirus crisis, the Jerusalem Foundation has served Jerusalem’s most vulnerable populations, from young children with special needs to elderly people living in isolation. Raising more than $2 million from sources worldwide, we have been able to support urgent social and humanitarian needs, ranging from food packages for the homebound to the provision of laptops for remote learning and counseling.
Now, we’re refocusing our efforts and looking ahead to what comes next.
Over the next months, we are launching two new funds led by our partners in North America. Both funds have a focus on community and culture in Jerusalem and will direct financial support to a range of organizations working to get the city back on its feet in 2021.
The Jerusalem Foundation, Inc., in the United States, has established the new ‘Community and Culture Innovation Fund’, which will open a call for proposals on November 8th and distribute $1 million to both culture and community projects that can demonstrate new and innovative models for projects navigating these unprecedented times and flourishing after COVID-19.
Our friends in Canada were among the first to step up and reach out to support Jerusalem. Canadians have a long history of providing support to the vulnerable and to arts organizations and institutions in the city. Now, the Jerusalem Foundation of Canada has established the ‘The Canada Community and Culture Fund’. Like the US-based fund, this fund will support two critical areas for the wellbeing of Jerusalem: ongoing needs for vulnerable populations of Jerusalem of all ages and the recovery of the cultural sector which has been hit particularly hard in recent months. This fund is linked to the Canada Pathway that will be established in the Musrara neighborhood and the campaign just launched across Canada will raise funds for projects to be distributed in cooperation with the Mayor and provide urgent help for those who need it most.
The coming months will not be easy in Jerusalem. But we know that, together with our supporters around the world, we will continue to strengthen the city, helping the most vulnerable populations in the city and making Jerusalem shine bright once again.