Carmei Ha'ir and IsraelGrants host a foundation representative

Written by David Maeir-Epstein

Carmei Ha’ir, an Israelgrants client that provides meals for the needy in a dignified atmosphere of a resturant, recently had a very productive visit from a representative of a large foundation based out of Baltimore. In the course of her duties, Nechama Sidor, spoke to a representative of this foundation on the phone, in accord with IsraelGrants "SPIFF" technique, whereby the representative of the nonprofit begins a dialogue with the foundation before sending the proposal. Nechama managed to speak to one of the department heads of the  foundation, and discovered that he was coming to Israel. Using her persuasion skills and explaining the merits of Carmei Ha’ir’s mission, Nechama managed to convince him to visit Carmei Ha’ir on his trip.

Although Carmei Ha’ir has hosted many visits, this one was different. It was not mere show and tell but a chance to convince a major foundation that the organization had the capacity to make a significant lasting impact, and that Carmei Ha'ir had a culture of cooperative work with partners and was open to being guided by an experienced funder. I, David Maeir-Epstein, IsraelGrants CEO, served not only as a simultaneous language translator, but as a simultaneous consultant, explaining to the capable nonprofit what the highly sophisticated funder actually meant and expected. This was a great example of how the organization's staff directly opened the door and I, as the consultant, facilitated the discussion that led to an outcome that exceeded all expectations. When the Foundation representative told Carmei Hair what to ask for, how much to ask for and what to do to properly prepare the submission, including the involvement of specific potential partners, we knew that we were on the right track. This particular foundation has an arduous application process. This meeting, while promising, is by no means a guarantee and  Carmei Ha’ir still has a long journey to prove its worth to this foundation. However, we are hopeful that this will eventually lead to a six figure grant. This is a good example of a professional partnership - Nechama's initiative and Israelgrants' professional facilitation. 

FoundationSearch and IsraelGrants Team Up to Reveal All You Need to Know about Foundations

Find out why SPNI has become the latest FoundationSearch-IsraelGrants Subscriber

By Donny Kligman, Director of Research, IsraelGrants.com

As Director of Research it is my job to seek out and match up the appropriate foundations with our clients. The giving interests of the foundations and the objectives of Israeli organizations must sync. Therefore it is imperative that I, the researcher, use the most powerful cutting edge technology at my disposal. This is where FoundationSearch.com thunders in.

I use FoundationSearch in order to find foundations that have funded organizations similar to our clients. I used to use Foundation Center’s search engine and database. Foundation Center is OK if you want to approach grant seeking with the basics. There is however a plethora of advantages that Foundation Search offers which Foundation Center severely lacks. For example, Foundation Search gives you access to nearly three times the number of the amount of grants made to Israeli nonprofits. Foundation Search has more than twice the number of searchable giving interests allowing me to hone in on the most specific and detailed criteria with which to match up an Amuta with the appropriate foundations while saving hours of time.

With Foundation Search you can search through more than 100,000 foundations in the US, over 1000 of which give to nonprofits in Israel or to their American or Canadian “Friends” organizations. Unlike Foundation Center, Foundation Search can provide me with contact and grant information for foundations in Canada and on the charitable giving of Fortune 500 Corporations in both the U.S. and Canada with the accompanying service Big On Line! What more could a researcher ask for?

Besides Foundation Search being the most powerful foundation search tool around it also has its own unparalleled features. One of these is "My Prospect Manager." My Prospect Manager is an innovative donor prospect manager system that allows me to add prospects (foundations) I have found using Foundation Search and link them to fundraising projects that I have personally created and defined. Within these projects I am able to easily and swiftly keep track of foundations.  The system allows me to set up email alerts that will notify me of changes related to recent grants, deadlines, financial information, 990's which list all grants made during a given year, and news related to specific  foundations.

While clearly I’m sold on Foundation Search, but there are reasons why it may not be the best option for you. If you're a small organization on a limited budget then you probably don’t need a subscription yourself. That’s where I come in for you. You can benefit from all that FoundationSearch has, and IsraelGrants’ “expertise” in using it. If you’d like to order from IsraelGrants a pinpointed foundation search appropriate for a specific project or if you’d like specific information on a real time basis.

Each subscription to Foundation Search comes with a tech support package from IsraelGrants.com during Israel working hours as well as tech support and on line tutorials offered by FoundationSearch.com and Metasoft, its parent company based in Vancouver, Canada.

For subscription information and other details please contact Donny at Donny@IsraelGrants.com or 02-5636629 Monday – Thursday.

See what a former intern has to say...

Studying a new career at any age can be challenging. Sitting in a structured setting, listening for hours at a time to an instructor requires a tremendous amount of concentration and commitment. Although it might not be required, reviewing the information at home after class provides a tremendous boost to retaining what was learned and brings a certain amount of clarity to the subject. I probably didn't do enough of this, but it's a good idea anyway.

Having the opportunity to do an internship in an office where the main thrust of activity is grant writing and fund raising has been an additional perk. Spending time in David's office was invaluable. It provided me with many of the basics I will need when I do find a position as a grant writer or fund raiser. The atmosphere was educational and fun. Accessing foundation lists, researching foundation information and editing one-page summaries on non-profit organizations in Israel have kept me in the swing of things and have given me some insightful background which will be useful in the future. I have also sharpened some office computer skills which are always important to have.

Thanks, David, and all the team for all your help.
- Cina Coren