On 20 August 2007, Welfare Association signed a US $540,000 grant agreement with Ford Foundation to establish the Jerusalem Community Fund to promote integrated, sustainable development in East Jerusalem. Welfare Association will also allocate a match of $500,000 to support the Fund.
A Welfare Association initiative, the Jerusalem Community Fund is designed to build on WA's previous programs in Jerusalem concerning health, restoration and community revitalization, youth, education and culture and use its commitment to the city to create greater synergy with stakeholders, especially new donors, and to advocate and increase sustained support for East Jerusalem services. Priority sectors identified for support include education (quality of teaching, school health, early childhood education), culture (traditional arts, dance, music and fine art, architectural heritage), and youth (life skills, employability, community service, adolescent health). NGOs working in these priority sectors will be able to access special direct grants as well as grants applied for through a competitive granting process.
Since 1967, the Israeli continuous occupation and illegal annexation of Jerusalem has severely constrained Palestinian residency rights, development efforts and land use, and has separated the city from the West Bank by the Wall and the checkpoints.
Palestinian institutions in Jerusalem have been forced to reduce much needed services to residents due to lack of access by West Bank Palestinians and decreased resources from donors. The fund will allow donors to maximize their impact by contributing to a strategic approach within development sectors and across sectors rather than isolated project support for individual NGOs.
While changes in Jerusalem are taking place at an accelerated speed, there are relatively limited funds available to meet the vast needs of the Palestinian population in the city. Welfare Association is currently in the process of strengthening and expanding support for integrated, sustainable development in East Jerusalem. It is also continuing in its efforts to encourage other institutional and individual donors to support development efforts in Jerusalem.
As for the future, the Fund is envisioned as a mechanism to mobilize new funds from various donors, including WA, by advocating for residents, and by facilitating collaborative support of priority non-governmental development initiatives reflecting strategic and innovative efforts for holistic, sustainable development in Jerusalem.
