OUR COMMUNITY
Israeli Consulate to Target Detroit with Its Social Impact Grants Applications are open to anyone and must be submitted by the end of May. JACKIE HEADAPOHL DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL
D
aniel Aschheim, Deputy Consul General at the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest, was in Metro Detroit last week to get the word out about Social Impact Grants from the Israeli Consulate. Three grants of up to $5,000 will Daniel be offered to Aschheim applicants who are committed to creating social impact in new ways or through maintaining existing social programs. Aschheim, based in Chicago, said part of his job is to “showcase the diverse Israeli society. What Israel does is embrace diversity, whether it’s in the Jewish community, the non-Jewish community, minority communities or any others.”
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As part of the Israeli Consulate’s work in the Midwest, Aschheim does outreach outside the Jewish community, to the African American and Hispanic communities, for example, to show that, “yes, you can be liberal, progressive and proIsrael.” According to Aschheim, it’s a part of Israel’s DNA to empower other communities. Eight months ago, the Consulate provided its first Social Impact Grants in the Minneapolis community. “We said we are looking to invest in groups and organizations that deal with pressing matters of their community, whether it’s connected to sustainability, health, equity, education, accessibility, LGBTQ rights, women, empowerment, youth empowerment, dealing with
discrimination, hate crimes,” he said. “We want to invest in those who deal with these issues in their communities.” Aschheim said they received 104 applications and chose three winners: an organization called A Mother’s Love, a group whose members were victims of or who had family who were victims of gun violence in the African American community; Minnesota STEM Partnership, which provides people of color with opportunities in math and science; and Her Time to Play, a WNBA-affiliated group empowering young women to develop life skills through basketball. “Now we want to do the same thing in Metro Detroit,” he said. Organizations that deal with pressing issues in the community are
encouraged to apply. Applicants must be residents of Michigan and committed to improving social change. Certified 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization status is preferred, but not required. You do not need to be Jewish to apply; the grants are open to anyone. Grant winners must utilize funding provided by the Consulate during the upcoming calendar year. Applicants have until the end of May to apply at https:// tinyurl.com/mwzhrhvt. The process is very user-friendly. Applicants will be judged beginning in June and the grants will be awarded in mid-June at a local ceremony in Detroit. “There’s nothing to lose from applying,” Aschheim said.
