Foundation for Middle East Peace
/OVERVIEW: The Foundation for Middle East Peace supports educational, humanitarian, public affairs and civil rights groups working on peaceful solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It makes grants for refugees, global security and human rights work.
IP TAKE: This foundation often gives to grassroots groups and likes to give grants for general operating support rather than to specific programs or projects. While this is not the most accessible funder, it is a supportive one, which is particularly interested in grassroots efforts at the local scale. Network with its team in order to get on its radar. Its limited funding prevents it from considering hundreds of proposals at once.
PROFILE: Based in Washington, D.C., the Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP) was established by Merle Thorpe, a D.C.-based lawyer and philanthropist, in 1979. It seeks to “promote a just resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” The foundation’s grants support organizations and activities that work toward that end. In addition to its grantmaking program, the foundation also releases daily news briefs, weekly reports of Israeli activity in the West Bank, and a weekly report of “Israel-related activity in the U.S. Congress.”
Grants for Global Security, Human Rights and Refugees
The Foundation for Middle East Peace supports educational, humanitarian, public affairs, and civil rights groups. On a smaller scale, it awards grants to groups addressing the needs of victims of the current and ongoing conflict in the region. The foundation’s primary areas of grantmaking interest include Settlements, Refugees, Jerusalem, Security and Borders. FMEP is committed to opposing Israeli policies that “break international law, trample democratic norms, and violate human rights and dignity” as well as the “weaponization of the Israel-Palestinian issue and false accusations of anti-Semitism.” It is particularly focused on finding and supporting “thought leaders” who bring new perspectives to the situation and promote innovative solutions that will allow Palestinians to remain in Palestine. Grantees include Alliance for Middle East Peace, Association for Civil Rights in Israel, Human Rights Defenders Fund, Jewish Voice for Peace, Palestine Legal, and New Israel Fund.
Grants for Journalism, Writing, and Film
The Foundation for Middle East Peace publishes its Settlement Report as a weekly newsletter. Originally published quarterly from 1991–2014, it was relaunched as a weekly in 2017. This publication tracks Israeli efforts to annex, reclaim, and resettle any Palestinian territory. The foundation also publishes a weekly Legislative Roundup that reports on any Israel-related developments in the United States legislature and government. In addition to its in-house publications, FMEP also supports news outlets, journalistic endeavors, and nonprofits dedicated to raising awareness of the situation in Palestine. Previous grantees include +972 Magazine, the Movement for Freedom of Information in Israel and Just Vision.
Important Grant Details:
Most grants are between $5,000 and $35,000, and are mostly awarded to U.S.-based organizations, with a few grants going to organizations located in Israel. Grantseekers may review the foundation’s Past Grants for more information on its grantmaking habits.
The Foundation for Middle East Peace’s grantmaking program is by invitation only. This grantmaker only awards about 30 grants per year; however, the foundation disseminates its funds across grassroots groups with missions closely aligned with its own. This funder rarely backs large international NGOs.
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