Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation mainly supports organizations supporting Jewish causes in Israel. Each year, the foundation also supports a handful of U.S. Jewish organizations and a select few nonprofits that are not affiliated with Jewish faith or culture.
IP TAKE: This a non transparent, low-profile funder with no formal application program. Grantseekers involved in Jewish education, human services and the Jewish practice of tikkun olan, particularly those working in Israel, may wish to contact the foundation at the address or phone number provided below.
This funder is not accessible as it prefers a proactive grantmaking approach given it’s smaller size, but if you think your organization’s work is a good match, connect with the foundation and network. This can be a tough funder to crack.
PROFILE: The Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation was established in Palo Alto, California in 2006. Amos Wilnai studied electrical engineering at the Israel Institute of Technology and the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn in the 1960s. He worked for several companies in the U.S. and Israel through the 1970s and founded the software company Clarity Systems in 1983. He also founded MMC Networks, a company that creates chips used in fiber optics. The Wilnai Foundation does not operate a website, limiting information about its grantmaking, but tax filings reveal a strong interest in supporting Jewish causes in Israel.
Grants for Jewish Causes
The Wilnai Foundation’s grantmaking for Jewish causes emphasizes U.S.-based organizations that support a variety of causes in Israel. The foundation has provided ongoing support to the American Friends of the Tel Aviv University, the PEF Israel Endowment Funds and the American Friends of NATAL, which supports Israeli victims of trauma and terrorism. The foundation has also given to a few U.S. Jewish organizations, including the Jewish Federation of Greater Miami, Palo Alto’s Oshman Family Jewish Community Center and the Good People Fund, a national organization that supports individuals and small groups pursuing the Jewish practice of tikkun olan, or repairing the world.
Other Interests
While Jewish causes are the main focus of the Wilnai Foundation, each year a few grants to go organizations that are not strictly affiliated with Jewish faith and culture. Past grants have gone to the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, 10 Books a Home and San Francisco’s Outdoors Empowered Network, which runs outdoor education programs and equipment lending programs for youth.
Important Grant Details:
The Wilnai Foundation made over $600,000 in grants in a recent year. The foundation’s average grant size appears to be about $20,000. Most grants go to U.S.-based organizations raising money for causes in Israel, but this funder has also supported U.S. Jewish organizations and a select few non-Jewish organizations in recent years. For additional information about past grantmaking, see the foundation’s recent tax filings.
This funder does not run a formal application program and does not provide a direct avenue for getting in touch. Grantseekers may contact the Wilnai Foundation at the address and phone number provided below.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
CONTACT:
Amos and Ruth Wilnai Foundation
885 Northampton Drive
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 325-9375
