Contributor Report: Koret Foundation
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The Koret Foundation is a San Francisco-based private philanthropic organization that identifies support for the State of Israel as a “pillar” of its grantmaking. Since its establishment in 1979, the foundation has distributed over $1 billion in total grants, with a significant portion dedicated to “Jewish Peoplehood” and “U.S.-Israel Bridge Building” initiatives.
1. Mission and Strategic Priorities
The Koret Foundation’s mission is centered on strengthening the Bay Area and supporting the global Jewish community. It explicitly describes Israel as the “homeland for the Jewish people” and a “strategic ally of the United States.” Its funding priorities are designed to:
- Strengthen U.S.-Israel Ties: Funding programs that “ensure a bright future for Israel” as a “beacon of democracy” and strategic partner.
- Foster Jewish Peoplehood: Supporting initiatives that link Diaspora Jews to Israel through culture, education, and shared history.
- Source: Koret Foundation - Jewish Community Grantmaking (Note: having trouble producing a specific citation)
2. Documented Support for Zionist Advocacy
The foundation provides significant financial backing to organizations that conduct pro-Israel advocacy, monitor anti-Israel sentiment, and train student activists.
- American Israel Education Foundation (AIEF): In 2024, the foundation granted $1,500,000 to AIEF, the charitable wing of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), for “outreach, education, and engagement programs.”
- Israel on Campus Coalition (ICC): Koret has funded the ICC for over a decade to “educate and train student leaders” to become “advocates on campus and in the media” for Israel.
- Source: Koret Foundation - Israel on Campus Coalition Spotlight (Note: having trouble producing a specific citation)
- NGO Monitor & MEMRI: The foundation has been identified in research as a donor to NGO Monitor and the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), organizations that monitor and critique international NGOs and Middle Eastern media for perceived anti-Israel bias.
- Source: University of Bath Research Portal - Report on Pro-Israel Funding (p. 21) (Note: having trouble producing a specific citation)
- Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD): Documented grants of $75,000 have been directed to the FDD, a Washington-based think tank often categorized as neoconservative and strongly pro-Israel.
3. Major Institutional Grantees in Israel
Koret maintains long-term partnerships with Israeli academic and policy institutions that focus on national identity and social policy.
- Shalem College: Awarded $5 million to expand the “Koret Jewish Peoplehood Project,” which brings Israeli students to the U.S. to study “the pro-Israel movement” and “U.S. politics.”
- Source: Koret Foundation - Building Bridges Between Bay Area and Israeli Jews (Note: having trouble producing a specific citation)
- Tel Aviv University: In 2024, the foundation provided $2,000,000 for the “Koret International School Collaborative,” a partnership with the ANU Museum of the Jewish People.
- Shalom Hartman Institute: A $10 million grant in 2019 supported the institute’s work in developing “local community leaders” and conducting research on Jewish identity and connections to Israel.
- Source: Wikipedia - Koret Foundation History (Note: having trouble producing a specific citation)
4. Leadership and Advocacy Background
The foundation’s leadership includes individuals with career backgrounds in Zionist and pro-Israel political advocacy.
- Jeffrey A. Farber (CEO): Farber is the former chair of AIPAC Northern California and has stated, “I have never felt more committed to ensuring a strong U.S.-Israel relationship.”
- Anita Friedman (President): Friedman has emphasized that “creating a strong U.S.-Israel relationship is a priority” for the foundation.
- Source: Koret Foundation - American Jews Still Give Big for Israel (Note: having trouble producing a specific citation)
5. Controversy and Criticism
The foundation’s focus on global Jewish causes and Israel was a central point of a 2014 lawsuit filed by Susan Koret, the widow of the founder. She argued that the foundation had strayed from its original mission of aiding the Bay Area’s poor to become a “personal piggy bank” for the board’s “pet projects,” specifically Zionism and conservative think tanks like the Hoover Institution.
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