The mission of the America-Israel Cultural Foundation is to support and develop artistic life in Israel by awarding scholarships and grants. By encouraging Israeli artists and supporting institutions and programs, AICF makes a vital contribution to the cultural foundation of Israel and strengthens her relationship with America. We aim to:
- Raise funds through a rigorous Annual Campaign and ongoing fundraising events.
- Award scholarships to Israeli students of the arts in the disciplines of music, art & design, dance, film & television, and theatre.
- Foster the growth of Israel's cultural institutions through grants and other financial support.
- Spread awareness of Israeli artists and institutions throughout the US and the world.
- Showcase the State of Israel as a thriving cultural environment that stimulates creativity and artistic life.
- Advocate a connection between Israel and the US through the arts.
- Develop new AICF Chapters and community interest throughout the US.
- Inspire partner organizations to join our cause and support Israeli arts — cultural, educational, artistic, religious, communal, and social service oriented institutions.
In order to achieve our mission, our current, concrete goals are to:
- Increase our fundraising by 20% annually, with fundraising both in the U.S. and in Israel.
- Increase our endowment fund.
- Increase both the number and scope of AICF events nationally with an eye towards providing a springboard for those artists supported by AICF scholarships as well as sharing Israeli culture with an increasing audience.
- Expand AICF’s Periphery Encouragement and Enrichment programs, which improve Israel’s artistic infrastructure in areas that have limited access to teacher-training.
- Expand our alumni network, connecting our past and present recipients with others who can offer career guidance and mentoring.
Our organization goes through an annual overview of our fundraising and programmatic goals, with the primary purpose of maximizing staff and office effectiveness and the overall effectiveness of our programs. This is achieved through a financial analysis of fundraising and marketing efforts throughout the U.S. and in Israel, comparing with other organizations and with previous years, all against a benchmark set by our annual strategic plan review.
Since the beginning of our 5-year strategic plan (2007), we have added 11,000 names to our mailing list, increased our e-mail list from 200 to 6,000 addresses, and most importantly, increased the number of young donors by 30%. We have expanded and held events in 27 cities. Our fundraising in Israel has increased to over $750,000 annually (including U.S.-based gifts from Israeli philanthropists) from $0 in 2006. We constantly monitor the metrics of our e-mail blasts and website traffic (all of which are increasing), as well as the effectiveness of our fundraising campaigns, as evidenced by increased giving and number of donors, based on the success of the campaign. However, our fundraising can double even with our current limited staffing; the final two years of our strategic plan, as we move out of this economic crisis, focus on lean and effective methods to increase our presence without increasing our costs.
Our focus varies each year based on the ever-changing nature of our young talent and the growing cultural needs in Israel, and the differences in each generation of young artists. Our programs and goals are reviewed by the leading artists and guiding cultural groups in Israel and the types and number of scholarships and range of programs are constantly reviewed and re-evaluated.
As a thriving 71-year-old charity, our work is recognized as the standard of artistic excellence in Israel. Our success is evidenced by the increasing talent and depth of Israel culture, and the fact that Israeli culture is growing and thriving even in a difficult economy.
Though our staff is small, with two full-time and two part-time employees in the U.S. and five full-time employees in Israel, we continue to exceed fundraising expectations and expand our impact, even in these difficult times. Our current major focus is on Board development, expanding our alumni campaign, and increasing our marketing presence as we move into next year’s fundraising campaign.
Detailed descriptions of our strategic plan and programmatic review are available upon request to David Homan, Executive Director of AICF. In order to view our most recent 990's, click here.