Strengthening the Jewish Homeland
Initiatives in Israel
Sam Israel was committed to a successful and vibrant State of Israel for the Jewish people. Today, the Samis Foundation continues to carry out this vision by focusing giving in six key areas: archaeology, Aliyah and absorption, higher education and vocational training, poverty and social mobility, widows and orphans, and wildlife.
In the wake of the October 7, 2023 atrocities in Southern Israel, the Foundation initiated a series of significant emergent need grants. Over the last two years Samis’ philanthropy has focused on supporting mental health and employment for those most affected by the war.
With nearly $17 million in grants to date, Sam Israel’s legacy continues to make an impact on the next generation.
Aliyah & Absorption
Lowering the barriers new immigrants face when integrating into Israeli society by awarding grants to programs that provide career counseling, job placement, and networking opportunities.
Archaeology
Preserving and sharing Israel’s archaeological riches and heritage by funding museums and publications about significant archaeological excavations so the knowledge they uncover can be accessed by the public and studied for generations to come.
Higher Education & Vocational Training Support
Providing college scholarships and support for vocational training programs for those in need who strive for greater self-sufficiency.
Poverty & Social Mobility
Assisting people on Israel’s socio-economic periphery to become financially independent through employment services and support programs.
Widows & Orphans
Supporting the needy and vulnerable by giving to shelters and programs for abused women, orphaned children, and at-risk youth.
Wildlife Preservation
Supporting organizations dedicated to wildlife conservation in Israel and education about its importance.
Grantee Highlights Aliyah & Absorption
Lowering the barriers new immigrants face when integrating into Israeli society by awarding grants to
programs that provide career counseling, job placement, and networking opportunities.
Nefesh B’Nefesh נפש בנפש
Aliyah & Absorption
Samis most recently funded the Samis Aliyah Integration Center at the new Nefesh B’Nefesh headquarters in Jerusalem. Potential and current olim (new immigrants) will be supported and advised by Nefesh B’Nefesh counselors at the Center who support them throughout their immigration process as they seek appropriate employment, housing, and educational opportunities.
Gvahim גבהים
Aliyah & Absorption
With support from the Samis Foundation, Gvahim launched a dedicated emergency initiative to support Olim facing acute challenges due to the ongoing conflict, focusing on employment, bureaucratic assistance, and direct financial aid. The program provided urgent, targeted support separate from Gvahim’s regular operations, enabling hundreds of Olim to access career services, government benefits, and immediate financial relief. To date, the initiative has demonstrated strong impact, including high employment placement rates, broad participation in career workshops, and $360K NIS in financial assistance to stabilize vulnerable families.
itworks (Ukrainian & Russian employment program) איט וורקס (מעצימים אנשים)
Aliyah & Absorption
ItWorks is running a workforce development program to help 300 immigrants from Ukraine and Russia enter Israel’s high-tech sector through nine professional online courses plus a direct placement track for experienced candidates. The program combines in-demand tech training with soft skills, individualized support, and proactive employer outreach and partnerships, led by a team that includes Ukrainian immigrant staff who understand participants’ barriers firsthand. Launched in 2022, it is already operating multiple courses (e.g., SDR/Customer Success, Cyber, Data Analyst) and connecting graduates to job search and placement services to secure quality employment in tech.
Grantee Highlights Archaeology
Preserving and sharing Israel’s archaeological riches and heritage by funding museums and publications about significant
archaeological excavations so the knowledge they uncover can be accessed by the public and studied for generations to come.
Herodian Quarter Museum מוזיאון הרובע ההרודיאני
Archaeology
The Samis Foundation is the largest private funder of the Herodian Quarter Museum renovation. An archaeological site dating back to the Second Temple Period, the museum has historical, cultural, and national significance. This massive renovation has launched the museum as one of the premier tourist sites in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Herodium Excavation Publications פרסומי חפירות הרודיון
Archaeology
The late Professor Ehud Netzer was an Israeli architect, educator, and archaeologist, known for his extensive excavations at Herodium, where in 2007 he found the tomb of Herod the Great. The Foundation has been instrumental in providing funding for his findings and research, including the publication of his Jericho and Herodium Volumes, respectively. Samis has also contributed to the publication of popular versions of his work through the Israel Exploration Society.
Grantee Highlights Higher Education & Vocational Training Support
Supporting pathways to education and vocational training for peripheral populations across Israel, including young adults from the northern and southern periphery, reservists pursuing higher education, and ultra-Orthodox individuals.
Tech Career קריירה בטכנולוגיה
Educational Support
Tech-Career provides a targeted support package for students who served in Miluim to ensure reserve duty does not derail completion of intensive tech training and industry certifications. The initiative, partly funded by Samis, combines tailored tutoring and exam prep, one-on-one mentoring, flexible scheduling, and well-being sessions with a clinical psychologist to strengthen resilience since October 7th. By adapting the learning environment to wartime realities (with about 15% of students and staff serving at any time), the program aims to protect retention and enable reservists to enter the high-tech job market fully qualified. In addition, the Foundation is funding the construction of the student dormitories at Tech-Career’s new campus, to provide housing for Ethiopian students seeking a career in tech.
Shamoon College of Engineering מכללת סמי שמעון
Educational Support
With Samis Foundation support, SCE launched the “Iron Swords Comprehensive Support Program for Reservist Students” to ensure reservists and other war-impacted students can continue their studies without falling behind. The program provides a multi-layered package including financial aid, tailored academic accommodations (tutoring, flexible exams, personalized planning), emotional support, and access to digital learning and resilience workshops. It expanded beyond the original reach thanks to Samis funding and also helped institutionalize longer-term policies to support reservist students going forward.
Northern Spirit רוח צפונית
Educational Support
The students of the Northern Spirit Hesder Yeshiva in Acre, in the Western Galilee region, are closely involved in community projects throughout the diverse city. The students help children, teens and the elderly who suffer from poverty, or loneliness and require emotional or educational support. Samis provides stipends for a cohort of students studying at the Shaanan College of Education who are committed to working within the community to strengthen the city and Israel’s Northern region.
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Grantee Highlights Poverty & Social Mobility
Assisting people on Israel’s socio-economic periphery to become independent through employment services and support programs.
JDC Eshel North, Up60 JDC אשל
Poverty & Social Mobility
JDC’s initiative supports displaced elderly Israelis as they transition back home after prolonged evacuation due to October 7th and the war, addressing heightened risks of isolation, decline, and stress-related illness. Building on 16 months of services in evacuee hotels (Mini-Day Centers and Community Caseworkers), the pilot is strengthening local support systems in Kiryat Shmona, Shlomi, and Acco and reaching up to 12,000 seniors. Senior Managers coordinate local teams to connect older adults to services, prepare homes, and provide critical supplies to restore stability, safety, and community.
Manof – the Social Urban Renewal Organization (formerly Jindas) מנוף
Poverty & Social Mobility
Since July 2024, the organization has rebranded as MANOF – the Social Urban Renewal Organization, reflecting its national expansion and integrated model of social urban renewal. Through its project, “Rebuilding Resilient Communities in Ofakim,” MANOF supports recovery and long-term resilience in Kibbutz Galuyot, one of the most underserved neighborhoods in the city following the events of October 7.
Within this project, 130 residents received individualized support through 315 inquiries. Among them, 91 residents accessed their rights, leading to a combined increase of approximately $155,600 in household income, much of it linked to war-related entitlements. In parallel, 67 residents received flexible emergency assistance totaling approximately $22,700. Community engagement has also expanded, with over 400 residents participating in local activities. A dedicated public engagement role introduced in July 2024 has strengthened trust and supported emerging local leadership, including a resident-led community garden initiative set to be implemented in the coming months
Zionism 2000 Business Hub ציונות 2000
Poverty & Social Mobility
The Business Hub is a partnership between Zionism 2000 and The Haredi Coalition that works with eight large Israeli employers to advance the recruitment, integration, and promotion of Haredi employees through structured processes and ongoing support. The Samis-funded initiative develops practical tools and employer-specific work plans across recruitment, training, onboarding, and workplace adaptation, while strengthening collaboration between businesses, Haredi NPOs, municipalities, and government partners. To date, the Hub has created 11 new employer–Haredi NPO connections, developed two new tools, launched a municipal Community Relations Forum, and laid the groundwork for measurable increases in Haredi employment through baseline assessment and systemic change.
Grantee Highlights Widows & Orphans
Supporting the needy and vulnerable by giving to shelters and programs for abused women, orphaned children, and at-risk youth.
Sheatufim שיטופים
Widows & Orphans
The Gender-Based Domestic Violence Collective Impact Initiative is the first joint, cross-sector project bringing together players from the public, business, and social sectors to advance a shared systematic plan for dealing with this painful issue. Samis is honored to be a founding partner supporting Sheatufim, which is serving as the organizational backbone managing the process.
Public Forum הפורום הציבורי
Widows & Orphans
The “Resilience for Counselors in Welfare Boarding Schools” program is a national initiative that equips boarding-school counselors with practical tools to manage trauma, emotional distress, and burnout, especially in the context of the Iron Swords war. A 2025 pilot in 10 boarding schools showed significant improvements in resilience, reduced stress, stronger team cohesion, and very high participant satisfaction. With support from the Samis Foundation, the program expanded in October 2025 to 30 additional schools, training approximately 450 counselors and strengthening Israel’s out-of-home care system nationwide.
Sunflowers חמניות
Widows & Orphans
Sunflowers (Hamaniot) operates a nationwide therapeutic support program for children and youth who have lost a parent, with a special focus on war orphans affected by October 7th, providing long-term, trauma-informed group therapy through dedicated community centers. The program combines structured emotional care for children and adolescents with parallel group support for widowed parents, alongside school coordination and home-based follow-up to ensure holistic family recovery. Its goal is to reduce trauma-related risks, strengthen resilience and family functioning, and provide stable, accessible mental health support in socio-economically disadvantaged and peripheral communities across Israel.
Grantee Highlights Wildlife
Supporting organizations dedicated to wildlife conservation in Israel and education about its importance.
The Sea Turtle Rescue Center המרכז להצלת צבי ים
Wildlife
With support from the Samis Foundation, Israel’s new Sea Turtle Rescue Center in Mikhmoret established an education center alongside its pioneering treatment and rehabilitation facility. The education center raises public awareness about marine conservation, threats to sea turtles, and environmental responsibility through hands-on learning and outreach. By combining rescue, research, and education, the project strengthens long-term protection of sea turtles and Israel’s marine ecosystems.
Jerusalem Aquarium אקווריום ישראל
Wildlife
The Gottesman Family Israel Aquarium in Jerusalem opened its doors to the public in 2017. Samis funded the Aquarium’s Samuel Israel Aquatic & Animal Care Research Center. The aquarium focuses on Israel’s marine environment – the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea as well as on the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea and provides both children and adults with the opportunity to learn about marine wildlife in Israel.
Jerusalem Botanical Gardens הגן הבוטני ירושלים
Wildlife
The Jerusalem Botanic Gardens is advancing a community-based Samis funded Butterfly Monitoring Project to strengthen Jerusalem’s biodiversity, sustainability, and environmental engagement. The project monitors butterfly populations as sensitive bioindicators to assess the garden’s role in supporting urban biodiversity and to compare the value of native wild plants versus alien species as pollinator resources. Findings are being translated into public education and practical tools, including self-guided and school tours plus a published recommendation document for gardeners and urban planners, while involving seniors and people with special needs in meaningful participatory research.