How does JNF UK Select its Projects?

JNF UK has a tried and tested method of selecting projects to fund.

In assessing which projects to support and fund, the trustees send out an invitation to municipalities (including local and regional municipalities), organisations and other groups, as well as government offices in or connected to the Negev.

The recipients of the invitation are invited to submit project proposals. The invitation notifies them of the opportunities JNF UK provides in respect of support and funding, and invites them to submit an application to be considered.

The invitation includes the Project Criteria which all projects must satisfy.

JNF UK receives hundreds of proposals each year. The list of responses is collated by employees of JNF UK in Israel and sent to the trustees. JNF UK calls this ‘the Long List’. The Long List is then reduced by eliminating projects that are unfeasible or do not meet JNF UK’s charitable criteria and ‘the Short List’ is produced.

If a project passes the initial selection process, JNF CT asks for a project funding form to be submitted. Employees of JNF UK in Israel then collate more detailed information and where possible and depending on the size of the project, a trustee will visit the project site. The Short List is reduced further and a final list of projects is produced to be reviewed by JNF UK’s Projects Committee.

The Projects Committee is a committee made up of a small number of the trustees and the CEO of JNF UK. The Projects Committee applies the Project Criteria in assessing which projects are appropriate to support. It carries out a detailed assessment of project applications and it then agrees which projects should be put before the trustees.

The trustees make the final decision regarding which projects JNF UK will support. Once a project has been approved, a funding agreement is entered into which governs the terms and conditions of the relationship between JNF UK and the relevant body receiving funding and/or support in relation to that specific project. Funds as detailed in the funding agreement are only released or disbursed upon the satisfactory fulfilment of the project conditions.

To ensure that a project complies with the terms and condition of the agreed contract and to monitor the progress of the project, representatives of JNF UK in Israel visit the projects and produce regular status reports.

If your organisation or group is based in the Negev and your project meets the Project Criteria, you are able to submit a project proposal by filling out an Application Form which will be available when the application process starts in early 2017.