Merit Spread drives NIS 200m. in global donations for war-related projects

Alon Tal, the founder of Merit Spread Foundation, said there was a need to create “a new standard in philanthropy.”

By RAQUEL GUERTZENSTEIN FROHLICH DECEMBER 12, 2024 11:04

Walking among teddy bears representing children held captive in Gaza, in Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Square, Oct. 29. (photo credit: FLASH90)

The Merit Spread Foundation, a new philanthropic initiative, has helped raise more than NIS 200 million since the October 7 attacks for social benefit projects relating to the war, the foundation announced on Wednesday.

Some of the Merit Spread Foundation’s initiatives include creating an endowment for orphans of the war, forming a mental health support program for the wives of combat soldiers, providing housing solutions to evacuees from Gaza border communities, and, in cooperation with professional caregivers, offering various solutions to soldiers and civilians experiencing PTSD, the foundation said. 

Alon Tal, the founder of Merit Spread Foundation, said there was a need to create “a new standard in philanthropy.” Tal is also the founder of Alpha Financial Services Group. 

How to contribute to Israel and the Jewish world

“Since the massacre of October 7, many began to reevaluate the way in which and how to contribute to Israel and the Jewish world, but, unfortunately, public services and systems in Israel and around the Jewish Diaspora were found to be faltering, overwhelmed or had to quickly pivot towards meeting the extreme challenges that emerged,” he said. 

“There was a sense of urgency and emergency among donors across the globe,” Tal added. “In an age when traditional structures have often faltered under the weight of inefficiency, outmoded business practices, and a desperate need for proficiency, a transformative vision emerged in the philanthropic world, which Merit Spread has sought to fill.”

A house at Kibbutz Nirim burned on October 7 in the Hamas attack. (credit: SETH J. FRANTZMAN)

The foundation has worked with established philanthropists, family foundations, high-tech companies, and Israeli companies, the statement said. It is registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the US and as a public benefit company in Israel (holding permit according to section 46). 

A campaign highlighted a dog tag-selling campaign managed for the hostages’ families. The campaign raised more than NIS 20 million in about two months from more than 30,000 donors. 

The foundation has served “as a bridge between donors in North America and needs in Israel,” the statement added. It plans to expand its activity to Europe, starting in Switzerland and the UK.