New Foundation Raises NIS 200M+ for Oct. 7 Victims

Photo Credit: Yossi Aloni / Flash 90

Bring Them Home Now dog tag necklaces.

A philanthropic initiative launched right after the October 7th massacre in southern Israel has since helped raise more than NIS 200 million, and is now planning to expand its activities even further.

In the past year, the Merit Spread Foundation has grown from zero to more than $50 million raised from donors, all of which was delivered to various projects covering multiple social benefit causes relating to the war.

One of the campaigns managed by the foundation for families of the hostages was the selling of specially designed dog tags. This project raised more than NIS 20 million in less than two months from over 30,000 donors.

The global organization solves philanthropic challenges for potential big donors, high net worth individuals, and corporate companies while serving Jewish and pro-Israel registered and non-registered charitable status entities through the use of a proprietary technology platform.

Up to this point, the foundation has served as a bridge between donors in North America and needs in Israel. The foundation now has its sights set on Europe: Based on mapping and analysis of the global Jewish philanthropic world and the relevant regulations in various countries, Merit is moving towards expanding its activity, beginning in Switzerland and the UK.

The foundation is supported financially by a group of international investment funds, including the Alpha prosperity funds established by Alon Tal. Also among the foundation’s supporters are global Jewish leaders such as Stephan Bronfman, who sponsored the “Heroes” program, an initiative that emphasizes the nature of Jewish heroism, with deep roots in the Jewish tradition and heritage.

The high-level support has enabled the foundation to implement a zero overheads policy; as a result, 100 percent of the money raised is used to directly support the philanthropic causes and not administrative or bureaucratic costs.

“With the advent of the war and witnessing a growing need to raise funds quickly and efficiently, we needed to create a new standard in philanthropy akin to Tesla in the automotive industry, Netflix in the entertainment industry, and Amazon in the commerce industry,” said Merit Spread Foundation founder Alon Tal.

“Since the massacre of October 7th, many began to reevaluate the way in which and how to contribute to Israel and the Jewish world … There was a sense of urgency and emergency among donors across the globe,” he explained.

Among the projects supported by the foundation are those that are:
* helping support the hostages and their families;
* creating an endowment for orphans of the war;
* forming a mental health support program for the wives of combat soldiers;
* providing housing solutions to the evacuees from the Gaza Envelope communities;
* offering various solutions to soldiers and civilians suffering from PTSD in cooperation with professional caregivers; and
* memorializing the heroes of the IDF.