Larger than life - גדולים מהחיים

What Larger than life - גדולים מהחיים does

Larger than Life (גדולים מהחיים) is an Israeli nonprofit association founded in 2000 by parents of children with cancer to improve the quality of life and well-being of pediatric cancer patients and their families across Israel, without distinction of religion, race, gender, nationality, place of residence, economic ability, or social status. The organization operates on three integrated pillars — Health (medical research funding, hospital infrastructure investment, equipment donations, volunteer accompaniment), Joy (recreational programs, summer camps, family retreats, Dream Garden educational centers), and Hope (rights advocacy, lobbying for inclusion of treatments in Israel's national health basket) — and supports approximately 23,654 children and families annually against a market of roughly 500 new pediatric cancer diagnoses per year in Israel.

The association is headquartered in Giv'atayim with 18 employees and is operationally embedded across all eight major Israeli pediatric oncology centers (Sheba, Schneider, Rambam, Dana-Duch, Soroka, Hadassah, Shaare Zedek, Ichilov), where hospital-stationed support coordinators serve as the first point of contact for newly diagnosed families. Physical infrastructure includes two sterile Dream Garden (גן החלומות) educational-rehabilitative kindergartens — opened in Kfar Azar (2014) and Be'er Sheva (2021), each adjacent to a major hospital — with additional sites planned for Jerusalem and Haifa. A digital rights platform, gdolim-care.com, aggregates all benefits, rights, and assistance programs for affected families. Approximately 650 active volunteers support operational delivery.

Revenue is generated from individual donations (one-time and recurring monthly tiers of ₪60 to ₪1,000), corporate sponsorships (over 20 named partners including Teva, Roche, Playtika, Bank Leumi, Bank Poalim, Arison Group, Azrieli Foundation, RE/MAX, and Harel Insurance), sale of holiday gift packages (Purim, Rosh Hashanah, Hanukkah, Passover) and branded corporate merchandise, and a credit card round-up program (עיגול לטובה). In 2022, the Health Fund alone transferred ₪2,053,138 to member families, and the Life Fund humanitarian assistance exceeds ₪1,000,000 per year. The organization has international affiliated entities in the USA, Canada, and Los Angeles, and is governed by a Board of Directors and Board of Trustees under CEO Efrat Lichtman.

Name

Larger than life - גדולים מהחיים

Legal name

עמותת גדולים מהחיים

Website

https://gdolim.org.il

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Larger than Life (גדולים מהחיים) is an Israeli nonprofit founded in 2000 that supports approximately 23,654 children with cancer and their families annually through hospital-based accompaniment, two Dream Garden sterile kindergartens, financial aid funds, and health-basket advocacy across Israel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Childhood Cancer Support Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS) (BPAGACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Hospitals, Clinics & Charitable Healthcare Providers (BPAGACAB)

Keywords

• Childhood cancer support
• Nonprofit charitable services
• Pediatric oncology family support
• Medical humanitarian aid
• Community-based patient advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Givatayim

HQ country

Israel

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Donations: Individual monetary donations from the general public, both one-time and recurring monthly contributions. Donation options range from ₪60 to ₪1,000 and can be designated to specific programs such as Dream Gardens, summer camps, health fund, or general operations.
2. Product Sales: Sale of holiday gift packages (Rosh Hashana, Hanukkah, Purim, Passover) and corporate gift products. All proceeds support Dream Gardens and general operations.
3. Round-Up to Benefit (עיגול לטובה): Credit card round-up program where purchases are rounded up to the nearest shekel, with the difference donated to the organization. Recurring small donations from everyday purchases.
4. Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorships: Financial and in-kind support from corporate partners and organizations listed on the website, supporting specific programs and general operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Larger than Life is an Israeli nonprofit association that supports children with cancer and their families across Israel, operating across three integrated pillars: Health (medical treatment funding, hospital equipment donations, research grants, and volunteer accompaniment), Joy (recreational activities, summer camps, family retreats, and sterile Dream Garden kindergartens for children aged 3-6), and Hope (rights advocacy, legislative lobbying, and expansion of the national health basket). The organization funds its programs through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, sale of holiday gift packages, branded corporate merchandise, and a credit card round-up donation program.

Product overview

Larger than life (גדולים מהחיים) is a nonprofit organization founded in 2000 by parents of children with cancer. It is not a technology company but rather a charitable foundation operating across three pillars: Health (medical support, research funding, equipment donations), Joy (social and recreational programs), and Hope (advocacy and rights expansion). The organization operates physical centers including two Dream Gardens (גני החלומות) — sterile kindergartens for children with cancer — and offers a digital platform called 'זכות גדולה' (gdolim-care.com) for rights navigation. Its commercial product offerings are limited to holiday gift packages (Purim, Rosh Hashanah) and branded business merchandise (new employee kits, branded bags, notebooks, pens, chargers, bottles), all sold to generate donations for the nonprofit's programs. The organization also operates an e-commerce store and a donation collection mechanism (עיגול לטובה). There is no public or partner-facing API, no AI/ML capabilities, and no technical product integrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• גן החלומות (Dream Garden): A sterile educational-rehabilitative center for young children (ages 3-6) with cancer, operating in Kfar Azar and Be'er Sheva, adjacent to hospitals.
• קרן הבריאות (Health Fund)
• קרן החיים (Life Fund)
• טאף מאדר (Tough Mudder Team)
• גמאני (Gimani)
• בוחרים בחיים (Choosing Life)

Products and services

• Dream Gardens (גני החלומות) Sterile educational-rehabilitative centers for young children aged 3-6 with cancer, operating in Kfar Azar and Be'er Sheva, adjacent to Israeli hospitals. The Dream Gardens maintain sterile conditions matching hospital standards, providing educational continuity and a social framework for immunocompromised children during treatment and recovery. Recognized as official supervised kindergartens by the Ministry of Education and as rehabilitative day care centers by the Ministry of Welfare. Additional gardens are planned for Jerusalem and Haifa.
• Digital Rights Navigation Platform (זכויות גדולה / gdolim-care.com) A self-service digital platform that aggregates and presents all rights, benefits, and assistance available to children with cancer and their families in Israel. Enables families to discover and claim applicable government benefits, insurance entitlements, and charitable support programs.
• Health Fund (קרן הבריאות) A fund that finances medications, medical equipment, and treatments that fall outside the Israeli national health basket for children with cancer. The Health Fund transferred ₪2,053,138 in 2022 to assist member families with medical costs.
• Life Fund (קרן החיים) A humanitarian and economic assistance fund for families in financial distress due to their child's cancer diagnosis, distributing over ₪1,000,000 per year to families experiencing income loss and medical expense burden.
• Gimani (גמאני) Youth Support Program A youth support program for teenagers in grades 9-12 coping with cancer, providing peer support, group activities, and emotional support during treatment and recovery.
• Choosing Life / Bocherim BaChaim (בוחרים בחיים) Program An empowerment and support program for young cancer survivors aged 18-30, providing community, resources, and life-skill support for post-treatment reintegration.
• Hospital-Based Support and Accompaniment Service Personal support and accompaniment provided by hospital-based coordinators stationed in pediatric oncology departments at Rambam, Sheba/Sourasky, Schneider, Dana/Duch, Soroka, Hadassah, Shaare Zedek, and Eilat Medical Center. Coordinators provide direct personal accompaniment to families from the moment of diagnosis through treatment, recovery, and rehabilitation.
• Purim Holiday Gift Packages (פורים גדולים מהחיים) Sweet holiday gift packages sold during the Jewish festival of Purim, with all proceeds supporting children with cancer. Packages are offered in multiple sizes including sensitivity-friendly (₪16), full of joy (₪25), full of surprises (₪60), and super-sized (₪120).
• Branded Corporate Gift Products (מוצרים למגזר עסקי) Branded corporate merchandise sold to businesses including new employee welcome kits, branded tote bags, branded notebooks and pens, phone chargers, water bottles, desk chargers, and electric bottle openers. Available as employee gifts, event giveaways, and corporate social responsibility purchases.
• Rounding for Good / עיגול לטובה Donation Program A donation mechanism allowing credit card users to round up purchases to the nearest shekel, with the difference automatically donated to the organization to support children with cancer. Recurring small donations are generated from everyday consumer purchases.
• Medical Research and Hospital Equipment Funding Program Program that provides funding for medical research in pediatric oncology, donates medical equipment to Israeli hospitals, supports the introduction of medical innovation, and improves hospital infrastructure through equipment donation, volunteer placement, staffing increase, and infrastructure improvement.
• Social and Recreational Programs (Summer Camps, Family Retreats, Dream Trips) Social and recreational programs including summer camps, family retreats, and dream trips designed to provide a supportive social environment for children with cancer and their families. The activities are adapted to the unique challenges of the disease and the need for a clean, sterile environment. In 2022, 768 participants took part in these activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 23,654 children and families receive annual support
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• RH ONCOTEST (Oncotest-Rhenium)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with the association to advocate for inclusion of genomic testing for pediatric oncology patients in the national health basket. Successfully achieved approval of broad molecular profiling for solid and hematologic tumors for children and adolescents.
• Israel Ministry of HealthcoreOthersGovernment ministry collaborating on healthcare policy, medical research funding, and recognition of Dream Gardens as official supervised kindergartens.
• Israel Ministry of WelfarecoreOthersGovernment ministry involved in recognition and oversight of Dream Gardens as rehabilitative day care centers under the Ministry of Labor and Welfare.
• Israel Ministry of EducationcoreOthersGovernment ministry that recognizes Dream Gardens as official supervised kindergartens under the Ministry of Education.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation: U.S.-based pediatric cancer nonprofit funding research, treatment, and family support. Comparable fundraising-driven model and beneficiary population, with strong corporate partnership and event-based revenue streams analogous to Larger than Life.
• National Pediatric Cancer Foundation: U.S. nonprofit focused on pediatric cancer research funding and family support services. Comparable in mission scope, hospital partnership model, and reliance on corporate sponsorships for funding.
• Childhood Cancer Canada: Canadian pediatric cancer nonprofit supporting families and funding research, directly connected to Larger than Life's Canadian affiliate (Larger than Life Canada). Strong functional overlap in family services and advocacy.
• Chai Lifeline (Chaiyanu): International Jewish nonprofit providing services to children with serious illnesses and their families, with a strong Israeli operation. Directly comparable in mission, beneficiary population, and reliance on Jewish philanthropic networks.
• Zichron Menachem: Israeli nonprofit providing comprehensive support to children with cancer and their families, including residential facilities, retreats, and hospital-based programs. Directly comparable mission and beneficiary population to Larger than Life.
• Make-A-Wish Israel (מלא את המשאלה): Israeli affiliate of the global Make-A-Wish Foundation, fulfilling wishes for children with critical illnesses including cancer. Directly comparable beneficiary population with overlap on the Joy axis of Larger than Life's mission.

Broad incumbents

• St. Jude Children's Research Hospital: Global leader in pediatric cancer treatment and research, providing free care to children with cancer. Represents a broader incumbent model of integrated care, research, and family support that Larger than Life aspires to in its Health axis.
• Ezer Mizion (עזר מציון): Major Israeli health and social services nonprofit offering a broad range of support including services for families dealing with illness and disability. Overlaps with Larger than Life on family support and volunteer mobilization in the same donor ecosystem.
• Israeli Cancer Association (האגודה למלחמה בסרטן): The largest and oldest cancer-focused nonprofit in Israel, providing research funding, patient services, and prevention programs across all cancer types. Broad incumbent operating in the same donor and partner ecosystem but with a much wider scope beyond pediatrics.

Regional players

• ALYN Hospital (אלין): Israel's leading pediatric rehabilitation hospital, providing intensive rehabilitation for children with congenital and acquired disabilities including post-cancer. Operates as a specialized healthcare provider rather than a fundraising nonprofit but serves overlapping pediatric populations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/larger-than-life-israel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Larger than life - גדולים מהחיים