Israel Scholarship Education Foundation

What Israel Scholarship Education Foundation does

Israel Scholarship Education Foundation (ISEF) is a US-domiciled 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 13-2909403), founded in 1977 and headquartered at 100 Park Avenue, New York, with a regional office in Israel. The foundation provides higher education scholarships and wraparound support services—financial aid, mentorship, academic tutoring, leadership development, and internship placement—to first-generation Israeli students from underserved backgrounds, including Ethiopian-Israelis, immigrants, women from conservative communities, and at-risk youth.

ISEF operates a portfolio of nine core programs: Science Builds the Nation, Edmond J. Safra Scholarships, Leadership Development, International Fellows (placing students at Harvard, Stanford, Caltech, Columbia, and Cambridge), Bridge to College, Learning Centers/Yvonne Cohen Book Fund, Public Sector Internships, a Mentoring Program (alumni-led), and a Doctorate Program supporting 53 Ph.D. and M.D. candidates. Program delivery relies on a regional coordinator network across Israeli cities (Jerusalem, Haifa, Be'er Sheva) and partnerships with major Israeli universities (Ben-Gurion, University of Haifa, Hebrew University, Technion) and industry partners (e.g., EX-CO). ISEF does not publish revenue, donation totals, or financial statements on its website; sourcing of funds is exclusively charitable contributions from supporters worldwide.

The organization's reported outcomes include a 95% graduation and retention rate, 14% Ethiopian-Israeli representation (versus 0.5% at Israeli universities), and 60% women among scholarship recipients. It holds a Charity Navigator Four-Star Rating, a Candid (GuideStar) Platinum Seal of Transparency (2025), and a 2024 Great Nonprofits Top Rated Award. Notable alumni include Prof. Ronni Gamzu (CEO of Sourasky Medical Center), Dr. Moshe Elkabets (cancer researcher, Teva Founders Prize), and Civil Engineer Adir Balali (Brenner Base Tunnel leadership). Leadership is anchored by Founder and Chairwoman Emerita Nina Weiner, Executive Director Galit Caspi Cohen, VP Rotem Cohen Kahlon (a former scholar), and Chairman of the Executive Committee Prof. Nir Keidar.

Name

Israel Scholarship Education Foundation

Legal name

ISEF Foundation

Website

https://iseffoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Short description

ISEF Foundation is a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1977, that provides scholarships, mentorship, and wraparound support to first-generation Israeli students from underserved backgrounds, operating programs across Israel and partnerships with leading international universities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: ISEF operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that funds its scholarship and educational programs through donations from supporters worldwide. The foundation has been operating since 1977, with generous supporters from around the world opening doors of opportunity for young Israelis.

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ISEF Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1977 that provides higher-education scholarships and wraparound support services to young Israelis from underserved backgrounds. Its offering combines financial tuition and living support, one-on-one tutoring, mentorship by alumni, leadership development, international fellowships at prestigious universities, and at-risk youth preparation programs. Services are delivered free of charge to qualifying students and funded through donations from supporters worldwide.

Product overview

ISEF Foundation operates as a unified scholarship and educational support ecosystem rather than a modular technology platform. The organization offers a comprehensive portfolio of programs including Science Builds the Nation, Edmond J. Safra Scholarships, Leadership Development, International Fellows, Bridge to College, Learning Center/Yvonne Cohen Book Fund, Public Sector Internship, Mentoring Program, and Doctorate Program. These programs work together to provide wraparound support—financial assistance, mentorship, tutoring, and community building—to empower extraordinary young Israelis from underserved backgrounds to obtain higher education degrees and become role models for Israeli society.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Science Builds the Nation Program providing scholarships and educational resources to hundreds of first-generation Israeli students from families where no one pursued higher education.
• Edmond J. Safra Scholarships Named scholarship providing financial aid and wraparound support services for exceptional Israeli students from underserved backgrounds.
• Leadership Development Program Award-winning leadership training program empowering ISEF scholars to become agents of change in Israeli society.
• International Fellows Program Program supporting exceptional Israeli students from the periphery to study at prestigious international universities including Harvard, Stanford, Caltech, Columbia, and Cambridge.
• Bridge to College Program Program supporting 150 at-risk Israeli youth to successfully transition into higher education through academic preparation and support.
• Learning Center / Yvonne Cohen Book Fund Learning center program providing one-on-one tutoring, book clubs, and computer resources access to 200 underprivileged children in Israel.
• Public Sector Internship Program Internship program providing public-sector work opportunities for ISEF scholars.
• ISEF Mentoring Program Mentorship program in which ISEF alumni serve as mentors to current students, providing guidance for academic and professional success.
• ISEF Doctorate Program Program supporting 53 Ph.D. and M.D. candidates studying diverse fields including bioengineering, law, and science, in partnership with Israeli universities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 95% of students stay in school and graduate
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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, flagship and minor.

• EX-COcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEX-CO partners with ISEF to connect scholarship recipients with the high-tech world. EX-CO employees receive training to better understand adolescent challenges and provide mentorship to ISEF students entering the professional realm. The partnership includes meetings in Be'er Sheva and staff training programs.
• Israeli Universities (Ben-Gurion University, University of Haifa, Hebrew University, Technion)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISEF partners with major Israeli universities for its doctorate program, placing students in research positions. Alumni conduct research across various departments including Microbiology, Medical Physics, and Social Work.
• International Universities (Harvard, Stanford, Caltech, Columbia, Cambridge)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Fellowship program sends exceptional Israeli students from the periphery to study at prestigious international universities, supporting them throughout their academic journey.
• Afeka Academic InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfeka Academic Institute awarded Nina Weiner the Honorary Member award recognizing her 45 years of leadership and contributions to reducing education gaps.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Jewish Foundation for Education of Women (JFEW): JFEW provides scholarships and support to women in the Jewish community pursuing higher education, directly comparable to ISEF's 60% women scholar population and focus on women from communities where few pursue higher education.
• Hispanic Scholarship Fund: HSF provides scholarships and support services to Hispanic-American students, with a comparable focus on first-generation students and underrepresented communities. The model parallels ISEF's approach to underserved populations in Israel.
• United Negro College Fund (UNCF): UNCF administers scholarships and educational support for underrepresented minority students, with comparable focus on first-generation college students, institutional partnerships, and wraparound programmatic support for degree completion.
• QuestBridge: QuestBridge connects high-achieving low-income students with top colleges and universities through scholarship and college-match programs, closely paralleling ISEF's mission of enabling first-generation and underserved students to access higher education at prestigious institutions.
• Jack Kent Cooke Foundation: JKCF provides multi-year scholarships and educational support to high-achieving students with financial need, including undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral funding—mirroring the structure of ISEF's scholarship continuum from undergrad through Ph.D./M.D.
• The Posse Foundation: Posse identifies and supports diverse cohorts of high-potential students from underserved backgrounds, providing scholarships, mentorship, and leadership development—a direct analog to ISEF's wraparound support model for first-generation Israeli students.

Regional players

• Perach Tutorial Project: Perach is a major Israeli mentoring and tutoring program pairing university students with children from disadvantaged backgrounds, directly comparable to ISEF's Learning Centers and one-on-one tutoring programs serving Israeli youth.
• Hillel International: Hillel serves Jewish university students globally through scholarships, programming, and leadership development. While broader in scope, it overlaps with ISEF in serving the Jewish student population with educational and leadership programming.
• Scholarship Fund of the Jewish Community: Similar Jewish education-focused foundation providing scholarships and grants to Jewish students for higher education, comparable to ISEF's scholarship programs for Israeli students from underserved backgrounds.

Broad incumbents

• American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC): JDC is a major incumbent Jewish global humanitarian organization running education programs in Israel and worldwide. Comparable to ISEF as a large-scale Jewish support organization with Israeli education programming, though JDC operates across many other humanitarian verticals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCLFYk1OrlO3zgcmBu2K_-1g
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/israel-scholarship-education-foundation-isef
• Instagraminstagram.com/theiseffoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/IsraelScholarshipEducationFoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Israel Scholarship Education Foundation