The matching-gifts program, launched with the Jewish Funders Network, will support NGOs helping Israelis cope with trauma, loss, and displacement after the October 7, 2023, massacre and the conflicts that followed.
Gal Gadot’s Genesis Prize award is being turned into a matching-gifts campaign expected to channel at least $2 million to Israeli NGOs helping people deal with emotional and physical trauma.
The Genesis Prize Foundation and the Jewish Funders Network announced the initiative on Monday, saying the foundation had committed $1 million and that JFN members and other donors were expected to contribute at least another $1 million. The effort is meant to strengthen long-term recovery, with a focus on the professionals and organizations helping Israeli society absorb years of strain, grief, and displacement.
Gadot named the 2026 Genesis Prize laureate in 2025
Gadot was named the 2026 Genesis Prize laureate in November 2025. At the time, she said she was dedicating the award to organizations that would help Israel heal and to the people serving on what she called the “front lines of compassion.” She also said that Israel had endured “unimaginable pain” and must begin rebuilding “hearts, families, and communities.”
According to the announcement, the new program will prioritize initiatives that train and retain therapists, educators, social workers, and community leaders, while expanding mental health and community-care capacity.
NGOs seeking support will first need to secure funding commitments from individual donors or foundations and then apply to have those gifts matched by the Genesis Prize Foundation.
Jewish Funders Network president and CEO Andres Spokoiny said matching gifts could “multiply impact” at a time when Israel’s caregivers were stretched beyond capacity.
Stan Polovets, co-founder and chairman of the Genesis Prize Foundation, said the initiative was aimed at strengthening Israel’s “human infrastructure,” referring to the therapists, educators, and caregivers helping communities recover from the trauma of October 7 – and the ongoing conflict with Iran and Hezbollah.
The announcement noted that Israeli society continued to face deep and prolonged trauma, with thousands of families directly affected by violence, loss, and displacement. It argued that national resilience would depend on sustained investment in the people doing the healing, rather than on emergency relief alone.
The Genesis Prize, which honors Jewish achievement and directs its recognition toward philanthropy, named Argentine President Javier Milei its 2025 laureate. He became the first head of state and first non-Jew to receive the $1 million award, which is also known as the “Jewish Nobel,” for his unwavering support of Israel, his fight against antisemitism, and for strengthening Argentina-Israel relations.
In Gadot’s case, the prize is now being used to drive a broader philanthropic push centered on Israel’s recovery.
NGOs seeking support will first need to secure funding commitments from individual donors or foundations and then apply to have those gifts matched by the Genesis Prize Foundation.