Dror Israel Receives Genesis Prize Grant to Help Israel Heal

Nearly three years after October 7, the work of healing continues across Israel.

Gal Gadot and Genesis Prize Foundation Co-Founder and Chairman Stan Polovets

We are honored to share that Dror Israel has been selected as one of two dozen Israeli organizations to receive funding through the Genesis Prize Foundation’s “Helping the Helpers” initiative, created in honor of 2026 Genesis Prize Laureate Gal Gadot.

Gadot dedicated her $1 million Genesis Prize to organizations helping Israelis heal from the trauma of October 7 and the wars that followed. Through a matching initiative conducted by the Genesis Prize Foundation in partnership with Jewish Funders Network, the initiative grew to $3 million in grants supporting trauma care and the people providing it.

For Dror Israel, this recognition speaks directly to the role our educators have played since October 7.

Dror Israel educators creating moments of joy and safety for children from Sderot

Our 1,300 educators living in 14 Educators Kibbutzim are not outside professionals who arrive only during an emergency. They live in the communities they serve. When crisis strikes, they are already there, with relationships and educational frameworks that allow them to respond to the changing needs of children, families, and communities.

Since October 7, that has meant providing emergency relief and trauma support through schools, after-school programs, and local community initiatives. The Genesis Prize Foundation specifically recognized this community-based model as part of its effort to strengthen the people helping Israelis recover.

The philosophy behind “Helping the Helpers” is particularly meaningful to us. Israel’s long-term recovery depends not only on responding to trauma, but also on sustaining the educators, caregivers, mental health professionals, and community leaders who support others day after day. The initiative was designed with that long-term challenge in mind.

Dror Israel educator packing supplies for families and communities affected by the war

As Gal Gadot said when announcing her decision to dedicate the prize to this work, “caring for one another is how we begin to move forward.”

We are deeply grateful to Gal Gadot, the Genesis Prize Foundation, Jewish Funders Network, and the donors who made this initiative possible. Their support will help strengthen Dror Israel’s educators as they continue the long work of helping Israeli communities heal, rebuild, and move forward together.