32 | MAY 26 • 2022
D
aniel Aschheim,
Deputy Consul
General at the
Consulate General of Israel
to the Midwest, was in Metro
Detroit last week to get the
word out about
Social Impact
Grants from the
Israeli Consulate.
Three grants of
up to $5,000 will
be offered to
applicants who
are committed to creating
social impact in new ways or
through maintaining existing
social programs.
Aschheim, based in
Chicago, said part of his job
is to “showcase the diverse
Israeli society. What Israel
does is embrace diversity,
whether it’s in the Jewish
community, the non-Jewish
community, minority
communities or any others.”
As part of the Israeli
Consulate’s work in the
Midwest, Aschheim does
outreach outside the Jewish
community, to the African
American and Hispanic
communities, for example, to
show that, “yes, you can be
liberal, progressive and pro-
Israel.”
According to Aschheim,
it’s a part of Israel’s DNA to
empower other communities.
Eight months ago, the
Consulate provided its first
Social Impact Grants in the
Minneapolis community.
“We said we are looking
to invest in groups and
organizations that deal with
pressing matters of their
community, whether it’s
connected to sustainability,
health, equity, education,
accessibility, LGBTQ rights,
women, empowerment, youth
empowerment, dealing with
discrimination, hate crimes,”
he said. “We want to invest
in those who deal with these
issues in their communities.”
Aschheim said they
received 104 applications
and chose three winners:
an organization called A
Mother’s Love, a group whose
members were victims of or
who had family who were
victims of gun violence
in the African American
community; Minnesota
STEM Partnership, which
provides people of color
with opportunities in math
and science; and Her Time
to Play, a WNBA-affiliated
group empowering young
women to develop life skills
through basketball.
“Now we want to do the
same thing in Metro Detroit,”
he said. Organizations that
deal with pressing issues
in the community are
encouraged to apply.
Applicants must be
residents of Michigan and
committed to improving
social change. Certified
501(c) (3) nonprofit
organization status is
preferred, but not required.
You do not need to be Jewish
to apply; the grants are open
to anyone.
Grant winners must
utilize funding provided by
the Consulate during the
upcoming calendar year.
Applicants have until the end
of May to apply at https://
tinyurl.com/mwzhrhvt. The
process is very user-friendly.
Applicants will be judged
beginning in June and the
grants will be awarded in
mid-June at a local ceremony
in Detroit.
“There’s nothing to lose
from applying,” Aschheim
said.
Israeli Consulate to Target Detroit
with Its Social Impact Grants
OUR COMMUNITY
Daniel
Aschheim
Applications are open to anyone and must be submitted
by the end of May.
JACKIE HEADAPOHL DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL