Report: Arab sector receives only 2% of welfare assoc. revenues
A new study conducted by Taub Center shows Haredi sector received 20% of welfare associations' revenues operating in Israel from 2103-2016; Arabs mostly rely on religious organizations within their community for funding.
A first-of-its kind study reviewing the scale of activities of Israel's welfare associations revealed Wednesday that only two percent of the associations' revenues go to the Arab sector, while the ultra-Orthodox sector receives 20 percent.
It also examined the associations' funding sources, and which populations receive the most significant assistance.
The study was conducted by The Taub Center in collaboration with the Center for the Study of Civil Society and Philanthropy at the Hebrew University.
The study included 748 associations that operated from 2013 to 2016 that enjoyed in excess of NIS 500,000 per year.
Furthermore, the data shows that a fifth of the study's associations worked for the general population, one fifth focused on children and youth and the rest provided assistance to the elderly and the disabled.
Seven percent of the associations are meant to assist the Arab sector, which constitutes 21 percent of Israel's population, while their revenues constitute merely two percent of the associations' revenues in Israel.
However, 23 percent of the associations responsible for the Haredi sector receive 20 percent of the overall revenues.
Moreover, Israel is one of the countries with the largest number of associations in comparison to its population.
In the last few decade, an average of some 1,600 associations were registered each year. 2016 saw a huge leap, however, with some 43,000 associations registering in that year alone. However, it appears only 20,000 of them are active.
The associations dealing with welfare constitute 15 percent of Israel's civil associations.
.
The overall revenues of the welfare associations reviewed in the study stand at NIS 13.8 billion per year. Twenty-three percent of them go to youth and children's associations and 22 percent go to associations of the elderly.
A quarter of the associations' funding comes from donations.
Some NIS 3.45 billion are donated every year, which increase the annual expense on welfare from NIS 12 billion—which are public funds—to NIS 15.45 billion per year.
Most of the funding of associations designated for the Arab sector comes from the public (57 percent), whereas the Haredi associations receive 38 percent of their funding from donations.
In addition, the study shows that most of the associations that focus on the disabled or on Yeshiva students receive government support, as opposed to most of the associations who provide services to the adult working population.
The rates of government support are also relatively high among the associations that provide services to the youth and children.
"It seems that in the Haredi and Arab sectors many associations were established over the past 20 years to provide complementary services to the services provided by the state," the researchers of the report explained.
"The low number of associations for the Arab sector indicates the sector relies on religious organizations, on inter-family assistance and on unofficial community organizations," they said.
"The findings support the importance of philanthropy as a significant source of funding of Israel's welfare services and also show that it has to be developed in the Arab society as well.
"Most of the government funding goes to the big associations that constitute only a third of all the association, and it is evident the division (of the funds) is not equal," they concluded.
