Through this social-financial model, Israeli and overseas donors can give more to Israeli society 

In spite of many uncertainties, 2023 is a great year to invest in Israeli companies, technological and not. And for those who want to give back to society, Keshet Donor-Advised Fund offers new and unique opportunities, as its CEO Maya Natan-Mozer explained during a panel at the Women Leaders Conference organized by The Jerusalem Post Group on Wednesday.

“A person who wants to create a fund that will give money to philanthropy, can donate the money to Keshet and receive a tax credit,” she said. “Keshet will then reinvest it on their behalf and create returns allowing the donors to grow their philanthropic money.”

The fund was established in 2019 with the goal of allowing Israelis “to give back in a smart, effective and professional way,” Natan-Mozer said.

“This way, the not-for-profit sector can benefit from the for-profit sector,” she added.

Currently, Keshet is managing around NIS 250 million ($70 million), from over 100 donors, and it has already distributed close to NIS 100 million ($30 million) to Israeli NGOs.

Natan-Mozer highlighted that in the future we hope to be able to invest our funds in a more diverse asset allocation. Keshet can create a much larger impact if the fund under management will be invested in companies that have a “double bottom line” .

“Many of the investors, or ‘social investors’ as we call them, want to utilize their money in a smart way to both help social causes and make returns,” she said.

Yifat Oron, Senior Managing Director and Head of Blackstone Israel, who also participated in the panel, stressed that this year is a good time to invest, after the difficulties of 2022.

“The Israeli ecosystem has always kept its energy,” she said. “Investments today are going to be more profitable than investments made in 2021. I think that we are ready for a very successful era for the tech industry.”