The Dalia Association Palestinian Community Fund supports the Dalia Association, which is a Palestinian community foundation that empowers local Palestinians through giving. The fund’s purpose is to engage the Palestinian diaspora in the U.S. by involving them in supporting community-led development in Palestine.
At Dalia our mission is to mobilize and properly utilize resources necessary to empower a vibrant, independent and accountable civil society, through community controlled grant-making. Our approach focuses on the ecological, local economy, social and cultural dimensions. We aim to strengthen community philanthropy in Palestine and the Diaspora, because we believe that everyone in our community has something to give, by contributing our talents, resources, and energies for a thriving Palestine.
How do we do it?
- Making grants to support inspirational and relevant civil society initiatives, especially grassroots efforts that seek to supplement local resources.
- Link resources by introducing people with expertise, ideas, contacts, equipment, and other assets to community activists who can use them to serve their communities. This helps decrease our dependence on outside resources.
- Hold convenings (In Arabic, Mujaawarah): to raise awareness around issues that affect the Palestinian civil society, such as the use of local resources to achieve our own durable development, creative thinking for social change, non-cash resources markets, among many other round table discussions, workshops, and field visits.
- Encourage giving by locals, companies, and Diaspora Palestinians. We revive local traditions of philanthropy and volunteerism, known as Al Ouna.
- Advocate for systemic change in the international aid system so that it respects Palestinian rights and responds to local priorities.
Our programs
Our programs are community controlled; meaning that the community decides through a voting process how each grant is spent. The community identifies its priorities and needs by holding public meetings where initiatives are discussed to address these needs and urgencies. They develop solutions and present them in another public meeting. The people then vote for the best initiatives that benefit them as an entire community.
The Village Decides Program (VD)
This program focuses on the entire village, including all members, such as men, women, children, youth, and persons with disabilities.
Women Supporting Women Program (WSW)
The WSW program brings together women to mobilize local resources for local or regional projects of their choice. This program is entirely run by women, and extends funding solely to women’s organizations or individuals with an aim to benefit their local community.
IBDA’ Youth Program
We established the IBDA’ youth -controlled grant-making program in 2016, to create an enabling environment for the participation of youth in the Palestinian economy. The program focuses on enhancing opportunities for youth to become leaders in their communities.
By supporting the Dalia Association Palestinian Community Fund, you can help give Palestinians agency over their own resources, and the right to determine their own needs.
Give to this fund