Backing grassroots change in Israel and Palestine

B8 of Hope is a small organization, but our work is part of something much larger: strengthening the civil society foundation needed for a just and lasting peace.

In conflict regions, peace cannot depend only on leaders or formal negotiations. Political agreements do not emerge or survive in a vacuum. They need societies with people, organizations, relationships, trust, language, and leadership already rooted in communities.

Civil society plays a vital role in creating change now. It keeps channels open when politics are frozen. It challenges fear, hatred, and dehumanization. It supports communities affected by violence, trauma, inequality, and insecurity. It creates spaces where Palestinians and Israelis can recognize each other’s dignity, rights, grief, and hopes. It also gives voice to people often excluded from formal political processes, including women, youth, bereaved families, educators, activists, and local leaders.

Much of this work is overlooked because it happens far from the spotlight of official politics. But it is where attitudes shift, relationships are built, leadership emerges, and practical alternatives become possible.

This is why B8 of Hope invests in a diverse peacebuilding ecosystem. We identify, fund, connect, and amplify Palestinian and Israeli civil society initiatives working in different but complementary ways — through dialogue, shared society work, trauma and bereavement support, women’s and youth leadership, humanitarian responses, cultural projects, and grassroots engagement.

No single organization can transform a conflict alone. But a strong and diverse network of courageous peacebuilders can create real change today while also preparing society for future political possibilities. B8 of Hope’s role is to strengthen that network.

B8 of Hope is a secular Swiss nonprofit and is not affiliated with any political party or religious institution.

Our work is inclusive by design. We bring together people from different political, religious, cultural, and communal backgrounds who share a commitment to supporting Palestinian and Israeli peacebuilders working for dignity, equality, security, self-determination, mutual recognition, and a shared future.

The Israeli–Palestinian context is deeply political, and B8 of Hope does not pretend otherwise. But our role is not partisan. We focus on strengthening civil society: the people and organizations working within their communities to challenge fear and dehumanization, build relationships, address human needs, and keep possibilities for peace alive.

Some of our grantees include interfaith components in their work, but B8 of Hope’s approach remains secular, inclusive, and rooted in human connection.

B8 of Hope’s funding model is based on the belief that peace must be built at multiple levels of society. This is why we support a diverse ecosystem of Palestinian and Israeli civil society initiatives across three main areas: cross-border, shared-society, and uni-national work.

Cross-border initiatives bring Palestinians and Israelis together. They help people confront fear, mistrust, hatred, and stereotypes by creating direct human encounters and practical cooperation across divides.

Shared-society initiatives work within Israeli society, addressing internal divisions and inequalities that also shape the broader prospects for peace and a shared future.

Uni-national initiatives support Palestinian civil society work, particularly women’s and youth leadership, as well as basic and medical needs.

This diversity matters. In a conflict as deep and complex as the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, no single type of initiative can carry the work alone. Some organizations build relationships across the divide. Some strengthen society from within. Some respond to urgent human needs. Some develop new leadership. Together, they create a stronger civil society foundation for change — both now and for future political possibilities.

B8 of Hope structures its funding across four main categories. 

Individual grants
Core funding or project-based support for specific organizations. 

Synergy grants
Support for collaborations between organizations, helping grantees work together, strengthen one another, and scale their impact. These grants may also include partnerships with non-grantees when relevant. 

Cultural grants
Funding for artistic and media projects, such as films, music, and podcasts, that amplify the voices and work of B8 of Hope’s grantees. 

Emergency and humanitarian grants 

Rapid, flexible funding in response to urgent situations affecting grantees or the communities they serve. 

B8 of Hope looks for initiatives that are deeply aligned with our mission and values, have meaningful potential for impact, and can use funding responsibly and effectively. 

Our grantmaking follows a closed cycle. We do not run open calls for applications; organizations are considered by invitation only. This allows B8 of Hope to take a curated and intentional approach, based on trusted relationships, field knowledge, recommendations, and direct encounters with organizations and their founders. 

Our selection process is both human and rigorous. Sometimes we discover an initiative through a powerful meeting, a field visit, or a strong recommendation. From there, our Jerusalem-based consultants, Amal-Tikva, carry out a careful vetting process rooted in local knowledge and close understanding of the civil society landscape. In some cases, organizations also take part in capacity-building programs before B8 of Hope decides whether to support them. 

We also consider how each organization fits within our broader grantee network. B8 of Hope aims to support a diverse ecosystem of cross-border, shared-society, and uni-national initiatives, while avoiding over-representation of similar types of work. 

Our core criteria include: 

• Alignment with B8 of Hope’s mission and vision 

• Potential for meaningful impact 

• Responsible and effective use of funds 

• Ability to sustain and scale the work 

• Strong value for impact 

• Contribution to a diverse and complementary grantee network 

B8 of Hope prioritizes long-term relationships over short funding cycles. This allows us to understand our partners more deeply and support work that can grow stronger and more meaningful over time. 

B8 of Hope’s donors are primarily based in the Geneva area and across Switzerland, though not exclusively. Our donor community includes Jewish, Arab, and other supporters, as well as a small number of Swiss and international philanthropic foundations. 

This combination is unusual and important. In many diaspora spaces, support for Israeli–Palestinian work often follows communal lines. B8 of Hope has created a different kind of space: one where people from different backgrounds can support Palestinian and Israeli peacebuilders together, without being asked to erase their identities, histories, grief, or convictions. 

This is possible because of B8 of Hope’s roots in Geneva and the trust built within its local community. Many Jewish, Arab, and other supporters in the Geneva area share relationships, values, and a desire to engage constructively, even when the conflict feels painful, divisive, or overwhelming. B8 of Hope gives this shared commitment a practical expression: funding and amplifying civil society initiatives working on the ground. 

For many donors, supporting B8 of Hope is a way to move beyond silence, helplessness, or polarization. It is a way to stand for dignity, equality, security, self-determination, mutual recognition, and a shared future — while helping those already doing the work. 

Yes. Events are an important part of B8 of Hope’s mission, especially our work to transform global and diaspora discourse by amplifying the voices of Palestinian and Israeli peacebuilders. 

B8 of Hope organizes conferences, documentary screenings, school and university talks, and occasional fundraising events such as galas. These gatherings give visibility to our grantees, create spaces for dialogue and learning, build bridges across communities, and raise funds for civil society initiatives working on the ground. 

They also serve a deeper purpose: helping shift conversations away from polarization and despair, and toward peaceful solutions that honor both peoples’ rights. For many people, hearing directly from grassroots peacebuilders can be deeply moving, and sometimes transformative. It allows audiences in Switzerland and beyond to encounter the Israeli–Palestinian reality in a more human, constructive, and pro-solution way. 

This direct encounter matters deeply to B8 of Hope. Rather than speaking on behalf of our grantees, we create platforms where they can share their own work, experiences, challenges, and hopes in their own voices. 

When grantees or activists participate in B8 of Hope events, they speak about their own work — but any funds raised support the wider field, not only the organization represented on stage. This reflects the spirit of our grantee family: each visit and testimony helps strengthen visibility, solidarity, and support for the broader peacebuilding ecosystem. 

B8 of Hope is intentional about language because, in the Israeli–Palestinian context, words are never neutral. They can recognize dignity or erase it. They can open space for engagement or shut it down. 

Our goal is not to avoid difficult truths, soften reality, or speak only in language that feels comfortable. It is to communicate with enough clarity, care, and precision that people can remain in the conversation even when the conversation is painful. 

We know that people hear words through their own histories, identities, fears, grief, and lived experiences. A term that feels necessary to one person may feel threatening or alienating to another. That does not mean we avoid complexity. It means we choose language carefully, so that truth can be heard rather than immediately rejected. 

B8 of Hope has its own language guide to help us communicate consistently and responsibly. We also consult people from different backgrounds and sensitivities, including Israelis, Palestinians, and members of our wider community, so that our language remains grounded, thoughtful, and aware of how words may be received. 

At the same time, B8 of Hope does not tell its grantees how to name or define their own realities. Palestinian and Israeli civil society leaders speak from their own lived experience, and we respect their right to use the language that reflects their work, their communities, and the realities they face. 

Our aim is to keep dialogue open — not by avoiding reality, but by creating the conditions for deeper listening, responsibility, and constructive engagement.