Reichman University Students Allocate Half a Million Shekels to Social Impact Projects
At Reichman University, students in the Impact Lab course faced a unique challenge this semester: deciding how to distribute a budget of 500,000 shekels among various social organizations and initiatives. Now in its second year, the course is led by the monday.com Foundation in collaboration with the university's student dean and supported by the Shashua Family Foundation and Rashi Foundation. Ira Friedman, an expert in strategic philanthropy, guided the program.
The course aims to equip future business leaders with skills beyond company building and donations, focusing on strategic allocation of social resources, evaluating solutions, and measuring impact. Open to students from all disciplines interested in social action, the course offers academic credit and includes lectures, meetings with philanthropy leaders, and practical tools for assessing funding requests.
This year’s focus was social mobility. Over 120 applications from nonprofits were reviewed by students using learned methodologies, including direct conversations with organization representatives. The final funding decisions were presented at a Demo Day event at monday.com’s offices, attended by foundation representatives and Israeli philanthropy and tech leaders. Some attendees expressed interest in further collaborations and donations.
Selected projects include Atidah’s "Hadasim South 2026," training ultra-Orthodox women for tech roles in IDF units in the Negev, boosting average graduate salaries from 8,200 to 29,500 shekels monthly. The Ofanim Association will establish three mobile AI labs to provide tech training in peripheral communities, where only 25% of participants qualify for technological matriculation compared to 6% regional average. The "Unicorn" project by Machshava Tova will expose 650 fifth and sixth graders to AI and virtual reality to enhance their confidence before middle school. The Koylot Association, helping students who failed core subjects complete matriculation in one semester with a 97% success rate, also received funding.
Student Noam Mordoch, a second-year business and psychology honors student with prior social work experience, described the course as an exceptional academic experience that brought theory into real-world practice. She emphasized the importance of meeting nonprofit representatives in person to make informed, grounded decisions. Mordoch reflected on the heavy responsibility of managing the budget, noting the privilege of creating real social impact through their choices.
