National Insurance Distributes School Grants to Over 140,000 Israeli Families Ahead of New School Year

Ahead of the 2024-2025 school year starting in about two weeks, Israel's National Insurance Institute will transfer annual school grants to more than 140,000 families across the country. The payments, scheduled for Tuesday, aim to ease the financial burden of purchasing school supplies such as books, notebooks, and backpacks. This year, the total budget allocated for the grants is approximately 335 million shekels, reflecting an increase of about 35 million shekels compared to 2024. The grants will be paid automatically and directly into the bank accounts of eligible families.

The payment covers 197,000 children of single parents and 79,000 children from families with four or more children who receive social benefits like income support, alimony, disability, senior citizen, or bereavement allowances. Each eligible child aged 6 to 18, born between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2020, will receive 1,204 shekels. Children in first or twelfth grade whose birthdates fall outside this range can still qualify by submitting official enrollment confirmation.

The National Insurance Institute also encourages parents who have recently changed their family status, such as becoming single parents, to check their eligibility and apply for the grant through the institute’s website or local branches. Zvika Cohen, acting CEO of the National Insurance Institute, emphasized that the grant is designed to support families with school-related expenses and is mostly distributed automatically to reduce bureaucratic hurdles. He highlighted that investing in children’s education is an investment in Israeli society’s future, expressing pride in the institute’s role in this effort.