Mack Ness Fund Pilot Helps Secure NIS 1 Million for Merchavim
In 2002, an elderly man in stained overalls and scuffed work boots walked into the offices of Jewish Federation of Central New Jersey. Believing that he was a vagrant, the receptionist wondered whether to phone the police. But instead, the Executive Director came out to greet him. The visitor was Mack Ness, a Somerset County farmer who wanted his earnings to benefit Israel. That meeting ultimately led to a bequest that has supported the Negev, Israel’s southern region, for more than two decades.
Today, the Mack Ness Fund is an advisory council fund of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater MetroWest NJ, following the merger of Central and MetroWest NJ Federations. The Fund focuses on economic development and demographic growth across the Negev, and members of its advisory council travel to Israel annually to meet with prospective grantees and assess ongoing projects firsthand.
Among the many southern communities touched by Mack Ness Fund investments, Merhavim holds a special place for Greater MetroWest (GMW). Ofakim/Merhavim has been a GMW partner community for 30 years, a relationship built through programs and sustained people-to-people connections. Since 2025, that longstanding relationship has taken on new expression through a Mack Ness Fund effort that continues through today.
Building Municipal Capacity
That effort is focused on helping Negev municipalities strengthen their ability to support growth. Municipalities must advance economic development, improve quality of life, and respond to evolving needs, all while operating with limited budgets and staff. Philanthropy and outside partnerships can help municipalities take on more than their budgets alone would allow.
Odelia Karutchi, Israel Director of the Mack Ness Fund, notes that October 7 made this point especially clear: communities with established ties to foundations and other funders were often better able to secure resources quickly and advance recovery. The experience, she explains, showed that fundraising and relationship-building are essential to municipal resilience.
The Mack Ness Fund is helping local leaders gain those skills through an intensive capacity-building initiative with Eretz-Ir, an Israeli non-profit working in Israel’s periphery. Among municipalities across the Negev, Merhavim was one of just two communities selected for the pilot, and two members of its leadership team took part in intensive mentoring and professional development.
From Training to Investment
In Merhavim, this work with local leadership has already produced an exciting, tangible result. Recently, the municipality established a fund that connects business partners with local infrastructure priorities, opening the door to new private investment. In early summer, those efforts led to an initial commitment of NIS 1 million (approximately $330,000) from Nofar Energy Company.
For Howard Tepper, Chair of the Mack Ness Advisory Council, the result offers an early proof of concept. “It is particularly satisfying that our partnership community of Merhavim has been able to benefit from this endeavor, which can continue to build and grow that community indefinitely… With documented success, this process may expand to multiple municipalities.”
Beyond a Single Grant
This pilot is just one part of a broader Ness strategy for the Negev. Across the region, the Fund has supported agricultural research near the Dead Sea, tourism development in the Western Negev, and a space technology accelerator at the Ramon Crater. It has also invested in cultural anchors, including a regional theater in Eilat, Sderot’s growing film sector, and a farm-to-table festival in Ramat HaNegev. The common goal is to strengthen quality of life and expand economic opportunity, making the Negev an attractive place to put down roots.
These investments reflect a wider approach to the Negev’s growth, from direct grants for strategic initiatives to helping communities develop new sources of support. For Michal Werner, Executive Director of the Jewish Community Foundation, the Merhavim result offers a useful lesson: “Merhavim is a good example of how a targeted investment in capacity can unlock significant new opportunities. For JCF, the measure of philanthropy is not only what a grant accomplishes directly, but what it makes possible.”
Learn more about the story of Mack Ness and the work of the Mack Ness Fund at: www.macknessfundjcf.org