MFA Receives Large Grant from Genesis Prize Foundation and Genesis Laureate Anish Kapoor

Contact: Marlene Adler

Phone Number: 212-889-2324

Email: marlene.adler@multifaithalliance.org

Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees Receives Grant from Genesis Prize Foundation and Honoree Anish Kapoor to Fund 36 Cargo Containers of Humanitarian Aid

New York, January 16, 2018 – The Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees (MFA) is proud to announce that it has received a substantial grant from the Genesis Prize Foundation and 2017 Genesis Prize Laureate, Anish Kapoor. The grant will fund the shipment of 36 freight containers filled with medicines, medical supplies, medical equipment, food, clothing, and other essentials to a region of 1.5 million people in southwest Syria.

These shipments go through a new channel of humanitarian relief established by MFA with Israel along with Syrian NGO partners. These partnerships enable containers of desperately needed aid to be shipped to Israeli ports by Syrian and other NGOs, trucked by the Israel Defense Forces to the Golan Heights, and transferred to Syrian NGOs for distribution in southwestern Syria. In 2017, the first full year of the new channel’s operation, MFA coordinated shipments of more than $66 million of humanitarian relief. Moreover, the groundbreaking partnerships between Syrians and Israelis, working together in the name of humanitarian relief, have become an inspiration for future cooperation throughout the region.

“We are deeply grateful to the Genesis Prize Foundation and to Anish Kapoor for this grant, said MFA Executive Director, Bennett Gross. “With the Syrian war now in its seventh year, the need for basic food and supplies continues unabated. This generous grant is key to MFA’s plan to dramatically increase the number of humanitarian relief shipments by 75% in 2018. The first two containers alone will carry almost $21 million of life-saving medicines and medical supplies.” Gross added, “MFA was founded on the basic tenet of all great faiths that we cannot stand idly by in the face of such need. We are honored to have the Genesis Prize Foundation and Anish Kapoor as committed partners in our effort to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis.”

“I am proud to re-gift a portion of my Genesis Prize to the Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees along with several other worthy organizations”, said Kapoor. “I can think of no greater honor as the 2017 Laureate, than to acknowledge an organization like MFA, whose work is deeply deserving of my support.” He added, “Directing Genesis Prize funds to this cause is a way of helping people who, like my forebears not too long before them, are fleeing persecution. I believe in a world of compassion, and am fortunate to be able to work with The Genesis Prize Foundation and the terrific NGOs receiving our grants to bring more compassion into the world.”

The Genesis Prize honors “individuals who have attained excellence and international renown in their chosen professional fields, and who inspire others through their dedication to the Jewish community and Jewish values.” Previous laureates include Michael Bloomberg, Michael Douglass, and Yitzhak Perlman. The 2018 laureate is Natalie Portman.

The Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees (MFA), a project of the Tides Center, is a coalition of more than 90 faith-based and secular organizations. MFA’s mission is to mobilize the interfaith response to the Syrian humanitarian crisis, raise funds to alleviate suffering, cultivate partnerships to advance future stability in the region, advocate for sensible and humane refugee policies, and create awareness of the facts, the needs, and the opportunities for positive action.

For more information, please contact Marlene Adler, Director of Communications.

E-mail: marlene.adler@multifaithalliance.org, Phone: 212-889-2324.