Photo Credit: Gilad Kavalerchik
Five years ago, Maram Sliman was working as a hotel clerk. Today, she is a resource development consultant for various groups of marginalized people in Israel, including Bedouin women in the Negev. Maram, a recent graduate of Shatil training, credits the program and individualized Shatil consultation with providing her skills essential for her new career direction.
“The Shatil staff’s all-encompassing support exceeded my expectations. Their guidance very specifically met what I needed to develop in this area,” says Maram, who hails from Akko.
The Shatil program she participated in, “Empowering Arab Civil Society to Access Government Funding,” took place from 2021-2024, and worked to address the fact that 95% of Arab communities fall in Israel’s lowest socio-economic rankings. The program taught Arab NGO staffers and activists how to take advantage of various government systems for the benefit of their communities—from real estate offerings to data systems. They received hands-on experience drafting and submitting proposals, access to a Shatil database with information on complex bureaucratic processes (such as establishing “proper management“ of an association, and applying for subsidies, and property tax discounts), and one-on-one consulting.
According to post-program evaluation, 75% of participants reported that the training met their organizational needs, and additional data supports this as well: Alumni won massive grants from Israel’s National Insurance agency, project bids from the Ministry of Education for educational programming, discounts on property taxes, and more.
Maram is no stranger to civil society. She has worked at NIF grantee I’LAM Arab Center for Media Freedom Development and Research, and since the conclusion of the Shatil program, she has guided NGOs such as Tishreen Association, an organization that promotes Palestinian cultural activities and civic activism, and Sanad, an incubator for young Palestinian entrepreneurs, and recently an NGO called Sidreh, whose Desert Gardens project advances food security and economic independence for Bedouin women in the Negev. In addition to assisting the Bedouin women in navigating government bureaucracy and on tailoring project work plans to meet funding criteria, Maram emphasized the importance of creating “contingency work plans.” This ensures that an organization has a project in hand for future funding opportunities. Also, cultivating a long-range planning mindset is particularly critical these days, when it is easy to forgo future planning amidst continuous emergencies.
For Maram, Shatil guidance has been essential: “I’ve participated in so many Shatil trainings that I’m a regular,” Maram laughs. “Shatil’s personalized targeted support has been invaluable.”