Scholarships-Aardvark

One of the founding principles of Aardvark Israel is a dedication to bring as many participants to Israel as possible. It is for that reason, we are committed to offering the best program for the best price! Even with our great price, we recognize that there are applicants still in need of additional assistance. The staff at Aardvark is available to help applicants identify and secure the necessary funds required to participate. In addition to the sources listed below, we encourage families who are in financial need to be in touch with us so that we may assist you in finding additional scholarship sources.

• MASA is a project of the government of Israel and the Jewish Agency of Israel and provides financial assistance to participants on qualifying programs, such as Aardvark Israel, in the form of grants and scholarships. Most participants are eligible for an automatic grant of $1000 from MASA to be used towards the program tuition. Students from North America who will be 21 or older on the start date of the program are eligible to receive a minimum of $3000 towards the program tuition. Need-based scholarships are also available through MASA. To apply for the MASA grant, please click here. To estimate the amount of funding you may be eligible for from MASA, click here and please contact Debbie on the Aardvark Israel staff with any questions you might have regarding MASA at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

• Local Jewish Federations (North America) – Many local Jewish Federations have scholarship programs for trips to Israel. Contact your local federation and inquire about sources of funding from within the organization and ask the staff to also recommend other sources of funding available in your local community. We have listed below a partial list of Federations that grant Israel scholarships. If you do not find your community listed below, you may find the contact information for your local Jewish Federation by clicking here.

• Atzum – The Abe and Gert Nutkis Scholarships for Israel Study and Service are awarded to enable young adults to study in Israel and to foster personal involvement with Israel society and Zionist ideals. Grants of up to $5,000 each for full-year study are available. Recipients must concurrently perform a minimum of four hours weekly volunteer service throughout the academic year with ATZUM or an ATZUM approved organization. This past year, three students from Aardvark Israel were awarded this scholarship. Please click here for more information.

• Personal Fundraising – Encourage friends, family, supporters of Israel, and anyone who will listen to help you raise funds towards your trip! There are several ways which are tax deductible in the USA for you to generate contributions towards your trip:

My Israel Journey - sponsored by the Jewish Agency and Masa, this program awards you 70% of the total contributions you fund raise. Check out www.myisraeljourney.org for more info.

Plant Your Way To Israel – sponsored by the Jewish National Fund, you simply sell trees to be planted in Israel by JNF. 50% of the funds raised will be awarded to you towards your Israel program tuition. See http://support.jnf.org/pyw for more details or contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (212) 879-9305, ext. 263.

Be'chol Lashon - this organization promotes positive, pluralistic, multicultural expressions of Judaism that embrace ethnic, racial and cultural diversity within the Jewish people. They have established a scholarship fund to help enable Jewish students from around the world to participate in Aardvark Israel's exciting programs in Israel. Contributions may be made to this fund and earmarked specifically for individual students. For more info, click here.

• Synagogue – Many synagogues have scholarship funds to assist young members in participating in Israel programs. In addition, some Rabbis and Cantors have discretionary funds which they may award as they deem responsible. Call your family’s synagogue and inquire what assistance may be available to you. Ask your Rabbi if s/he knows of other sources of possible funding.

• Other Community Organizations – Other Jewish community organizations may have scholarships available or be able to assist you in identifying other sources of funding in your area. Contact the local JCC, Hebrew Free Loan Association, and other Jewish and Zionist Organizations (such as B’nai Brith, Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs, etc.)

• MASA Website – Additional sources of scholarships that participants may qualify for are listed on the MASA website which you can find by clicking here.

• The Amy Adina Schulman Scholarship Fund – Grants are awarded to applicants from the US and Canada who will spend time in Israel engaging in volunteer work or internships in progressive social action projects. Recipients must commit to educate and encourage their peers in their home communities to participate in similar social action. For more information see http://www.amyadinaschulmanfund.org/ or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

• The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program – Grants are available for U.S. citizen undergraduate students of limited financial means to pursue academic studies abroad. For more information see http://www.iie.org/en/Programs/Gilman-Scholarship-Program.

• College Scholarships – As an accredited university program, many “regular” college scholarships (for example, the Rotary Club), may also be applied to the Aardvark Israel Gap Year and Semester Programs. Talk to your high school guidance counselor and ask for his/her help in identifying scholarship sources that you may qualify for. Also, check out online college scholarship databases, by searching on the internet for “college scholarship.” To get you started, here are a few of the search results you’ll find:

www.fastweb.com
www.college-scholarships.com
www.scholarships.com
www.financialaidfinder.com
http://apps.collegeboard.com/cbsearch_ss/welcome.jsp

• Student Loans - Although US-government financial aid is not available, several banks offer student loans which are applicable to the Aardvark Israel program. For example, Wells Fargo Bank has two options for students and parents: the Wells Fargo Education Connection Loan and the Wells Fargo Student Loan for Parents. Check out https://www.wellsfargo.com/student for more details.

• Local Jewish Federations (North America) – Here is a partial list of Federations that grant Israel scholarships. If you do not find your community listed below, you may find the contact information for your local Jewish Federation by clicking here.

Great opportunity for Aardvark Israel students:
Earn your undergraduate degree at the American Jewish University
Aardvark Israel participants can earn up to a year's worth of college credit to AJU.
Additionally, Aardvark Israel students qualify for $7,500/year in AJU scholarships.
Curious? Contact AJU at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 310-440-1250 for more info.

American Jewish University

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USA 877-634-0162 • Canada 888-824-6145 • UK 080-8234-3634 • Israel 052-429-3681 • Panama 507-836-5250 • Australia 03-9999-6521 • info@aardvarkisrael.com