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Nature Israel / American Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (ASPNI)

NEW YORK, NY · EIN 521467954 · Form 990 · FY2024 · Medium ($1M-$10M) · natureisrael.org
revenue
$2.5M
expenses
$2.4M
net assets
$421K
employees
3
program ratio
93%
mission · from form 990

ENVIRONMENTAL SUPPORT/EDUCATION

profile · synthesized from sources

Nature Israel, also known as the American Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (ASPNI), supports environmental conservation and sustainability efforts in Israel through education, advocacy, and experiential programs. The organization promotes eco-therapy initiatives to support mental health recovery for Israelis affected by trauma, particularly following the October 7th attacks. It also organizes nature-focused educational tours to deepen engagement with Israel’s natural landscapes and conservation work.

named programs · 7 · from sources

What they call their work

Eco-Therapy Retreat for Combat Soldiers
Collaborative retreat with Sheba Medical Center and Eilat Municipality offering professional psychological therapy in a natural setting at the Eilat Field School for IDF soldiers.
Nature Heals
Eco-therapy initiative providing mental health support through nature-based activities for Israelis affected by trauma, including youth, families, combat soldiers, and displaced persons.
Nature Israel Tours
Themed educational tours to Israel’s natural and conservation sites, co-led by SPNI staff, focusing on wildlife, bird migration, climate change, and sustainability efforts.
Nature-Based Healing Trips for Displaced Families
Guided trips to Israeli natural sites for families displaced by conflict, designed to reduce anxiety and foster resilience through exposure to nature’s beauty and restorative power.
Outdoor Summer Camps for Children
Summer day camps across Israel that use hiking, birdwatching, and outdoor adventures to help children build confidence, resilience, and emotional recovery.
Resilience Journeys for Traumatized Youth
Four-day immersive nature experience for teens featuring counseling, physical challenges, group discussions, and a docu-education component where participants create films about their healing journey.
Supporting Reservists and their Families
Program offering emotional and social support to families of reservists called to active duty, helping them cope with separation and ongoing stress.
activities · 9 groups

What they do

  • Onsite & Outreach Environmental Education Programs 2 activities
    • Conducts real-time environmental field explorations and outreach
      Conducts real-time field explorations of Israel's natural environments and shares updates through a travel blog to engage the public with on-the-ground conservation work.
    • Delivers environmental education and public engagement programs
      Offers guided tours, educational walks, lectures, workshops, and seasonal themed trips to natural and urban sites across Israel, including birdwatching in Eilat and the Hula Valley, with content on sustainability, climate change mitigation, and conservation efforts; also provides private birdwatching guides and programming in English and Hebrew year-round.
  • Ocean Ecosystem Restoration & Research 1 activity
    • Advances marine conservation in the Mediterranean
      Establishes marine-protected areas, protects species and habitats, and regulates fishing practices in the Mediterranean Sea to preserve marine biodiversity.
  • Wildlife Monitoring and Field Research 1 activity
    • Conducts field research and monitoring
      Conducts daily bird ringing sessions during spring migration (March–May) for research and public engagement, and carries out scientific research on species such as wolves in the Arava region.
  • Documentary Film Production 1 activity
    • Distributes digital eco-therapy content
      Produces and distributes online nature documentaries featuring virtual tours of Israeli natural sites to provide accessible eco-therapy to a broad audience.
  • Food System Convening & Public Engagement 1 activity
    • Hosts environmental webinars and virtual events
      Hosts webinars on sustainable development, food system resilience, and nature conservation issues in Israel, including a May 10 event on sustainability topics.
  • Trauma-Informed Community Resilience Initiatives 1 activity
    • Provides nature-based healing and resilience programs
      Runs immersive nature programs for traumatized teens, summer day camps for children, healing trips for displaced families, eco-therapy for IDF reservists and families, and free weekend/holiday nature trips for the general public; 78% of teens report reduced stress and increased capability, and 94% of parents observe greater confidence in their children.
  • Ecological Habitat Restoration 1 activity
    • Restores and manages wetland habitats
      Converts former fishponds into wetland nature reserves to combat biodiversity loss and climate change, creating vital ecosystems in regions supporting over 500 bird species and 2,800 plant species.
  • Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Initiatives 1 activity
    • Uses renewable energy in field operations
      Powers nine field schools using photovoltaic solar energy to support sustainable operations.
  • Uncategorized 4 activities
    • Advocates for Dead Sea environmental protection
      Monitors and reports on the environmental degradation of the Dead Sea, including a 1.25-meter annual drop in water level, loss of nearly half its surface area, sinkhole formation, and over 100 million cubic meters of annual water extraction by mineral companies; leads a coalition to reform concession laws before the 2030 lease expiration.
    • Leads regional environmental cooperation initiatives
      Collaborates with neighboring countries in the Middle East to advance shared environmental solutions and sustainability goals.
    • Operates urban nature and wildlife sites
      Manages Israel's first urban wildlife site in central Jerusalem, featuring a pond and fruit trees that attract thousands of migrating songbirds, and promotes urban nature initiatives to support public health and well-being.
    • Supports migratory bird populations along the African-Eurasian flyway
      Provides critical stopover habitat and resources for over 500 million migrating birds twice annually, supporting approximately half a billion birds on the African-Eurasian migration flyway through habitat management and food and water provisioning.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$2.50M
Contributions & grants$2.48M99%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$14K1%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$2.41M
Program expenses93%
Admin / overhead5%
Fundraising2%
Salaries & benefits$290K
Grants paid out$1.92M
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$660K
Cash$616K
Investments$0
Liabilities$239K
Net assets$421K
Liquid reserves3.1 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +14.0%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

board members · 17
  • ALAN SCHANZER — MEMBER
  • DANIEL PAVA — VICE-CHAIR/MEMBER
  • DANIELLE NYMAN — MEMBER
  • DAPHNE WHITE — MEMBER
  • DAVID KATZ — MEMBER
  • DOMINIQUE LANGERMAN — TREASURER / MEMBER
  • HUGH MAINZER — MEMBER
  • J REBECCA SMITH — SECRETARY
  • JONATHAN SILVERSTEIN — CHAIRMAN / MEMBER
  • JONATHAN SOHNIS — MEMBER
  • LEON SOKOL — CO-CHAIR EMERITUS
  • RABBI MAX WEISS — MEMBER
  • RABBI PAUL CITRIN — MEMBER
  • RUSSELL J ROTHMAN — CO-CHAIR EMERITUS
  • SCOTT WIENER — MEMBER
  • SENATOR BOB SMITH — HONORARY MEMBER
  • SHAWN SWEENEY — MEMBER
relationships · 12

Who they work with

  • Dr. Michal Bitterman Partner — Featured speaker and expert on strategic sustainability in a webinar on food system resilience.
  • Eilat Municipality Partner — Partnering with SPNI and Sheba Medical Center to host an eco-therapy retreat for IDF soldiers at the Eilat Field School.
  • IDF Partner — Collaborating with SPNI to provide eco-therapy activities for reservists and their families.
  • Jewish Federations of North America Partner — Supported the launch of the Resilience Journeys program for traumatized teens.
  • Knesset Government — Located adjacent to the Knesset, Israel's parliament, enhancing public accessibility and visibility.
  • Mineral extraction companies Coalition — SPNI is advocating for regulatory changes that directly affect mineral extraction companies operating at the Dead Sea.
  • SPNI Network — Primary Israeli partner organization implementing conservation programs on the ground.
  • SPNI Partner — Co-leads Nature Israel tours with SPNI staff and features SPNI sites, programs, and conservation achievements.
  • Sheba Medical Center Partner — Collaborating with SPNI and the Eilat Municipality to establish an eco-therapy retreat for IDF combat soldiers.
  • Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) Partner — Provides support to SPNI, Israel's oldest and largest independent environmental nonprofit.
  • municipalities Partner — Partnering with SPNI to deliver eco-therapy programs for reservists and displaced families.
  • regional councils Partner — Collaborating with SPNI to provide eco-therapy activities for reservists and their families.
strategies · 4

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Docu-Education Therapy for Emotional Processing
    methodology: docu-education therapy
    By combining documentary storytelling with therapeutic practice, we help traumatized teens process emotions and build self-awareness because creative expression through video enables non-verbal processing and empowers personal narrative reconstruction.
  • Eco-Therapy for Trauma Recovery
    methodology: eco-therapy
    By using exposure to nature as a therapeutic intervention, we support mental health recovery in trauma-affected populations because natural environments provide restorative psychological conditions that reduce stress and foster emotional resilience.
  • Legal Advocacy as Leverage for Ecological Restoration
    methodology: legal advocacy for environmental restoration
    By advocating for new legal frameworks that tie industrial activity to ecological restoration and public oversight, we create enforceable accountability mechanisms that ensure long-term environmental sustainability, particularly in high-risk areas like the Dead Sea region, because regulation drives corporate responsibility and transparency.
  • Post-Industrial Ecological Transition with Regenerative Alternatives
    methodology: post-industrial ecological transition
    By replacing extractive industries with eco-tourism and restored natural systems, we enable sustainable regional development because shifting economic incentives toward ecological health creates durable environmental and social benefits in degraded landscapes like the Dead Sea.