American Friends of the Israel Museum

The Israel Museum is the largest cultural institution in the State of Israel and is ranked among the world’s leading art and archaeology museums. Founded in 1965, the Museum houses encyclopedic collections, including works dating from prehistory to the present day, in its Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Jewish Art and Life Wings, and features the most extensive holdings of biblical and Holy Land archaeology in the world. In just forty-five years, thanks to a legacy of gifts and generous support from its circle of patrons worldwide, the Museum has built a far-ranging collection of nearly 500,000 objects, representing the full scope of world material culture.

The American Friends of the Israel Museum (AFIM) was incorporated in New York State in 1968 at the initiative of Teddy Kollek, longtime mayor of Jerusalem, as the fundraising arm of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem (IMJ). AFIM obtained independent Federal tax exempt status in 1972 (Federal Tax I.D. No. 23-7182582). Since then, AFIM has raised $220 million in art and $320 million in cash, of which $76 million is in endowment funds, generating over two million dollars per year for both projects and the operating budget. Since 1972, AFIM has transferred over $236 million to the Museum for:

•Construction of buildings
•Exhibitions
•Art Acquisitions
•Educational and outreach programs
•Prizes and awards
•Training of curatorial staff and the operating budget
•Equipment and materials

Location

500 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2540
New York, NY 10110