Gal Gadot has directed her $1 million (£742,000) Genesis Prize towards a $3 million (£2.23 million) funding initiative for mental health and trauma care in Israel, after a matching campaign generated a further $2 million (£1.48 million) in private and corporate donations.
The 2026 Genesis Prize laureate is directing the award towards Israeli non-profits supporting trauma treatment, caregivers and mental health professionals following the 7 October 2023 attacks and the wars that followed.
The Genesis Prize is an annual award recognising extraordinary individuals for their professional accomplishments, contributions to humanity and commitment to Jewish values and/or Israel. It has become one of the most visible honours in the Jewish community.
Gadot said the initiative was intended to support the people helping others recover, describing recovery as a process that 'starts from within'.
Gadot's $3M Trauma-Care Initiative
The funding will support 24 Israeli non-profit organisations working across northern, central and southern Israel. Their programmes cover trauma counselling, mental health treatment, caregiver training and social work services.
Recipients include Make-A-Wish Israel, United Hatzalah and CareGivers Israel. The organisations serve mental health professionals, frontline workers, educators, social workers, family caregivers, children and young people, survivors of war and combat trauma, and underrepresented communities.
The Genesis Prize Foundation and Jewish Funders Network received 150 applications during a two-month application period, with 54 organisations advancing to the review stage before 24 were selected. Each recipient was required to secure matching funding from either a new donor or an increased contribution from an existing donor.
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'Recovery Starts From Within'
Explaining her decision, Gadot said: 'After three years of war, loss, and extraordinary hardship, I believe recovery starts from within.' Gadot said she wanted the money to support doctors, nurses, medics, mental health professionals, and caregivers helping people recover and rebuild.
She also linked the decision to her Jewish heritage and a responsibility to support people experiencing hardship. 'That value is deeply connected to my Jewish heritage and to our responsibility to care for those who are hurting and help repair what has been broken,' she said.
Organisations Receiving Funding
The grants are aimed not only at people directly affected by trauma but also those providing ongoing care. The Genesis Prize Foundation said mental health professionals, social workers, educators and caregivers are facing significant demand, with some also dealing with trauma themselves.
The scale of the need remains substantial. Former Israeli State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman has estimated that as many as three million Israelis have experienced symptoms of trauma or post-traumatic stress linked to events over the past three years, according to the Genesis Prize Foundation.
Stan Polovets, co-founder and chairman of the Genesis Prize Foundation, said: 'Gal chose to focus on trauma and mental health in Israel. Her $1 million (£742,000) Genesis Prize became the foundation for a $3 million (£2.23 million) initiative supporting organisations helping Israelis heal.'
'That is exactly what the Genesis Prize was created to do: celebrate extraordinary Jewish achievement and transform that recognition into meaningful impact.'
Polovets also noted that previous recipients, including Michael Bloomberg, Barbra Streisand, Natan Sharansky, Steven Spielberg and Robert Kraft, had used their prizes to support humanitarian causes.
