What happens in Athena Fund?
 | 0 Teachers and kindergarten teachers have already received a Digital Toolbox |
 | 0 Students benefiting from teachers with Digital Toolbox |
 | 0 Local authorities |
 | 0 Schools and kindergartens |
Athena Fund Programs
Interactive discovery zone
Building tomorrow's life skills today
From the day of our funding, Athena Fund has been working to empower school and kindergarten teachers in Israel by providing them with technological tools (laptops and iPads) and professional training, enabling them to use these tools to educate future generations.
Athena Fund's flagship initiative is the "Digital Toolbox for Every Teacher in Israel" program. Launched in 2007 under the sponsorship of the Prime Minister's Office, the program has been implemented in close cooperation with the Israel Teachers Union, the Israeli Ministry of Education, and Bank Massad.
As part of this program, all participating kindergarten teachers receive a laptop computer. Moreover, each kindergarten teacher and director receives 90 hours of professional training, which is recognized as a professional advancement course within the framework of the “Ofek Chadash” (New Horizon) reform of the Ministry of Education.
Athena Fund is working to empower science and technology teachers and to increase student interest in science-related subjects. The “Digital Toolbox for Every Science Teacher” program aims to provide special tablet computers to all of Israel’s elementary, junior high and high school science and technology teachers.
The special education frameworks in Israeli schools, from kindergarten to 12th grade, provide a solution for children with special needs. Constantly striving for personal and organizational excellence, special education teachers aim to help their students fulfill their potential – whether in special-education schools or in integrated classes within mainstream schools.
The "Digital Toolbox for Every English Teacher" program was launched in January 2018. Aiming to distribute 13,000 digital toolboxes in the coming years, the program will provide English teachers in Israel not only with computers, but also 120 hours of professional training.
Nationwide Presence
OUR PARTNERS AND DONORS
Athena Fund in the Media And Events
What People Say About Us
"This innovation is, in practice, the growth of the education system - evidence of an education system that is thoughtful, advanced, and continuously evolving, one that embraces progress and prepares its graduates for the future, equipped with the appropriate tools. The ImagineBox classrooms are a jewel of learning in virtual reality, breaking through the boundaries of the classroom, the city, and the country. This fosters creative thinking and the ability to solve problems. Thank you to all our partners along the way, the local authority, Athena Fund, and the principals of the educational institutions for investing resources and collaborating toward a shared goal "Dr. Orna Simhon, Director of the Northern District at the Ministry of Education
"We are happy and excited to inaugurate, at the start of the 2025 school year, 11 new ImagineBox classrooms and to become the first city in Israel in which every elementary school has an ImagineBox classroom. Across Israel today, about 110 ImagineBox classrooms are operating, and Nahariya has the largest number.
In Nahariya, we believe in education - it is part of our vision, and we invest heavily in advancing it. The ImagineBox classrooms are only part of a wide range of important initiatives, programs, and projects that have been integrated into the city’s education system. I would like to thank the leadership of the Mandel Foundation for their moving contribution to establishing the classrooms, and our partners at the Athena Foundation and the Ministry of Education, who helped us realize this educational and value-driven dream.
The classrooms allow our children to be exposed through technology to a wide range of experiences in science, medicine, and engineering, combining artificial intelligence with hands-on learning. I wish the students enjoyment in the ImagineBox classrooms and that they continue to realize the potential within each and every one of them "Ronen Marelly, Mayor of Nahariya
"The ImagineBox classrooms are the beating heart of our educational vision in Eilat - an education that sparks curiosity, encourages creativity, and gives students real tools for a changing world. After inaugurating two new ImagineBox classrooms, which join two already operating in the city, we will continue to establish ImagineBox classrooms in all elementary schools in Eilat, so that every boy and girl in the city can experience innovative learning up close. We are fortunate to have a long-standing partnership with the Toronto Jewish Federation and the Athena Fund, built on trust, shared vision, and belief in the power of education to change reality. Thanks to this connection, Eilat continues to build an excellent education system that provides its students with inspiration, tools, and hope for a promising future. "Mayor of Eilat, Eli Lankri
"The new ImagineBox at Shachaf School is a tangible expression of the fact that the future is already here and that in the Jordan Valley, we choose to bring it to our children, here and now. For students in special education, this is not only advanced technology, but a real opportunity to experience, feel, and learn in a slightly different way. We continue to invest in innovative, creative, and boundary-breaking education that enables every child to flourish. Many thanks to Athena Fund, the donors and partners in Israel and around the world, the Shachaf team led by Becky Hefetz, and everyone who turned this vision into reality.
Photo: Erez Biton / CC BY-SA 3.0
"Idan Greenbaum, Head of the Jordan Valley Regional Council
"The ImagineBox is an amazing thing we introduced to the school this year. We see great enthusiasm among the children and enthusiasm among the teachers who come and want to teach and delve deeper into specific topics. A unit of study that would normally require a month in a regular classroom is taught in depth here in just two to three lessons, and the children internalize the material, learn wonderfully, enjoy themselves, and do so out of an incredible experience. At school, we emphasize group work, respectful dialogue, and deep learning. A child walking out of here gains a great deal of knowledge and understanding. There are also additional skills that the child practices while working in the ImagineBox. We are truly preparing our graduates in the best possible way, and this room helps us do that "Shoshi Ben Yosef, principal of the Yitzhak Navon School in Yoqneam
"We have been with the Athena Fund for two years now. We started in the middle of last year, and the leap in the children's learning, their enthusiasm, their joy when entering here is simply unbelievable. They open the door of the ImagineBox, feel like they are in Tel Aviv rather than Hatzor HaGlilit, and study every possible topic here. In our school, we have scheduled this all day long; classes enter here hour after hour, all classes participate. The teachers actually fight over getting to enter. We conducted a professional training program for the staff as an elective, and all the teachers ran to sign up because the ImagineBox is truly something entirely different. First of all, I highly recommend it. We are very happy we had the privilege of receiving this, and we will try to enjoy it as much as possible. "Hanan Peleg, principal of the Shevet Sofer School in Hatzor HaGlilit
"Dear Uri, the ImagineBox enables immersive, active, and multi-sensory learning across all cognitive and emotional domains. We, too, were fortunate to receive it thanks to you. Kudos and thank you so much. I hope more local authorities and educational institutions will realize this and make it accessible to their school communities. Thank you very much "Dalia Dreiher, Principal of Neve Shalom School, Beer Sheva