Between the Gaza war and antisemitic attacks throughout the world, Israel has been much in the news in recent years. With an increasing number of attacks from Iran and groups in Lebanon, Israeli families are struggling to provide basic needs for themselves and their children. Fathers and brothers are sent to the frontlines, leaving many women to fend for themselves.
Israeli flag / Photo by Stanislav Vdovin / Unsplash
Vision for Israel (VFI) is working to provide relief to these families. A charitable non-profit organization, VFI works in Israel to decrease poverty through “humanitarian aid, disaster relief, and community support.” Since its founding in 1994, VFI’s mission has been to spread “love, truth, and healing to the people who need it the most.”
VFI’s outreach extends over numerous projects, funneling donations and support to provide shelter from rocket attacks, aid Holocaust and terror survivors, support impoverished families and school children, and more.
Barry Segal, president and co-founder of Vision for Israel, provided first-hand updates on the ministry’s current impact. “We work with and network with social services, welfare agencies, congregational leaders, and responsible organizations that call upon us,” he said regarding VFI’s service to the poor. “We do our best to provide according to a person’s or family’s needs.”
VFI says it is working to provide “bomb safety shelters, emergency support, and humanitarian aid to communities under constant threat” of the escalating war in the Middle East. VFI posts regular updates on the people and events in Israel, urging readers to subscribe and donate to its cause.
Segal summed up VFI’s primary mission: “We are dedicated to the physical and spiritual restoration of Israel. Romans 11:26: ‘And so all Israel will be saved…’”
Yet, according to Vision for Israel’s most recent Form 990, it holds $9 million in assets and $5 million in revenue, while only spending about $2.2 million on ministry activities in 2024.
Primarily for this reason, the organization has earned a “Withhold Giving” designation from MinistryWatch. The ministry attributes its low ratings largely to health issues, the war in Gaza, and differences between working in Israel versus the United States.
Segal told MinistryWatch that when war broke out with Hamas in October 2023, Vision for Israel saw an influx in donations, but its “staff and workload were based on a much lower income from previous years’ donations,” he said. “Since we don’t spend money carelessly, regardless of the amount, we began planning and moving forward.”
He also said that Vision for Israel intentionally holds a higher reserve at the request of the ministry’s board to “ensure we could hold out in case of war and conflict, even with the possibility of a deep recession in the USA and globally.”
Also, Segal said the ministry prefers not to hold money in Israel until it’s ready to be used, partly for fear of persecution. “Since certain ultra-religious elements in Israel have the power to try and shut down evangelical ministries, especially those involving Jewish believers like ourselves, we prefer not to keep large funds in Israel,” he said.
VFI’s website does not share its financial data or reports, earning it a low financial Transparency Grade of D—it files a public Form 990, but is not a member of the ECFA and does post audited financial statements. MinistryWatch requests that ministries, even those working in sensitive areas, are beholden to donors to be transparent with how their money is being used.
It also earns a low 1-Star Financial Efficiency Rating (out of 5), meaning it is in the bottom 20% for financial efficiency compared with other organizations in its sector, Relief & Development.
Similarly, its Donor Confidence Score is 43 out of 100—low enough that MinistryWatch recommends that donors “Withhold Giving” to this organization.
Segal said he recently traveled to the U.S. to be with his wife who is undergoing treatment for cancer. During his trip, he sat down with his U.S. administrator, and they are asking a newly appointed CPA to review the ministry’s 2024 financials for any mistakes. “I assure you that a more in-depth review is being conducted following my visit here and the questions you raised,” he said.
MinistryWatch Donor Confidence Score: 43 (out of a possible 100) “Withhold Giving”
MinistryWatch Financial Efficiency Rating: 1 Star (out of a possible 5 Stars)
MinistryWatch Transparency Grade: D
ECFA Member? No
Revenue in Most Recent Year Available: $5,509,461
Five-Year Revenue Trend: Increasing (by about 83%)
Percent of Revenue Spent on Fundraising: 11%
Percent of Revenue Peer Group Spends on Fundraising: 5%
CEO/President: Barry Segal
President’s Salary and Other Compensation: $134,873
A complete MinistryWatch profile for Vision for Israel can be found here.
Access to MinistryWatch content is free. However, we hope you will support our work with your prayers and financial gifts. To make a donation, click here.