public charity
A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good).
The legal definition of a ch ...
headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida. Founded in 2003, the organization provides funding for various
social service
Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or administ ...
programs in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
,
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, and other countries.
Activities
As of June 30, 2018, ''Hands On Tzedakah'' (“''HOT''”) had raised and distributed over $16,000,000 to support more than 100 projects in the United States, in Israel, and in other parts of the world.
''HOT'''s primary focus is to support essential safety-net programs addressing
hunger
In politics, humanitarian aid, and the social sciences, hunger is defined as a condition in which a person does not have the physical or financial capability to eat sufficient food to meet basic Human nutrition, nutritional needs for a sustaine ...
, poverty, health care and disaster relief. ''HOT'' assists programs providing support to the economically disadvantaged, disabled, elderly, and victims of abuse and
terrorism
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
. ''HOT'' also provides scholarship support to students in need.
''HOT'' connects the donors with the recipients and facilitates communication between the donors and the projects. In addition, ''HOT'' listens to the donor, seeking out new initiatives that are important to him/her. Whenever possible, donor dollars are leveraged through matching funds from other donors and organizations.
The initial criteria for funding requires that the project or need meet the parameters of the mission statement. If a program meets these parameters then prior to any substantial program funding, ''HOT'' engages in a "Hands On" process by researching the program and obtaining and reviewing information on budgets and other financial information, including tax returns and accounting reports. Also, there is a belief that utilizing volunteers is essential.
In cases where funds are distributed to individual intermediaries who have developed programs that meet the criteria, ''HOT'' insists upon an ongoing interaction with regular financial and operating reports to Hands On Tzedakah so that there is satisfaction that the funds allocated to them are used as intended.