Program Fees, Grants & Scholarships

2012-13 Program Fee

For the 2012-2013 LIFE program the program fee is $12,500 USD before grants and scholarships. Participants pay just $8000 or less with full Masa grants and other scholarships. In fact, many of our participants have raised funds or been awarded addition grants that covered the majority of the program fee. We work to find addition funding with all accepted applicants in need. Donations to LIFE are tax deductible. See a summary of what you get on LIFE.

NOTE: The cost of operating the LIFE program is approximately $17,500 per participant. However thanks to the generous support of foundations, organizations, partners and private funds, we are able to significantly reduce the fee. 

Grants, Scholarships & Financial Aid

• Get up to $4500 off the program fee from Masa Israel Journey! - LIFE participants may be eligible for up to $4500 in grants from the MASA Israel Journey. See the Masa scholarship page for more details or to apply for the grants.
  • IMPORTANT NOTE: The LIFE Program is listed as B'Tzedek - LIFE - October 2012 on the Masa application.
  • Click here to apply for the Masa Scholarship for B'Tzedek - LIFE - October 2012
• Additional Scholarships - Your local Jewish community (the Jewish Federation, local synagogues, etc) usually has funds set aside for programs such as LIFE. Check out these helpful links:
  • Masa’s Funding Resources Page
  • Locate and contact your local Jewish Federation
  • Additional Scholarship Opportunities
  • Contact us for additional help and information
• Long Term Loans – May be available for qualifying participants. Please contact us for more details.

Payment Schedule

Each accepted applicant will be asked to pay a $500 deposit, which will be applied to their program fees and serve to secure their spot on the program. In addition, LIFE will provide each applicant a personalized program fee payment schedule that will take into account the program deposit, Masa grants and other scholarship expected or awarded.  Prior to starting the program all program fees must be paid. Payments can be made by bank transfer or credit card. LIFE will also ask each participant to prepare an undated personal check in the amount of $1250 (10% of the program fee) that will NOT be cashed as a security deposit against damages to the program and assets (apartments, etc). The check will be returned to you at the end of your successful participation on the program.

Refund Policy

A portion of the program fee may be refunded up to one month prior to the start of the program (if cancellations are made in writing by September 1, 2012).
Once the program begins, no refunds will be made.  

Note to Masa Grant Recipients – Masa grants are paid directly to the LIFE program, over the course of your time in Israel (starting in mid-February 2012). However, if you leave the program early, Masa will not pay your grant to LIFE. Therefore, if you are awarded a Masa grant and then do not complete the program, you will be obligated to pay LIFE the amount of your Masa grant (or, in the event that you complete a portion of the Israeli part of the program, you’ll be obligated to pay for the unpaid portion of the grant).