OTZMA is an officially recognized program of the Masa Israel Journey initiative. As such,  participants are eligible to receive generous grants as well as financial aid that is applied to program tuition.

OTZMA participants can apply for the following funds from Masa.

Masa Universal Grants
Each OTZMA participant is eligible to receive an automatic grant of $4500 from the Masa Israel Journey initiative -- assuming you apply for it and have not used your "Masa" rights on another program in the past. The process is simple and and the grant can be awarded rather quickly. The grant is then subtracted from your tuition as it will be paid to OTZMA directly.  Apply for a Masa Grants now.

Additional Financial Aid from Masa
If you are you are financially independent, Masa may award you an additional $3000 in needs-based grant. To be eligible for this additional funding, you must meet the following criteria:

• Your personal income must be less than $45,000 per year.
• You may not be claimed as a dependent by parents/guardians for tax purposes.
• Your parents must sign a notarized letter stating your independence.
• You can demonstrate your independent status by showing a rental agreement of some sort in your name from the past 6 months. In the past, even those who formalized an agreement with their parents to pay rent have received this additional funding.

Individuals are are 'dependents' for tax purposes may also be rewarded the $3000 grant if their family's annual income does not exceed $22,500 per person and tax documentation proving this is submitted.

Apply for Masa Grants and Financial Aid here

Sharing the Wealth & Help Others
If you are eligible for a MASA grant of $4,500 but are not in need of some or all of the funds because you can afford OTZMA’s tuition, then you may donate a portion of this grant or the entire $4,500 to another OTZMA participant going on this year’s program in need of additional funding. If you would like to consider such an option, please let us know at otzma@jewishfederations.org.