Strong Jewish schools depend on more than enthusiasm. They require stable funding, trained staff, and a plan that holds over years, not months. In many smaller communities, those conditions are difficult to secure. Yael Poliavich, a philanthropist and co-founded the Yael Foundation in 2020 to close that gap. The approach taken by Yael Poliavich centers on the organizations and educators already serving those communities. The foundation now supports 143 formal and informal educational programs and reaches roughly 22,500 students across 45 countries.
From Finance to Philanthropy
Yael Poliavich was born in 1982 in Kyrgyzstan, in a home where learning and steady effort were everyday priorities. She understood early that education works on a long horizon, where progress shows up across years instead of within a single school term. Between 1999 and 2004, she studied at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, completing a degree in Economics, Finance and Credit.
The degree led to a long professional career. Until 2021, Yael Poliavich worked as a finance professional across business operations, financial planning, and organizational management. Budgeting, measurement, and planning several years ahead became routine practice. Those habits now guide how Yael Poliavich directs philanthropic funding, where supporting schools and teachers depends on consistent, multi-year backing rather than one-off grants.
How the Foundation Reaches Communities
The foundation was established to give Jewish children access to quality education regardless of where they live. Instead of operating schools directly, Yael Poliavich built it to strengthen organizations already working in their own communities. It backs groups that families already trust, then adds funding, resources, and access to experienced educators. Yael Poliavich works with local leaders who hold the confidence of families and share the foundation's standards.
Within each country, the foundation works through organizations that already hold local trust, supplying what those groups cannot fund on their own. That support takes three main forms: modernizing school facilities, developing teachers and school leadership, and opening places for families who could not otherwise cover tuition. Beyond those three is a fourth priority: helping partner institutions plan for their own financial stability, so that a school can eventually operate without that support. Because conditions differ across countries, each programme is adapted to local needs rather than following a single template, and its development reflects the language, culture, and characteristics of the communities it serves.
Scale and a Selective Funding Model
The foundation reviews far more applications than it approves and concentrates resources on institutions able to maintain high standards over time. Each grant functions as a multi-year commitment, not a single transfer, which raises the bar for which schools qualify. The foundation supports existing community initiatives while preserving their established way of operating, ensuring that decision-making remains with those who manage each school. This approach focuses on strengthening local educational capacity and supporting the long-term development of schools within their communities.
The same logic shapes where Yael Poliavich expands next. The foundation is developing Yael Schools, a network of International Baccalaureate (IB) World Schools within emerging communities. These schools combine arts, entrepreneurship and learning to help students build their identity and pride.
Each school pairs a demanding general curriculum with Jewish studies, an option that did not exist locally before. Before committing, the foundation looks at real results and whether the team on the ground can actually run the program.
A Long-Term Measure of Progress
A school's longevity depends on competent staff and reliable funding. As Jewish communities evolve, Yael Poliavich has kept the same approach. The clearest measure of progress is the continued expansion of the foundation's programs across 45 countries and the roughly 22,500 students they reach. Five years on, the priorities Yael Poliavich set in 2020 still guide an expanding international effort, and her focus on durable institutions remains the foundation's defining feature.
Yael Poliavich has consistently placed quality and durability ahead of rapid expansion. Each decision is measured as a long-term investment: by whether an institution can still function years after the initial commitment, not by how many institutions were added in a given year. For partner communities, the practical result is schools that can plan beyond the next grant cycle and keep qualified staff.
