Current sectionIsrael NewsHaifa and Be'er Sheva saw funding slashed by more than 90 percent, threatening vital assistance and support programs. May Golan's ministry blamed the lack of a director general, but the Finance Ministry says the cuts could have been avoidedShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeIsraelis take part in this year's Haifa Pride Parade, held in June. Credit: Daniel RoliderIsraelis take part in this year's Haifa Pride Parade, held in June. Credit: Daniel Rolider05:53 PM • August 10 2026 IDTThe Social Equality Ministry has cut funding for LGBTQ programs in 20 local authorities. Under the new funding arrangement, each local authority will receive a uniform annual budget of 150,000 shekels (about $50,000). The budgets of Be'er Sheva, Haifa, Rishon Letzion, Ramat Gan and Rehovot will be cut by more than 90 percent, while those of other local authorities will be cut by 53 percent. Local officials said the cuts would effectively bring activities to an end, including support groups, workshops and assistance in accessing rights.About 100 local authorities participate in the ministry's program, which is intended for people aged 18 and over and seeks to strengthen LGBTQ people's sense of belonging, particularly in areas where the LGBTQ community is small or not well established. Former minister Meirav Cohen (Yesh Atid) launched the program in 2022. It provides community activities and services tailored to LGBTQ people, including classes, workshops, assistance in accessing rights, professional training, therapy groups, guidance for LGBTQ parents and social groups aimed at reducing loneliness.Until now, funding was determined by the size of the local authority. Those classified as very large received about 760,000 shekels (about $253,000), large authorities received about 470,000 shekels (about $156,000), and medium-sized authorities received about 210,000 shekels (about $70,000). Small local authorities already received about 150,000 shekels and therefore will not be affected by the cuts. The previous budgets covered eight months, while the new agreements cover a full year, further reducing the amount available each month.This year's Haifa Pride Parade, held in June. Credit: Daniel RoliderThis year's Haifa Pride Parade, held in June. Credit: Daniel RoliderThe ministry, which is headed by Minister for Social Equality and the Advancement of the Status of Women of Israel, May Golan, says the 150,000-shekel limit is due to its lack of a director general. Local authorities joined the program at different times, so their agreements also expire at different times. Agreements worth more than 150,000 shekels require the approval of a ministry committee chaired by the director general, a position that has been vacant since December 2025.The Finance Ministry, however, told Haaretz that the lack of a director general did not make the cuts necessary. It said the Social Equality Ministry could apply to the Higher Exemption Committee, which is authorized to consider exceptional requests, and seek approval for agreements exceeding 150,000 shekels.No community Shabbat gatheringsThe reduced funding leaves little money for the programs themselves. More than 110,000 shekels (about $37,000) of each local authority's annual allocation is expected to go toward the salaries of program coordinators, who are essential to running the programs. If coordinators are not employed, the authorities will have to pay external providers, which would in any case consume a significant portion of the budget.In previous years, for example, the Be'er Sheva municipality transferred about 200,000 shekels (about $67,000) to Pride House, the city's LGBTQ center. The center used the full amount to run support and social groups, including groups for parents, bisexual people and Russian- and English-speakers. This year, the municipality will be able to transfer only about 12,000 shekels (about $4,000) to the center. The groups are still meeting for now, but planned activities have been canceled since June, including a conference for school counselors organized in cooperation with LGBTQ organizations, creative events and community Shabbat gatherings."I have no way to fund anything," said Avishag Tabib, director of Be'er Sheva Pride House. "It looks like a calculated move. I don't know why May Golan has decided to target the LGBTQ community. Maybe it's to curry favor with hate groups."The Haifa Municipality contacted the Social Equality Ministry and Golan, warning that the new funding framework could effectively bring the program's activities in the city to a halt."The budget for activities will effectively run out within two weeks to a month," Mayor Yona Yahav wrote. "Ending this funding will lead to the cancellation of significant programs that affect the lives of thousands of residents of Haifa and northern Israel."Yahav added that "the Haifa municipality has provided life-saving services, including groups that foster a sense of belonging and combat loneliness, assistance and guidance in accessing rights, professional development, and tools to help people transition to independent living."The LGBTQ Union in Local Authorities also contacted the ministry. "In medium-sized local authorities, the budget will be enough for about six months of activity. In large authorities, it will last one month, and in the largest ones, just two weeks," warned Elisha Golani, chairman of the union's executive committee. "We can't wait for future exemption committees. Without funding for activities, the program will effectively cease to exist."The ministry did not respond to either letter.Israelis at the 2026 Haifa pride parade. Credit: Daniel RoliderIsraelis at the 2026 Haifa pride parade. Credit: Daniel Rolider"This is the first time a government body has entered this field and worked directly through the local authorities," said an LGBTQ program director in northern Israel. "The initiative allows LGBTQ people to receive social, cultural and therapeutic services where they live, without feeling that they have to move to Tel Aviv when they turn 18.""When you see Pride flags in the Valley of Springs in northern Israel, the Eilot region [Israel's southernmost regional council] or Arad, that is entirely a result of this program," he said. "It shifts the center of gravity of the LGBTQ community."Another program director said the services reach people from a wide range of backgrounds. "We see people from a wide range of groups, including elderly people who have no one, people who have left prostitution and Arab LGBTQ people."Haaretz Podcast with Amos Harel: 'Trump Started a war with no plan. Now he doesn't know how to end it'Last year, Kan 11 reported that the Social Equality Ministry had asked LGBTQ program directors in local authorities not to use the ministry's logo in their activities. The ministry denied issuing any such instruction.In September, Omer Ohana, the partner of Maj. Sagi Golan, who was killed in the October 7 attack, told the Knesset that he had been promised funding for an LGBTQ project established in his partner's memory, but that the money was never transferred. Ohana said that after working on the project for months, he was told that its activities were "not sufficiently value-based" and were "activities for leftists."The Social Equality Ministry said in response: "Throughout her term, the minister for social equality and the advancement of women has worked to maintain the division's operations, despite significant budget cuts across the ministry and the budgetary constraints imposed as a result of the war."The ministry said the claim that it had failed to approach the Higher Exemption Committee "is not based on facts and reflects an incorrect interpretation of the legal and administrative situation. The ministry acts, and has at all times acted, in accordance with the law, including the framework of powers and procedures by which it is bound."The Finance Ministry said: "There is no fundamental obstacle to approving an agreement worth more than 150,000 shekels even when there is no serving director general. In such a situation, the ministry can apply to the Finance Ministry's Higher Exemption Committee, which is authorized to consider requests that exceed the authority of the ministry's own exemption committee. Therefore, the decision not to apply to this committee was made by the Social Equality Ministry and does not stem from any restriction imposed by the Finance Ministry."In the News'Sephora Is Coming to Israel!' 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