United Palestinian Appeal empowers Palestinians to improve their lives and communities through socially responsible and sustainable programs in health, education, and community and economic development.

UPA works in four program areas:

• Health and Wellness
• Community and Economic Development
• Education
• Outreach

In fulfilling our mission, we seek to create opportunities that reinforce the dignity of the people we serve, we embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion in the communities we support, we are transparent in our practices, and we hold ourselves accountable to our stakeholders.

Dignity

We respect the dignity and rights of all parties involved in our programs and projects, from the people we serve to our staff and our partner organizations. We include the people we serve as stakeholders in our work and seek to design programs that amplify their agency.

Diversity

We welcome and include differences in beliefs, values, ideas, opinions, and practices, such as race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, mental or physical ability, age, and family structure.

Equity

We provide the same access to opportunities, resources, and fair treatment to all stakeholders removing obstacles that discourage or preclude the full involvement of some individuals or parties.

Inclusion

We strive to create an environment where all individuals and groups are welcomed, valued, respected, and supported.

Transparency

We ensure that all stakeholders are regularly and accurately informed and we actively coordinate with other organizations to avoid duplication in our programs and projects.

Accountability

We hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards for disbursing funds responsibly and efficiently, rigorously vetting partner organizations, and using measured and evidence-based approaches to implement our work according to best practices.

UPA is a 501(c) (3) New York-registered non-profit organization, with headquarters in Washington, DC, and works in the occupied Palestinian territories and refugee camps in Jordan and Lebanon. Established in 1978 in New York by Palestinian-American professionals, UPA was conceived as a non-political, non-sectarian organization that would help Palestinians meet their relief and development needs.

UPA is committed to disbursing funds responsibly and efficiently. It also works with capable, credible partner organizations that have demonstrated the ability to accomplish the goal of any UPA-provided grant. Board members and key personnel of partner organizations undergo a regular and rigorous vetting process to protect UPA resources from diversion or exploitation to purposes other than specified in the grant documents.

Charity Navigator has given UPA its highest rating – four stars – for financial health, accountability, and transparency for the last eight years. UPA meets all 20 Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance standards and has earned the Guidestar Platinum Seal of Transparency.

Audited financial statements and IRS Form 990s from 2011 onward are available under the Reports section.

2020 Completed the third harbor in the Gaza strip as part of UPA’s Illuminating Gaza: One Harbor at a time

2020 Equipped a sports club in Hittin Refugee Camp in Jordan

2019 Constructed a 2nd harbor in the Gaza strip UPA’s Illuminating Gaza: One Harbor at a time

2019 Set up solar energy systems in Gaza kindergartens

2018 Launched UPA’s Illuminating Gaza: One Harbor at a Time

2018 Constructed a soccer field for young Palestinian refugees in Hittin Camp (Marka).

2018 Renamed UPA’s University Scholarship Program to the Mahmoud Darwish Scholarship Fund.

2016 Fund the construction of a covered sports field for Palestinians living in refugee camps in Lebanon.

2015 Constructed a craniofacial surgery center in the West Bank that treats cleft lips and Palates, trains Palestinian surgeons and provides data to researchers exploring the causes of craniofacial anomalies.

2013 Built a children’s library in Beit Jala, established an Audiology and Speech Disorder Center at Birzeit University and renovated and expanding the Kidney Dialysis Center at Al-Hamshari Hospital in Saida, Lebanon.

2010-2014 Distributed pharmaceuticals to the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, children’s books to the Gaza Strip, textbooks to Al-Quds University, and blankets and baby clothes to Palestinian refugees fleeing Syria, collectively valued at over $25 million.

2009 Provided water, food, first-aid kits and plastic sheeting to those devastated by the war in the Gaza Strip.

2002-2004 Implemented a $2.7 million grant from USAID for an emergency employment generation project in partnership with the Welfare Association in response to unemployment caused by the second intifada.

1985-1990 Constructed a $2.4 million nursing college on the Mount of Olives, the first modern four-year nursing institution in Palestine.

1985-1987 Provided emergency relief