Israel Association of Comunnity Centers

The Israel Association of Comunnity Centers Ltd. (IACC), is an Israeli government company under the responsibility of the Ministry of Education, aimed at building local communities through a national network. Until 2020, the company was under the responsibility of the Ministry of Education, but when the Ministry of Higher Education and Complementary Education was established, the responsibility for the Company for Community Centers was transferred to it. In July 2021, with the dissolution of the ministry, it was decided to return the Company for Community Centers to the Ministry of Education.

The company focuses on developing and managing advanced frameworks of supplementary education, learning as a way of life, and providing solutions for community members with special needs, with a community approach and across all ages.

The company's board of directors is composed of individuals who are selected from the board of directors or appointed by the Minister of Education.

History
The idea of the community center developed during the search for new ways to accelerate social processes in developing communities and in vulnerable populations. The concept took shape and form in 1969, initiated by the Minister of Education and Culture, Zalman Aran. Aran explored the realization of the community centers concept along two parallel tracks: he tasked Dr. Yael Pozner, the head of the Education Department at the Ministry of Education and Culture, with establishing a committee to examine the issue; and he tasked Haim Tzippori, the head of the Culture Unit at the Ministry of Education, responsible for eradicating illiteracy and the People's Art Project, with investigating whether there was cultural and social activity in the development towns and its nature. The meeting between the two provided a significant push for the establishment and development of community centers in Israel.

After the committee decided that there indeed was a place for community centers, the question arose as to how the centers would function organizationally. At that time, the Ministry of Education could not bear the burden alone. The committee wanted each center to develop according to its unique local conditions, and therefore suggested that a local management for each center should determine its policy. Regarding the overall organization, responsible for all the local managements, it was proposed to establish a governmental company, whose board of directors would include representatives of various bodies and sectors in the state and society, and would be responsible for managing the center and employing the staff. The head of the committee, Tzippori, summarized the work of the Pozner Committee:

"In various committees and with the assistance of the Legal Advisor to the Government, the patterns were formulated until 1969, the founding year of the company. Naturally, Dr. Yael Pozner was chosen to be the chairperson of the board of directors. Then the Israeli nickname for the community center was also determined - Matnas - derived from the official lengthy name - Center for Culture, Youth, and Sport, given in the early days due to various constraints, when no one was sure what the day would bring. Over the years, as the institution developed and proved itself as a worthy community center, we often thought that maybe it would be better to change the name, but we quickly abandoned the idea because in the meantime, the Matnas took root and became an asset and a household word, like the IDF's Chief of Staff or SHAKEM. The original recipe proved itself with a considerable degree of success."

Accordingly, it was decided to divide the Matnas system into geographical districts, each overseen by a district manager, whose role was to guide the Matnas manager, and through him, the staff and local management, in all the areas that the Matnas deals with, and also to maintain contact with authorities and organizations in the area. During the years 2004–2008, under the leadership of Yair Galer as CEO of the Company for Community Centers, the company focused on promoting non-formal education, increasing volunteerism rates, reducing the extent of youth violence, and integrating populations with special needs into leisure activities.

The company acted and supported the residents of the North during the Second Lebanon War. In 2008, under the leadership of Eitan Mezrahi as CEO of the company, it underwent a rebranding and centers were opened in Arab settlements and in the ultra-Orthodox sector.