Israel Democracy Institute

The Israel Democracy Institute (IDI; המכון הישראלי לדמוקרטיה), established in 1991, is an independent research center that believes it can strengthen the foundations of Israeli democracy from its base in West Jerusalem.

History
The Israel Democracy Institute was founded in 1991 by Arye Carmon, the first president, and Bernard Marcus. It aims to bolster the values and institutions of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. The non-partisan think tank was awarded the Israel Prize for by the State of Israel.

In 2014, Yohanan Plesner was appointed president. In 2018, Yuval Shany was made vice president of research.

The institute formerly published the online journal HaAyin HaShevi'it (The Seventh Eye).

Award and ranking
In 2009, IDI was awarded the Israel Prize for its "lifetime achievement and special contribution to society and the State of Israel. In the University of Pennsylvania's 2014 Global Go To Think Tanks Report, it was ranked the 23rd best think tank in the Middle East and North Africa.

Budget
The Israel Democracy Institute is funded by charitable donations, which totaled $8,989,254 in 2017. This mostly came from American billionaire Bernard Marcus. Its budget is published yearly in its annual report.