Visualizing Palestine is a pro-Palestinian advocacy campaign founded in 2012 to promote Palestinian nationalism. Visualizing Palestine is a fiscally sponsored project under Empowerment Works, ¹ and it was among the endorser organizations that supported the March on Washington for Gaza in January 2024 protesting the Israel-Hamas War that followed the Hamas terrorist attack on the State of Israel on October 7, 2024. ²

Visual Resources

Visualizing Palestine uses a “Creative Commons ethos,” providing free visual resources and infographics to be shared on social media to raise awareness about issues related to Palestinian nationalism. ¹

Financials

Visualizing Palestine is a fiscally sponsored program under Empowerment Works, which uses its nonprofit status to allow organizations to receive the benefits of a nonprofit without being a nonprofit “by conferring upon the project the benefit of its tax-exempt status.” ¹ This fiscal sponsorship arrangement is often done with Empowerment Works through a “Model A” relationship “where the sponsor takes the project in-house, and the project has no separate legal existence.” ³

Empowerment Works reported revenues of $1,411,586 and assets of $223,290 in 2022. ⁴

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, a private grantmaking foundation, donated $600,000 to Empowerment Works in 2022. ⁵

The Enlight Foundation, a private grantmaking foundation founded by Chinese billionaire Yongping Duan, donated $300,000 to Empowerment Works in 2022. ^{4 6} The NoVo Foundation, a private foundation controlled by Peter Buffett, the son of Warren Buffett, donated $200,000 to Empowerment Works in 2022. ^{7 4}

People

Aline Batarseh is the executive director of Visualizing Palestine. Her work focuses on “social justice issues, intersectional feminism, and in challenging unjust social systems.” Batarseh has previously worked as a fundraising consultant for Muntada: The Arab Forum for Sexuality Education and Health. ⁸

Melanie St. James is the executive director of Empowerment Works, as well as the “chief inspiration officer.”  ⁹

1. “About.” Visualizing Palestine, April 2, 2024. https://visualizingpalestine.org/about/.
2. “Endorsers.” March on Washington for Gaza, December 30, 2023. https://march4gaza.org/endorsers/.
3. “Seeking Sponsorship?” Empowerment Works. Accessed September 16, 2024. https://www.empowermentworks.org/fiscal.html.
4. “Empowerment Works.” Cause IQ. Accessed September 16, 2024. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/empowerment-works,311796801/.
5. “Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.” Cause IQ. Accessed September 16, 2024. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/andrew-w-mellon-foundation,131879954/.
6. Tao, Li. “Meet the ‘Godfather’ of China’s Smartphone Industry.” Tech in Asia – connecting Asia’s startup ecosystem. Accessed September 16, 2024. https://www.techinasia.com/meet-godfather-chinas-smartphone-industry.
7. “Timeline.” NoVo Foundation, March 14, 2024. https://novofoundation.org/timeline/.
8. “Aline Batarseh.” LinkedIn. Accessed September 16, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/aline-batarseh-53035abb/.
9. “Our Team.” Empowerment Works. Accessed September 16, 2024. https://www.empowermentworks.org/our-team.html.