Exigent Foundation
Canadian organisation that runs trips to Israel for media figures and policymakers, part-funded by Israel's Foreign Ministry
| The Exigent Foundation
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|---|---|
| Logo | 
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| Founded | 2024 |
| Founder(s) | Larry Maher, Vivian Bercovici, Georganne Burke |
| Location | Canada |
| Services | "Educational trips" to Israel for Canadian media, business leaders, academics and policymakers |
| Key people | Larry Maher (CEO) |
| Website | exigentfoundation.org |
The Exigent Foundation is a Canadian organisation that takes Canadian journalists, influencers and former officials on trips to Israel. In 2025 Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs approved paying it up to US$128,800 for two delegations.[1][2] The ministry booked the contract to its "Public Diplomacy Projects 545" budget line.[2]
Founding and aims
PressProgress reported that the foundation was launched in 2024 by its CEO Larry Maher, former Canadian ambassador to Israel Vivian Bercovici and Conservative Party insider Georganne Burke. It said the group's stated mission was to counter a "surge of leftist and Islamist extremism following the October 7th Massacre", mainly through "educational trips" to Israel for "media, corporate leadership, academics and key policymakers". Since January 2024 its guests had included editors and columnists from the National Post and Toronto Sun and contributors to right-wing outlets.[1]
Israeli government funding
On 8 September 2025 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs published an exemption notice for a contract with The Exigent Foundation to bring delegations from Canada, valued at US$162,600.[3] The ministry's exemptions committee approved the engagement on 25 September 2025 at the request of its Public Diplomacy Division, for up to US$128,800.[2] The minutes describe the foundation as a "Canadian organization with access to influential audiences". They provide for two delegations of 10 people, each staying about a week:[1]
- influencers from the Iranian Justice Collective, in October 2025;
- a "VIP delegation" of former senior Canadian security officials, in November 2025.
The approved itinerary included the i24 news station and the Haifa headquarters of the arms maker Elbit Systems. The commitment was booked to item 09-51-92-14, "Public Diplomacy Projects 545".[2]
The Iranian Justice Collective told PressProgress that its members' trip fell through. The October 2025 trip went ahead with Canadian right-wing media figures. According to PressProgress, the November delegation included:[1]
- former Chief of the Defence Staff Jonathan Vance;
- Vice-Admiral (ret.) Mark Norman;
- former national security adviser Stephen Rigby.
Neither the foundation nor Maher answered PressProgress's questions, and nor did the Israeli Foreign Ministry or its embassy in Ottawa.[1]
See also
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Luke LeBrun, Group Sending Canadian Right-Wing Media Personalities on Free Trips to Israel Quietly Funded by the Israeli Government PressProgress, 12 February 2026, accessed 22 October 2026. Critical.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, tenders committee minutes 340/2025, 25 September 2025, with Hebrew scans, published by PressProgress (PDF), February 2026, accessed 21 October 2026. Official (primary), first published by PressProgress.
- ↑ Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Exemption notice 4000606762: The Exigent Foundation delegations from Canada mr.gov.il, 8 September 2025, accessed 21 October 2026. Official (primary).