How Much Is the RootOne Voucher? Does it Come Directly to Me?

RootOne grants are $3000. Vouchers are paid directly to Muss as the trip provider, and Muss deducts $3,000 from the cost of tuition.  

How Can I Receive a RootOne Voucher?

To apply for a voucher, Muss participants must be a current 9th, 10th, or 11th grade Jewish teen, must reside in the United States or Canada, and must not have received a previous RootOne voucher. There are no exceptions to these criteria. Muss participants must apply and be accepted to one of our four summer programs. After acceptance to an Muss summer program, you will receive an email with a link to apply online for the RootOne Voucher.   

Muss has set aside enough vouchers for all participants of our summer programs. Once your RootOne application has been submitted and confirmed, your voucher is saved, but if you do not complete the pre-trip requirements on time, your voucher will be forfeited.  

Has My Application to RootOne Been Accepted?

If RootOne sent a copy of your application to your email, then you are eligible to receive a voucher, but you won’t be fully “accepted” until you have fulfilled the early experience education requirements.

What’s the Next Step After I Apply for RootOne?

Once your application has been submitted and you receive the confirmation email, click your unique link in the email to activate your online portal. Here you will be able to sign up for early experiences.  

What are the RootOne Pre-Trip Experiences?

To help participants deepen their connection to and knowledge of Israel before they leave and when they return, RootOne and its partners offer access to an array of experiences, opportunities, and content pre-trip and throughout the rest of their high school experience. These include online synchronous, asynchronous, and live opportunities found in your online portal.  

How Do I Earn Credit for the Pre-Trip Experiences? Are they Mandatory?

RootOne Voucher applicants will be required to complete 18 nekudot (points or credits) worth of early experience learning before your trip to Israel to become eligible for a $3,000 RootOne Voucher.  All early experience content has been assigned nekudot value based on the time required for the experience and educational rigor and depth of the content itself.  The estimated total time needed to complete the 18 nekudot is about 8-9 hours. 

Some programs will be mandatory, while others will be noted as electives so that each teen can select learning opportunities that are of interest.  Much of the asynchronous content that is available is gamified and done online, on-demand, to be done by each teen on their own.   

On average, 2-3 nekudot equals about 60 minutes of programming. Teens’ status will move from “submitted” to “accepted” and funds will be credited to their Roots Israel account balance.  

What If There Aren’t Enough Experiences on my Portal to Earn 18 Nekudot?

RootOne is currently building more experiences and will continue to add programs. Please keep checking back to find and register for more opportunities.  

Can I Earn Credit for my Synagogue/Youth Group/School Activities?

Though we encourage and are thrilled about your extracurricular Jewish and Israel-focused activities, you cannot use other experiences to earn nekudot for RootOne.  

What is the Deadline to Earn my Nekudot?

We strongly recommend that you complete at least 10 nekudot and register for the remaining 8 nekudot by May 15th. All 18 must be completed by June 1, 2024.  

Is My Teen Still Eligible for a Need-Based Scholarship?

Need-based families can apply for scholarships from Muss and other funding sources.

Is My Teen Still Eligible to Participate in a Birthright Israel Trip if They Receive a RootOne Voucher?

Receiving a RootOne voucher will not impact eligibility for Birthright Israel.  

Who can I Contact with Further Questions?

All questions regarding RootOne should be sent directly to [email protected].