This study aims to explore the relationships between the third sector and the educational system in Israel in light of their current increasing involvement with one another. This was investigated along four stages of the policy process ranging from initial agenda-setting to final implementation. The stage of policy these relationships reached was determined by the scope of change they demanded and by their ability to engage the mediation of an elite. This qualitative research revealed that third sector organisations seeking to create a counter-hegemony were stopped at early stages of the policy process. Organisations that helped to maintain the existing order reached the implementation stage and executed the Education Ministry's policy.