Arabs are among the most charitable people in the world.
Several Middle Eastern family businesses have now set up foundations that help society by promoting education, arts and culture or job creation by financing entrepreneurs.

The following 10 family foundations have set up lasting institutions to address a diverse range of issues.

Sulaiman Bin Abdulaziz Al Rajhi Charitable Foundation
Founder: Sulaiman Bin Abdulaziz Al Rajhi
Country: Saudi Arabia
Focus areas: Community Development
Founded in: 1983

Sulaiman Al Rajhi established a private institution for charitable activities in 1983. In 2011, he transferred half his wealth to the Sulaiman Bin Abdulaziz Al Rajhi Charitable Foundation. At that time Al Rajhi’s wealth was an estimated at $7 billion according to Forbes, making his $3.5 billion donation one of the biggest ever by an Arab philanthropist. The foundation supports approximately 1,200 charity projects in 13 regions every year, including more than 130 cities and towns across the Kingdom. Projects are selected based on the needs of the Saudi society.

Sawiris Foundation For Social Development
Founder: Sawiris
Country: Egypt
Focus areas: Job Creation, Education
Founded in: 2001

The Sawiris Foundation for Social Development was one of the first national donor foundations to devote all its efforts to social development in Egypt. It has helped over 91,000 people and has handed out grants to 158 winners of the Sawiris Cultural Award. The objectives of the foundation are to create jobs through financing training programs, increasing access to and quality of education, awarding merit scholarships and establishing specialized higher education institutions. It also contributes to healthcare, infrastructure development and artistic and cultural innovation through annual competitions.

The Mansour Foundation For Development
Founder: Mansour Family
Country: Egypt
Focus areas: Education, Health and Capacity-Building
Founded in: 2001

The Mansour Foundation for Development was the first non-profit grant-making organization to be fully and solely funded by an Egyptian family. It works with academic and nonprofit partners, and voluntarily serves on the boards of directors for two developmental NGOs, three CSR committees and two ministerial committees for sustainability. The foundation has supported philanthropic and youth empowerment projects, female leadership initiatives, entrepreneurship incubations, corporate volunteer events, youth training workshops, health initiatives and educational scholarships and fellowships. Through these initiatives it has supported over 250,000 beneficiaries.

Community Jameel
Founder: Jameel Family
Country: Saudi Arabia
Focus areas: Job Creation, Arts and Culture, Global Development, Education and Healthcare
Founded in: 2003

Community Jameel was established to continue the Jameel family’s tradition of supporting the community. Through the Bab Rizq Jameel initiative it has helped to create over 300,000 jobs, by distributing over $533 million in microfinance loans. In 2018, it opened the Jameel Art Center, dedicated to exhibiting contemporary art—11,000 visitors visited the gallery in the first week. It also founded the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) in 2003—a global research center that works to reduce poverty. The Abdul Latif Jameel-Toyota Endowed Scholarship at MIT provides financial support for undergraduate students from more than 25 countries in Asia and MENA.

Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation For Education
Founder: Abdulla Al Ghurair
Country: U.A.E.
Focus areas: Education
Founded in: 2015

The Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education — one of the largest privately funded philanthropic education initiatives in the world — was formed with an investment of $1.1 billion. Together with the Emirates Foundation, the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation runs the Young Thinkers Programme—an online digital platform to promote university and career readiness. Through the platform’s STEM scholars’ program, it has committed to reaching a minimum of 15,000 promising Arab youth over the next decade.

 

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Written by Editorial Team
Image: Forbes Middle East
Publication date: September 5, 2019

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