Arab Foundations Forum

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Arab Foundations Forum

AFF is a non-profit member association of philanthropic foundations in the Arab region. In support of strategic philanthropy...changing the way we give

What do we do? AFF serves as a hub for networking, knowledge sharing and capacity building for its members and partners. The Forum aims to foster dialogue and collaboration opportunities among its network in order to bolster the capacity and efficacy of strategic philanthropy in the Arab region

Why do we do it? The establishment of AFF came about as a response to the rapid increase in the number of philanthropic foundations in the Arab region and from the need to create an infrastructure for this emerging philanthropic sector that would support a more strategic and effective culture of giving

11/09/2026

From expanding medical access and clearing legacy hazards to advancing digital journalism and celebrating student perseverance, this week’s roundup showcases the diverse ways AFF members are building a more secure and empowered future:

Hand in Hand for Aid and Development
In a joint display of AFF network collaboration, Hand in Hand hosted a visiting delegation from fellow AFF member the International Rescue Committee (IRC) at Ibn Al-Waleed Hospital in Homs. The field visit evaluated joint health services, assessed daily clinical workflows, and strengthened coordination to better address patient and community needs.

The HALO Trust
HALO launched a new mine clearance partnership with Azule Energy running through July 2027 across Angola’s Bié, Cuando, and Cubango provinces. The initiative combines land reclamation with economic empowerment, creating employment and professional pathways for women in mine-affected communities.

ARIJ
Throughout August, ARIJ and the Google News Initiative brought the project to newsrooms, civil society groups, and universities, training over 216 participants across Yemen, Tunisia, Morocco, and Egypt in responsible and effective AI integration.

Jusoor - جسور
Jusoor celebrated the graduation of 62 Syrian high school scholarship students from Tuyoor AlAmal School in Tripoli, Lebanon. Despite years of disruption and conflict, the program’s comprehensive financial, academic, and psychosocial support enabled these talented young learners to complete their secondary education.

Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps is officially rebranding to Prosper Global. The new identity reflects the organization's evolving vision while maintaining its longstanding commitment to fostering shared prosperity and resilience in communities worldwide.

As always, stay tuned for more updates across our network next week as we continue to spotlight the work shaping philanthropy, development, and social impact across the Arab region.

06/09/2026

The systems built to respond to crises are still missing the people who need help most, while local and feminist organizations remain severely under-resourced. Tomorrow, we tackle how to change that.

Join the Arab Foundations Forum for an online panel discussion on "Who Leads the Response? Gender, Power, and Innovation in Humanitarian Response," featuring leaders from the International Rescue Committee, Collateral Repair Project, Welfare Association - Taawon مؤسسة التعاون, and the Doria Feminist Fund.

Secure your spot via the link in our bio before tomorrow's session.

Monday, September 7 | 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM EET (Cairo) / 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM EDT (New York)

03/09/2026

As our network continues to foster community resilience, expand early childhood development, cultivate critical thinking among youth, and respond to critical humanitarian crises, this week’s AFF Weekly Member Roundup highlights inspiring updates from across our region:

Dalia Association-مؤسسة دالية المجتمعية
Dalia Association has delivered 48 psychosocial support sessions benefiting 320 women in displacement camps. These safe spaces focus on building peer support, emotional coping skills, and resilience amid ongoing challenges.

Ruwwad - Jordan رواد التنمية - الأردن
Ruwwad Jordan completed its "Mind Compass" training program under the Dignity Bridges project. Led by Nur Shbeita, the 5-day initiative equipped youth with critical thinking tools to analyze information, evaluate evidence, and engage constructively with differing viewpoints.

Sanad for Alternative Parental Care سند للرعاية الوالدية البديلة
In partnership with The Recyclers, Sanad organized a specialized woodwork and art workshop for 15 children in care homes. The hands-on activity fostered manual skills, self-expression, and confidence in a safe, supportive environment.

Save the Children Jordan
Save the Children Jordan celebrated the graduation of a new cohort of children from its Early Childhood Development centers in the Za'atari and Azraq refugee camps. The program uses play, drama, and interactive learning to support foundational linguistic, cognitive, and social-emotional growth.

International Medical Corps
International Medical Corps is responding to devastating flooding and landslides in Nepal triggered by a glacial break in Langtang National Park. Operating through trusted local partners, the organization is mobilizing healthcare services and essential relief supplies for isolated communities.

As always, stay tuned for more updates across our network next week as we continue to spotlight the work shaping philanthropy, development, and social impact across the Arab region.

28/08/2026

As our network continues to champion resilient communities, expand educational and economic opportunities, and advocate for the safety of frontline humanitarian workers, this week’s AFF Weekly Member Roundup highlights inspiring milestones from across the region:

Welfare Association - Taawon مؤسسة التعاون
Taawon and KSrelief signed two agreements totaling $2 million to support vulnerable populations in Gaza. The initiatives will provide holistic care for 915 orphans and empower local farmers by reclaiming and equipping 75,000 square meters of open agricultural land.

Jordan River Foundation (JRF)
JRF wrapped up its 2026 summer camp activities in Aqaba, implemented through the Queen Rania Al Abdullah Center for Community Empowerment in partnership with the Aqaba Development Corporation. Part of the Safe Spaces for Protection Project, the initiative engaged 350 children and teenagers in supportive learning environments.

Collateral Repair Project - Building a Resilient Community
Collateral Repair Project is celebrating its 20th anniversary, marking two decades of supporting displaced communities in Jordan. Founded in 2006 to assist Iraqi refugees, CRP has evolved its vulnerability-based approach to serve people from Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Syria, Palestine, and beyond with long-term education, mental health, and livelihood programs.

The Galilee Foundation
The Galilee Foundation invites supporters to run in the 2026 Royal Parks Half Marathon on October 11 to raise funds for young Palestinians. Donations support critical university scholarships for medical students in Gaza, engineers in the West Bank, and educational rights across the region.

International Rescue Committee
Marking World Humanitarian Day, the IRC underscored alarming findings that aid worker deaths neared record highs in 2025, driven heavily by ongoing crises in Gaza and Sudan. The IRC calls on governments and parties to conflict to uphold international humanitarian law and protect frontline staff.

Stay tuned for more updates across our network next week as we continue to spotlight the work shaping philanthropy, development, and social impact across the Arab region.

27/08/2026

As the Arab regional convener of the Philanthropy for Climate movement, AFF celebrates a major milestone today as the movement reaches 1,000 signatories globally. We are proud to support this collective achievement.

Across thirty countries, over one thousand foundations representing more than thirty-one billion dollars in endowments have formalized their commitment to climate action. This milestone demonstrates that environmental sustainability is integral to philanthropic missions across all focus areas.

AFF recognizes the critical importance of regional infrastructure and collaborative learning in driving this progress. Foundations of all sizes are proving that meaningful climate action is achievable and measurable.

We invite regional members and partners to join this growing network.

https://arabfoundationsforum.org/apccc/

26/08/2026

The systems built to respond to crises are not reaching enough people quickly enough and often not those who need help most. Across the Arab region, feminist organizations, community-led networks, and independent practitioners are proving that a different kind of response is possible where local actors hold real authority.

Yet the funding does not follow the evidence. Women-led and local organizations remain badly under-resourced even on the frontlines.

Join the Arab Foundations Forum (AFF) for an online panel webinar titled "Who Leads the Response? Gender, Power, and Innovation in Humanitarian Response," bringing together practitioners, funders, and movement leaders to look honestly at what works, what doesn’t, and what it would take to make community-led and feminist response the norm rather than the exception.

This session will explore on-the-ground realities, unpack structural power dynamics between INGOs and local groups, address maintaining core feminist principles under acute operational pressure, and define what funders must change to properly resource community-led leadership.

Speakers
Naila Farouky (Moderator) | CEO | Arab Foundations Forum (AFF)
Sherine Ibrahim | Regional Vice President, Middle East, North Africa and Ukraine (MENAU) | International Rescue Committee
Amanda Lane | President & CEO | Collateral Repair Project - Building a Resilient Community
Dr. Tareq Emtairah | Director General | Welfare Association - Taawon مؤسسة التعاون
Zeina Abdel Khalik | Executive Director | Doria Feminist Fund

Monday, September 7, 2026
3:00 PM – 4:30 PM EET (Cairo) | 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM EDT (New York)

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_mYOLZPhuRhO4bkYwA2nwnQ #/registration

21/07/2026

Twenty years ago, the Arab Foundations Forum began in Jordan. This October, we come home.

We are excited to announce the Arab Impact Summit, a two-day regional gathering in Amman, Jordan, on October 5-6, 2026, and we are convening it alongside one of our own: AFF member Alfanar Venture Philanthropy, together with a coalition of partners who share the conviction that this is a moment to join forces.

Two decades on, the landscape looks nothing like it did when we started. Development capital is contracting, needs are growing, and the questions in front of us are bigger than any one sector can answer alone. It has never been more urgent for philanthropy and social investment to move in tandem, two tracks serving the same end: better lives and stronger communities. This moment asks us to bring them closer, to build the connections and common language that let capital, ideas, and purpose work toward a shared future. That is what we are creating in Amman, and it is where AFF's Members' Meeting and Philanthropy House will both convene.

Across two days of programming, the Summit combines plenary conversations with sessions held across the city. Day one examines how philanthropy and social investment in the region have evolved and where they are headed. Day two moves into Jabal Amman, with sessions hosted in heritage sites and social enterprises across the neighborhood. The agenda also takes on questions of accountability, sovereignty, and what it takes to sustain change over the long term.

Learn more and register: https://arab-summit.alfanar.org/register

Ford Foundation BuildPalestine Johud الصندوق الأردني الهاشمي للتنمية البشرية Danish Refugee Council

17/06/2026

For ten days in Cairo, twenty-two young Palestinian professionals did something remarkable: they imagined the Gaza they intend to rebuild.

Architects, planners, data scientists, public health specialists, and media practitioners came together on the The American University in Cairo's Tahrir campus for a pioneering Design Studio dedicated to the recovery and reconstruction of a healthy, equitable, and free Gaza. Selected from across the Arab region for their ideas and their commitment, these early-career professionals worked in multidisciplinary teams to turn lived experience into concrete plans.

The projects included:
- An emergency rescue and recovery plan
- An integrated support program for widows
- A reintegration initiative for amputees
- A community-based education plan for children outside the formal system

The Arab Foundations Forum is thrilled to have been able to support this Design Studio, and is grateful to AFF Board Member Dr. Barbara Ibrahim for her vision and leadership in helping bring it to life, as well as the mentors Professor Rabih Shibli, Dr. Momen El-Husseiny, Ph.D., and Professor Emeritus Alison Mears.

27/05/2026

Eid al-Adha Mubarak
عيد أضحى مبارك

From all of us at the Arab Foundations Forum, we wish our members, partners, and friends across the region and beyond a meaningful Eid!

28/04/2026

📣 Final 48 hours to apply: Gaza Reconstruction Design Studio

The Working Group for Gaza Reconstruction, sponsored by the Arab Foundations Forum, is convening an intensive 15-day Design Studio in Cairo for emerging Palestinian professionals to imagine and shape the rebuilding of Gaza.
We are looking for Palestinian nationals, architects, engineers, social scientists, urban planners, entrepreneurs, who are 2 to 4 years beyond their final degree and currently living in the Arab region.

Participants will work alongside senior architects, social planners, and post-conflict recovery experts from around the world. After lectures and discussion, small teams will design innovative solutions to real challenges facing Gaza's recovery, from green building approaches to walkable neighborhoods to reintegration of returning communities.

Final projects will be presented to a jury of experts and policy influencers.
Round-trip economy flights, accommodation, and meals provided for participants outside Egypt. Studio space hosted by the American University in Cairo, Tahrir Square campus.

📅 Application deadline: April 30
📧 Questions: Dr. Barbara Ibrahim, [email protected]
🔗 Apply now: https://lnkd.in/d9Fw3Dvw

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