Philanthropy in the Arab Region

July 2019

Individual giving in India, Russia, the Arab region and Brazil

This paper It looks at the development of individual giving in India, Russia, the Arab region and Brazil, with a special focus on some significant trends: crowdfunding and online giving, national giving days/weeks, fundraising by NGOs, and the causes that individual donors give to. It then goes on to look at the significance of the rise in individual giving; the role of technology in this; and finally the kinds of things that would enhance individual giving.

Community philanthropy initiative launched in Palestine

Posted on July 23, 2018 by Andrew Milner

Rawa, a philanthropic fund rooted in participatory community decision-making, has been launched in Palestine to promote community development and the mobilisation of local resources. Following an exploration period, supported by Rockefeller Brothers Fund, The Open Society Foundations, The Middle East Children’s Alliance, Global Fund for Community Foundations, Al-Maamal Foundation and the Ford Foundation, Rawa will support initiatives…

Arab philanthropy is held back by caution and a lack of vision

Posted on July 13, 2018 by Barbara Ibrahim

I read Nora Murad’s provocative response to Philanthropy for Social Justice and Peace’s (PSJP’s) report on philanthropy in the Arab world during the month of Ramadan, a time when Muslims the world over make their most significant charitable contributions. Television ads in Egypt are crowded with emotional appeals to help rural children’s hospitals, food banks…

We need to encourage more people to write about their work

Posted on May 31, 2018 by Atallah Kuttab

Thanks to Nora Murad for raising important issues in her blog responding to PSJP’s report on Philanthropy in the Arab Region. Local discourses are something I work hard to highlight, including asset-based (vs needs-based) development and horizontal philanthropy that tends to ‘shift the power’. What is needed is to encourage people out there who are…

Deeper issues for Arab philanthropy need to be discussed

Posted on May 18, 2018May 31, 2018 by Nora Lester Murad

A comprehensive and well-written report, Caroline Hartnell’s just-released Philanthropy in the Arab Region: A working paper gave me a feeling of déjà vu. The report featured the same deservedly respected experts that are featured in every report on Arab philanthropy, and they were saying things I’d heard for years at conferences, in articles, and, I…

Philanthropy in captivity: counter-terrorism measures and Arab philanthropy

Posted on May 2, 2018July 10, 2018 by Sherine El Taraboulsi-McCarthy

Caroline Hartnell’s Philanthropy in the Arab Region: A Working Paper is a fascinating account of the breadth of generosity and innovation in the Arab region. Philanthropic practices covered in the report run a wide gamut from traditional philanthropy, which emanates from social solidarity and religious values of giving, to corporate philanthropy, impact investing and social…

Arab philanthropy moves from charity to development, new reports finds

Posted on March 26, 2018May 2, 2018 by Alliance

Philanthropy’s role in the Arab region is shifting from a more traditional religious and charitable paradigm to one of secular development. That’s a central finding of a new working paper published today by the Philanthropy for Social Justice and Peace (PSJP) network in association with Alliance, Arab Foundations Forum, John D Gerhart Center for Philanthropy, King Khalid Foundation, Philanthropy Age,…

Some key issues for philanthropy in the Arab region

Posted on March 23, 2018July 10, 2018 by Atallah Kuttab

By Atallah Kuttab The working paper titled Philanthropy in the Arab Region succeeds in giving a comprehensive overview of the current state of philanthropy in the Arab region. Philanthropy is embedded in the culture of the region. The paper emphasizes the long history of giving encouraged by religious belief and the concept of social solidarity…

March 2018

This report on philanthropy in the Arab region is part of a larger study, started in 2016, to review the current state of philanthropy in emerging economies and the role philanthropy is playing in the world today. This is the third report from the study, which we hope will eventually form part of the Philanthropy…