What Qatar Foundation International does

Qatar Foundation International (QFI) was a U.S.-based nonprofit organization founded in 2009 and headquartered in Washington, DC, operating as a member of Qatar Foundation. The organization's mission was to advance Arabic language education globally by serving K-12 schools, universities, educators, students, and policymakers. Over more than 17 years of operation, QFI supported 112 schools across six countries (United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, and Spain), trained more than 2,500 teachers, and reached over 20,000 students with Arabic language and Arab cultural programming. QFI announced the wind-down of operations on June 5, 2026.

QFI's product portfolio was diversified across community programs, content resources, and research outputs rather than a unified software platform. Core offerings included the Tilemaker interactive educational tool for exploring Islamic art patterns, the All Things Arabic podcast series, Arabic Teacher Councils for educator networking, Arabic Honor Society clubs, and student competitions including the Arabic Speaking Competition and Arabic Short Story Contest. The organization also provided grantmaking programs, financial support for proficiency assessments (NEWL, AAPPL, STAMP), a community-driven research agenda, and the Arabic Teacher Training Certification Award. Research outputs were delivered through partnerships with academic institutions including Oxford University (Top 10 Priority Questions for Arabic education research), the Institute of International Education (Study of Arabic Language Programs across six countries), and Washington University in St. Louis (SALaMA study on adolescent migrants from MENA-region families).

As a nonprofit foundation funded by its parent Qatar Foundation, QFI did not charge for any of its programs, grants, awards, or educational resources. Its go-to-market motion was community-led and event-driven, relying on teacher councils, professional development networks, conference participation (ACTFL, Language World), content marketing via podcast and blog, and webinar series. The revenue model was effectively grantmaking and program delivery underwritten by Qatar Foundation's endowment, with no commercial pricing, sales motion, or revenue-recognition mechanics typical of for-profit technology companies.

Name

Qatar Foundation International

Legal name

Qatar Foundation International, LLC

Website

https://qfi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Qatar Foundation International was a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that advanced Arabic language education globally through grants, teacher professional development, student competitions, research publications, and community programs, serving K-12 schools, educators, and students across six countries until its closure in June 2026.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Language Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Pathway & Foundation Providers (EDAIAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Assessment, Certification & Qualifications Frameworks (BPADAKAL)

Keywords

• Arabic language education
• Language teacher training
• Educational grant programs
• Cultural exchange programs
• K-12 language programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Funding: QFI operates as a nonprofit foundation funded by Qatar Foundation. The organization provides grants, awards, and financial support to educators, students, and schools for Arabic language education programs.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Qatar Foundation International (QFI) is a Washington, DC-based non-profit organization that provides grants, professional development, educational tools (including the proprietary Tilemaker app), research, and awards to advance Arabic language teaching and learning for K-12 schools, teachers, and students globally. QFI also convenes Arabic Teacher Councils, awards scholarships and recognition, and conducts research on Arabic language acquisition.

Product overview

Qatar Foundation International (QFI) is an educational organization (not a technology company) dedicated to advancing the teaching and learning of Arabic as a global language. QFI operates a portfolio of educational programs and resources rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include the Tilemaker interactive educational tool for exploring Islamic art patterns, the All Things Arabic podcast series, Arabic Teacher Councils for professional networking, Arabic Honor Society (AHS) clubs for student engagement, and various awards and competitions including the Arabic Speaking Competition and Arabic Short Story Contest. QFI also provides grantmaking programs, proficiency assessment support (NEWL, AAPPL, STAMP), research publications through its community-driven Research Agenda, and the Arabic Teacher Training Certification Award. The organization conducts research through initiatives like the Study of Arabic Language Programs (SALP) and SALaMA study. QFI operates independently from its headquarters in Washington, DC, and partners with schools, educators, and policymakers across the Americas and Europe. The organization concluded operations after more than 17 years of pioneering work, having supported 112 schools across six countries, trained over 2,500 teachers, and helped over 20,000 students learn Arabic.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tilemaker: An interactive educational tool for learners aged 10 and up that invites users to explore Islamic art by creating vibrant, geometric tile designs.
• All Things Arabic Podcast
• Arabic Honor Society (AHS)
• Arabic Speaking Competition (ASC)

Products and services

• Tilemaker A free, standards-aligned classroom application designed to help K-12 teachers and students create Arabic-language learning activities and multimedia projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• 112 schools supported across 6 countries, 2,500+ teachers trained, 20,000+ students reached over 17+ years of operation

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Institute of International Education (IIE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 June 2026QFI partnered with IIE to conduct the Study of Arabic Language Programs (SALP), producing the global report 'Mapping Arabic Language Education: A Global Landscape Study of Policy and Practice.' The collaboration examined Arabic language education across six countries: Canada, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, the UK, and the US.
• Oxford UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023QFI partnered with Oxford University for a comprehensive scoping review of Arabic language education research, and hosted QFI Oxford Research Forums to finalize Top 10 Priority Questions for the field.
• Washington University in St. LouiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the SALaMA (Study of Adolescent Lives after Migration to America) research study examining mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of high school students from MENA region families resettled in the US. Also includes SALaM Ireland study component.
• Association for Language Learning (ALL)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerQFI participates in Language World, the annual conference of the Association for Language Learning in the UK, to share approaches to strengthening Arabic education and ensure Arabic is included in professional conversations about language learning.
• CALEC (Consortium for Arabic Language Education and Communication)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerQFI authored a chapter 'The Arabic Speaking Competition: A Tool for Heritage Language Motivation and Identity Affirmation' in CALEC's volume 'Bridging Worlds: The Power of Heritage Languages in Social Cohesion.'
• Arabic Teacher CouncilscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal chapters of Arabic Teacher Councils organized by QFI that provide networking, professional development events, seminars, and webinars for Arabic educators across QFI's network.

Scale indicators5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages): U.S. national membership organization for language educators, providing professional development, standards, conferences (where QFI exhibited), and assessments — a direct peer in the world-language teaching ecosystem.
• Asia Society: U.S.-based nonprofit that advances Asian language and culture education in K-12 schools through grants, teacher professional development, and curriculum resources — structurally comparable to QFI's Arabic mission but applied to Asian languages.
• Institute of International Education (IIE): Major U.S. nonprofit administering Fulbright and global exchange programs with extensive research and assessment work in international education — QFI's SALP research partner and a structural peer in cross-national language education research.
• Korea Foundation: South Korea's official foundation for promoting Korean language and culture internationally, funding K-12 Korean language programs, teacher training, and cultural exchange — structurally analogous to QFI's Arabic mission and grantmaking model.
• Japan Foundation: Japanese government-affiliated organization promoting Japanese language and culture internationally, with programs for K-12 schools, teacher training, and grants — a sovereign-backed peer comparable to QFI's structure and mission.
• Instituto Cervantes: Spain's official institution for promoting Spanish language and Hispanic culture globally, offering teacher training, exams (DELE), cultural events, and educational resources — directly comparable scope and mission to QFI.
• Alliance Française: Global nonprofit network promoting French language and culture through teacher training, cultural programs, grants, and educator communities — the closest analog to QFI in mission, international footprint, and nonprofit educational delivery model.
• American Councils for International Education: U.S.-based nonprofit administering international education programs including world language assessments (NEWL), teacher exchanges, and study abroad — already a QFI partner and a structural peer in the Arabic/world-language assessment space.
• Goethe-Institut: Germany's official cultural institute, promoting German language and culture worldwide through teacher training, exams, courses, and cultural programming — a sovereign-funded peer with comparable scale and mission structure to QFI.

Broad incumbents

• British Council: UK's international organization for cultural relations and English language education, running teacher training, exams, and educational programs across 100+ countries — much larger but with directly overlapping mission and operating model.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/QFIntl
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/QFInternational
• Facebookfacebook.com/QFINTL
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/qatar-foundation-international
• Instagraminstagram.com/qfintl

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Qatar Foundation International