Amar Foundation

What Amar Foundation does

AMAR International Charitable Foundation, commonly known as Amar Foundation, is a UK-registered nonprofit humanitarian organization founded in 1991 by Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne in response to the persecution of Iraq's Marsh Arabs. Headquartered in London, AMAR delivers healthcare, education, and emergency aid services to conflict-affected populations across Iraq (Basra, Baghdad, Erbil, Dohuk), Lebanon, Iran, and Pakistan, and more recently Ukraine. Its core programs include primary healthcare centers and mobile clinics, maternal and child health services, formal and vocational education for out-of-school children and adults, emergency relief (food, water, shelter, medical aid), and a distinctive mental health and music therapy portfolio including the Yazidi Music Project archived at the Bodleian Library. To date AMAR reports over 11 million medical consultations delivered and more than 10 million people reached, achieved through locally employed doctors, nurses, and teachers rather than expatriate staff.

AMAR's business model is a multi-channel nonprofit funding engine rather than a commercial revenue model. Income is drawn from four streams: individual donations (one-time and monthly recurring, ranging from £5 to £1,000+, with UK Gift Aid), corporate CSR partnerships (Zain Iraq, Shell Iraq, ROO, Weir Group, Crescent Petroleum, Dana Gas, Vitol Foundation, GardaWorld, LDS Charities), institutional grants from UN agencies and government bodies (WHO, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNDP, World Bank, US DRL, EIDHR, UK FCO), and high-profile fundraising events such as the annual Masquerade Gala Dinner at The Savoy. The organization is governed by a board of trustees chaired by Chris Stott, with a small London coordination team (1–10 employees) overseeing thousands of locally hired field professionals across its operating geographies. AMAR holds no proprietary technology platform; its underlying infrastructure consists of direct service delivery, digital donation tooling, and multi-decade institutional partnerships.

Name

Amar Foundation

Legal name

AMAR International Charitable Foundation

Website

https://amarfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

AMAR International Charitable Foundation is a UK-registered nonprofit founded in 1991 that delivers healthcare, education, and emergency aid to conflict-affected populations across Iraq, Lebanon, Iran, Pakistan, and Ukraine, funded by individual donations, corporate CSR partnerships, and institutional grants from UN agencies and government bodies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Aid Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanitarian Health & Emergency Medical Relief NGOs (HLAJAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH), International & Local Implementing NGOs (HLAJAKAD), Medical Missions & Global Health NGOs (BPAGACAI), Refugee, Crisis & Humanitarian Education Partnerships (EiE) (EDADALAG)

Keywords

• Humanitarian aid
• Emergency medical relief
• Primary healthcare
• Refugee education programs
• Community development charity

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: AMAR accepts one-time and monthly recurring donations from individuals. Donors can choose specific amounts (£5 to £1000+) or give flexibly. UK taxpayers can use Gift Aid to increase donation value by 25%.
2. Corporate Partnerships: AMAR receives funding and support from corporate partners including Zain, Shell Iraq, ROO, Weir Group PLC, Vitol Foundation, Crescent Petroleum, Dana Gas, and others. Corporate partners fund specific projects and programs.
3. Fundraising Events: AMAR organizes fundraising events including annual Gala Dinners (such as the Masquerade Gala at The Savoy Hotel) that raise significant funds. Corporate sponsors support these events.
4. Institutional Grants: AMAR receives funding from international organizations including WHO, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNDP, World Bank, and government bodies such as the US Department of State's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), and Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Amar Foundation is a UK-registered humanitarian charity that provides emergency aid, primary healthcare, education, and mental-health/music programmes to refugees, internally displaced persons and underserved populations in conflict zones, principally in Iraq with additional reach into Lebanon, Iran, Pakistan and Ukraine. Services are delivered by locally employed Iraqi doctors, nurses and teachers supported by a small London coordination office, funded by individual donations, corporate partnerships, fundraising events and institutional grants from UN agencies and governments.

Product overview

AMAR International Charitable Foundation is a humanitarian charity organization, not a technology company. It offers a portfolio of charitable programmes focused on delivering emergency aid, healthcare, education, refugee support, and music/mental health therapy to vulnerable populations in conflict zones. The core service offerings include Emergency Medical Aid, Refugee Support, Healthcare Services, Education, Mental Health and Music, the Yazidi Music Project (a sub-programme preserving Yazidi musical heritage), Ukraine Music Aid (coordinating UK humanitarian support for Ukraine), and the Ramadan Appeal. These programmes are delivered through direct service provision, local partnerships, and fundraising activities rather than through a technology product or platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Healthcare Services Public and primary healthcare delivery to conflict-zone and underserved populations, including primary healthcare centres, rural health posts, mobile health clinics, mother and child healthcare, reproductive health services, women health volunteer programmes, medical laboratories, pharmaceutical services, and environmental health initiatives. Intended for refugees, IDPs and host community members in Iraq, Lebanon, Iran and Pakistan.
• Emergency Medical Aid Emergency medical assistance providing clean water, food, sanitation, medical treatment, shelter, blankets and clothing to refugees, internally displaced persons and underserved populations affected by conflict and displacement.
• Refugee Support Frontline emergency services delivery to refugees and displaced individuals suffering from the effects of humanitarian disasters, including those in and outside refugee camps who often miss large-scale international responses.
• Education Programs Educational projects for adults and children in conflict zones, including school facilities, official qualifications, childcare, after-school tutoring, adult education, human rights education, professional development, vocational training and religious tolerance programmes, aligned with UNESCO values and standards.
• Mental Health and Music Mental health support delivered through music therapy programmes, including the Yazidi women's choir to help victims of trauma recover from the effects of conflict.
• Yazidi Music Project Music training and mental health services for Yazidis in IDP camps in Northern Iraq, including recording of religious and folk music for archival preservation at the Bodleian Library in Oxford.
• Ukraine Music Aid Music-based fundraising and humanitarian support initiative for Ukrainian refugees, providing a donation platform and coordinating with UK-registered Ukrainian charities, including university-based student music events and talks on the benefits of music.
• Ramadan Appeal Seasonal Ramadan appeal providing displaced and underserved women and children in Iraq with healthcare, education and training during Ramadan, including emergency supplies, clean water and infrastructure rebuilding.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 11 million medical consultations delivered
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMAR has a long-standing relationship with WHO dating back to the 1990s when they first signed an MoU covering values and standards of professional practice. AMAR continues to look to WHO to ensure professional levels of service delivery across all health projects to achieve desired health outcomes.
• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMAR's partnership with UNESCO has enabled teaching of thousands of children and illiterate young adults, promoting human rights and cultural tolerance. Recent MoU ensures all AMAR education projects adhere to UNESCO's values and standards. Most recent project enrolled over 12,000 out-of-school children into accelerated learning programs.
• United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMAR has worked with UNFPA in Iraq since 2006 to improve reproductive health of women in underprivileged communities. Project funding allows AMAR to train medical professionals, health education volunteers and traditional birth attendants.
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMAR works with UNDP in Iraq on two projects: helping combat drug-resistant TB through community health education and screening in Southern Iraq, and providing vocational skills to IDPs and host community members in Northern Iraq.
• World BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMAR's partnership with the World Bank has centred on public healthcare in Iraq. The World Bank has provided funding to increase capacity of Primary Healthcare Centres, mobile health clinics for rural communities, professional training for medical staff and an integrated Women Health Volunteer programme.
• Government of IraqcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMAR has an excellent relationship with the Government of Iraq and works closely with its ministries, particularly the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education. Staff participate in delivering and monitoring many of AMAR's programmes with continuous training for ministry staff.
• US Department of State - Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2012, AMAR U.S. has worked to promote DRL's central mission of freedom, democracy and human rights through initiatives focused on ending gender based violence. Through education workshops and legal support structures, AMAR has provided assistance to victims of gender based violence.
• European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMAR has worked with EIDHR in Iraq since 2014 to reduce ongoing social, economic and political divisions as a consequence of discrimination on grounds of religious belief. Funding allows AMAR to train Community Leaders on human rights, religious tolerance, anti-discrimination and gender empowerment.
• Foreign and Commonwealth Office (UK Government)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMAR has worked with the British Embassy in Iraq to enhance political participation in Iraq. Between 2014-2015, AMAR trained teachers and community leaders in 30 schools across 6 governorates, reaching more than 3,600 pupils and families.
• Office of Global Women's IssuescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrom 2011-13, through the Office of Global Women's Issues, AMAR U.S. worked to combat violence against women and promote women's participation in Iraq. The Leadership and Capacity Building program operated in Erbil, Dohuk, and Sulaymaniyah with over 24,000 beneficiaries.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Islamic Relief Worldwide: Birmingham-headquartered international humanitarian NGO with a long-standing Middle East field presence, operating healthcare, education and emergency programmes across Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine and beyond — closely comparable to AMAR's mix of health, education and emergency relief in the same region.
• International Medical Corps: US-headquartered humanitarian organisation delivering emergency healthcare, primary care and women's health services in conflict-affected Middle East countries; near-direct overlap with AMAR's healthcare service line, including primary healthcare centres and mobile clinics for IDPs in Iraq.
• Mercy Corps: Large US-based humanitarian NGO with deep Middle East programming in Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, providing health, education, livelihoods and emergency aid — closely comparable in service mix, geographic footprint and donor base to AMAR.
• International Rescue Committee: US-headquartered humanitarian organisation focused on crisis-affected populations, with extensive programmes in Iraq, Lebanon and the wider region delivering health, education and protection services for refugees and IDPs — strongly comparable to AMAR's refugee-and-displacement service focus.
• Relief International: US-headquartered humanitarian agency operating health, education and livelihoods programmes for conflict-affected populations in Iraq, Iran, Lebanon and other MENA states; near-direct peer given overlapping programmatic model and Iraqi field presence.

Broad incumbents

• Direct Relief: Large humanitarian medical aid organisation providing medicines, supplies and health-system support globally, including to Iraq; comparable as a healthcare-focused humanitarian playing in the same Middle East footprint as AMAR but operating at a much larger scale and broadly across many geographies.
• Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders: The world's leading medical humanitarian organisation, with significant Iraq and regional programming delivering emergency and primary healthcare to conflict-affected populations; comparable in mission but operates at substantially larger scale and a much broader global footprint than AMAR.
• CARE International: Large global humanitarian confederation with MENA programming in Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan, spanning health, education, women's empowerment and emergency response — overlapping AMAR's service mix but operating at much greater scale and geographic breadth.

Regional players

• Iraq Red Crescent Society: Iraq-domestic humanitarian organisation delivering emergency relief, healthcare and support to displaced populations across Iraqi governorates; comparable to AMAR's Iraq field operations and IDP programming, but operating as a national Iraqi entity rather than as a UK-registered international foundation.

Emerging players

• Penny Appeal: UK-registered humanitarian NGO with strong Middle East emergency and Ramadan/Zakat giving programmes comparable to AMAR's Ramadan Appeal and emergency-aid work; similar fundraising motion and UK Muslim-donor base but with a more limited Iraq operational presence.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCwo-7aVvE0oXmxhd5nkCYAA
• Facebookfacebook.com/amarus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/amar-international-charitable-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/amar.foundation
• Xx.com/amarlondon

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments1 record

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Frequently asked questions about Amar Foundation