The Asfari Foundation

What The Asfari Foundation does

The Asfari Foundation is a UK-registered philanthropic family foundation established in 2006 by Syrian British businessman Ayman Asfari and his wife Sawsan Asfari, headquartered at 1 Gough Square, London. The foundation has deployed over £60 million since inception to strengthen civil society infrastructure and empower youth across the Levant region (Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Jordan) and the United Kingdom. It operates without commercial revenue, funded entirely by endowment and philanthropic contributions from the founding family, with all financial flows directed outward as grants to civil society partners. There is no proprietary technology product; the foundation's operating model is built on lean internal staff (6 employees), structured grant programmes, and a network of implementing and academic partners.

Its core programmatic portfolio comprises the Civil Society Programme (CSP), offering organisational development and core-cost grants of up to £75,000 per year for up to three years to small and medium-sized CSOs; the Youth Learning, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation Programme (YLEAP); the Digital Transformation Grant (up to 10 grants of £7,000 each per cycle); the Tabadol social entrepreneurship fellowship delivered with MakeSense Lebanon; the Asfari Challenge for Social Innovation (ACSI) accelerator; Performance Excellence Grants; Organisational Development Grants; and a Knowledge Production and Influencing strand supporting research with academic institutions and think tanks (AUB, Carnegie, Chatham House, Atlantic Council). The foundation also supports the Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship at the American University of Beirut.

The foundation's go-to-market motion is event-driven, relying on annual open grant calls, the Multaqa Al Asfari webinar series, website content, social media, and convenings to reach grantees and partners. Its value proposition centres on long-term flexible funding, organisational development support, and access to a curated network of academic, think tank, and peer-foundation partnerships. Pricing is structured as grant tiers ranging from £5,000 Learning Development injections to £75,000/year multi-year core-cost grants, with no commercial pricing model. The foundation's 2024-2028 strategy, launched in May 2024, sets the current strategic direction.

Name

The Asfari Foundation

Legal name

The Asfari Foundation

Website

https://asfarifoundation.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Asfari Foundation is a UK-registered philanthropic family foundation established in 2006 by Ayman and Sawsan Asfari that has deployed over £60 million in grants to strengthen civil society organisations and empower youth across the Levant region and the United Kingdom.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropy / Grant-making Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB), Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grant-making
• Civil society support
• Youth empowerment
• Organizational development grants
• Social entrepreneurship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

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. Philanthropic Grant-Making: As a family foundation, The Asfari Foundation generates no commercial revenue. The foundation's activities are funded through endowment and philanthropic contributions from founders Ayman and Sawsan Asfari. All 'revenue' flows are outgoing grants to civil society organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Asfari Foundation is a philanthropic family foundation that provides grants, fellowships, and capacity-building support to civil society organisations and youth programmes in the Levant region (Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Jordan) and the United Kingdom. Its core offerings include multi-year organisational development grants of up to £75,000 per year through the Civil Society Programme (CSP), the Youth Learning, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (YLEAP), Digital Transformation Grants of £7,000, the 6-month Tabadol social entrepreneurship fellowship, and the Asfari Challenge for Social Innovation (ACSI) accelerator.

Product overview

The Asfari Foundation operates as a philanthropic family foundation offering a portfolio of grant programmes, fellowship opportunities, and innovation challenges rather than a unified technology product. The core offerings include the Civil Society Programme (CSP) providing organisational development grants of up to £75,000 per year for up to three years; the Youth Learning, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (YLEAP) supporting entrepreneurs from ideation to impact; and the Digital Transformation Grant (DTG) offering £7,000 awards to enhance organisations' digital presence. Additional offerings include the Tabadol Fellowship Programme (6-month social entrepreneurship matching), the Asfari Challenge for Social Innovation (ACSI) competition with accelerator access, Performance Excellence Grants, and Organisational Development Grants. The Knowledge Production and Influencing strand funds research partnerships with academic institutions. The foundation also participates in the Arab Alliance for CSO Development (AACSOD) coalition. The website serves as the primary digital interface through which programme information, applications, and resources are delivered to civil society partners in the Levant region and the UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Asfari Institute: Academic institute for civil society and citizenship at American University of Beirut, supported by the Asfari Foundation.
• Tabadol
• Asfari Challenge for Social Innovation (ACSI)
• Digital Transformation Grants
• Civil Society Programme (CSP)
• YLEAP

Products and services

• Civil Society Programme (CSP) A grant programme supporting the organisational development of small to medium-sized civil society organisations (CSOs) in the Levant region, offering flexible funding for core costs and capacity building. Awards grants of up to £75,000 per year for up to three years.
• Youth Learning, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation Programme (YLEAP) Supports organisations working with young entrepreneurs from ideation through to impact investment, and develops innovative learning solutions for students, jobseekers, and employees.
• Digital Transformation Grant (DTG) Provides up to 10 grants of £7,000 each to help organisations enhance their digital presence and delivery, enabling them to grow their impact and sustainability.
• Tabadol Fellowship Programme A 6-month social entrepreneurship fellowship matching civil society organisations with social entrepreneurs to solve problems facing communities across the Levant region.
• Asfari Challenge for Social Innovation (ACSI) A competition and accelerator programme supporting innovators to develop sustainable solutions responding to challenges in the region, with grant prizes of £7,000 and access to further funding of up to £75,000 per year.
• Performance Excellence Grants Grants awarded to partners demonstrating strong performance, as part of the foundation's approach to organisational development.
• Organisational Development Grants Flexible funding for organisational development, core costs, and capacity building for CSOs in the region.
• Knowledge Production and Influencing Funding for knowledge production through partnerships with academic institutions and think tanks, translating research into action through convenings and coalition-building.

Quantifiable outcome

• Grants of up to £75,000 per year for up to three years available to qualifying organizations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Arab Foundations Forum (AFF)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 October 2023The Asfari Foundation partnered with Arab Foundations Forum and other organizations in a vital call to action uniting donors worldwide to channel urgent humanitarian aid to Gaza. This coalition effort coordinated emergency funding responses.
• MakeSense LebanoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 February 2022Partnership to deliver the Tabadol Fellowship Programme, an innovative social entrepreneurship fellowship bringing together individual social entrepreneurs and civil society organizations to solve challenges facing Levant communities.
• Year HereminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization that inspired the design of the Tabadol Fellowship Programme.
• The Asfari Institute at American University of Beirut (AUB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with a regional hub serving the civil society ecosystem, building bridges between academia and activism. The Foundation supported the new Ayman and Sawsan Asfari Institute Building opening in 2022.
• Carnegie Endowment for International PeacemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting the Arab World Horizons Project: an affirmative agenda for a changing Middle East, including research and consultations on key challenges in the Arab region.
• Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for knowledge production and influencing at regional and global levels.
• Atlantic CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for knowledge production and influencing at regional and global levels.
• Common PurposecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership delivering the Civil Society Leaders Programme bringing together emerging civil society leaders from Lebanese, Palestinian, and Syrian communities in Lebanon. Second round launched in 2020.
• AMIDEASTcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTwo-year partnership implementing the Skills for Success: Employability and Entrepreneurship Programme providing training and support to over 600 youth in Lebanon.
• Pitchworthy (now Bloom)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner supporting the Asfari Challenge for Social Innovation, assisting teams in developing and pitching innovative enterprises, particularly in education and lifelong learning.
• Humanitarian Leadership AcademymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormer CEO Saba Almubaslat led the Academy before joining Asfari Foundation, establishing a global network of Academy Centres and 80+ organizational partners committed to humanitarian localization.
• Plan InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurrent CEO Muna Abbas was previously Country Manager at Plan International Jordan before joining Asfari Foundation.
• Social Entrepreneurship Hackathon Winners (Hakini, Hands Up Foundation, Idraac, Omnia Center, ProAbled, Riyada for Social Innovation)minorOthersWinners of the 2020 Asfari Go Digital Challenge receiving £7,000 each to support digital transformation projects.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Henry Luce Foundation: The Henry Luce Foundation is a US-based family foundation focused on education, Asian studies, and theology. It is structurally comparable to Asfari as a long-duration family foundation making long-term programmatic grants, though Asfari's geographic focus (Levant/UK) differs from Luce's US/Asia orientation.
• NoVo Foundation: NoVo Foundation is a US-based family foundation funding education, empowerment of girls and women, and social/emotional learning globally. It is comparable to Asfari in operating model (lean team, long-term flexible funding, focus on underserved populations) and grantmaking approach to local organizations.
• Arcadia Fund: Arcadia Fund is a UK-registered family foundation (Lisbeth Rausing & Peter Baldwin) that funds cultural heritage, education, and civil society globally. It is comparable to Asfari in structure, scale, UK family-foundation origins, and long-term flexible funding approach to grantees.
• Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair Foundation: The Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair Foundation is an Arab-region family foundation focused on education and youth employability across the MENA region. It shares Asfari's mission (youth skills, education access) and regional focus, making it one of the most directly comparable peer funders in the Arab philanthropic ecosystem.
• Sigrid Rausing Trust: The Sigrid Rausing Trust is a UK-registered family foundation of comparable size and structure to Asfari, funding human rights and civil society globally. It shares the small-staff UK-charity operating model and similar grantmaking philosophy focused on core costs and organizational sustainability.

Broad incumbents

• Open Society Foundations: Open Society Foundations is among the world's largest private foundations, with significant civil society and education programming in the Middle East. It overlaps with Asfari in funding CSO resilience, civic space, and youth empowerment in the Levant, but at much greater scale and geographic breadth.
• Ford Foundation: The Ford Foundation is one of the largest US-based philanthropic foundations globally, with a substantial MENA portfolio including a Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa. It is highly comparable to Asfari as a civil society funder, and notably hired former Asfari CEO Saba Almubaslat as Regional Director for MENA.
• Aga Khan Foundation: The Aga Khan Foundation is a large international development organization funding civil society, education, and youth programs across the Middle East, including in Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. It is directly comparable to Asfari in mission (civil society resilience) and geographic footprint (Levant), but operates at significantly greater scale.

Others

• Arab Foundations Forum: The Arab Foundations Forum is a peer network of philanthropic foundations across the Arab region, with which Asfari directly partnered for the October 2023 Gaza humanitarian coalition. It is a thematically related ecosystem organization rather than a direct funder, but represents the key peer network Asfari operates within.

Emerging players

• Mosaik Education: Mosaik Education is a UK-registered nonprofit delivering refugee education programs in the Levant (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan). It is comparable to Asfari as a UK-registered organization serving the same refugee/youth education beneficiary population, though operating as an implementing partner rather than a grantmaker.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/asfari_found
• Facebookfacebook.com/The-Asfari-Foundation-102345608083826
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/asfarifoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/asfarifoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Asfari Foundation