Over the last couple of years, Lebanon has been grappling with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Syria crisis, and the aftermath of the Beirut Port explosions in August 2020. Increasing poverty, economic contraction, and inflation have compounded needs among people living across Lebanon, including refugee communities.
Today, conditions only continue to worsen and several NGOs have stepped up to meet the needs of the community. With inflation in Lebanon causing the Lebanese pound to lose more than 90 percent of its value, many of these NGOs now rely on foreign funding to continue their operations.
In this article, we will highlight some of the organizations that have provided the greatest support to NGOs in Lebanon.
Top Donors Funding Lebanese NGOs
Arab Fund for Arts and Culture - AFAC
Focus area: Arts and Culture
The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture - AFAC supports individual artists, writers, researchers, intellectuals, as well as organizations from the Arab region working in the field of arts and culture. Since its launch, AFAC’s programs have steadily expanded to cover cinema, photography, visual and performing arts, creative and critical writings, music, documentary film, in addition to funding research, trainings, and cultural events.
Arab Foundation For Freedoms & Equality
- Support to underfunded and new issues/constituencies/actors/methods;
- Support to grass-root interventions aiming at mainstreaming Gender and Bodily Rights within social norms;
- Support to long-term investment in Gender and Bodily Rights work;
- Enhancing the capacity of civil society’s Gender and Bodily Rights infrastructure.
Education Above All Foundation
Focus Area: Child Rights, Education, Youth Empowerment
Education Above All (EAA), based in Doha Qatar, is founded by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser in November 2012. Its aim is to build a global movement that contributes to human, social and economic development through the provision of quality education. With a particular focus on those affected by poverty, conflict and disaster, it champions the needs of children, youth and women to empower them to become active members of their communities.
Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan Foundation
The Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation was established by his Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates. The vision of the Foundation is “Pioneering Initiatives for Welfare” and its strategies are focused on health and education on domestic, regional and global scales. The educational strategy of the Foundation includes supporting vocational educational projects in countries of the region, health needs related to malnutrition, child protection and care, and the provision of safe water on a global level.
Kuwait Red Crescent Society
Focus areas: Health, Humanitarian aid, Refugees and Migration
Kuwait Red Crescent Society provides assistance to the most vulnerable people affected by social conflicts, wars, or natural disasters. Their vision has evolved from traditional relief work to development-focused activities aimed at lifting beneficiaries from the realities of misery and poverty to the best possible situation.
The information in this article is based on our analysis of data presented in the Fiancial Tracking Service of the UNOCHA.