The overall strategy of the Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research is centered on equipping the local community in Ras al Khaimah with the tools to find creative and collaborative approaches to the challenges they face, primarily through research. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Foundation’s main activities lay in funding, conducting, and disseminating research in the areas of Education, Public Health, and Urban Development. The pandemic, however, brought with it a set of challenges and visible shifts in strategy and operations for the Foundation.

This summary is a part of a wider case study project, as part of our Governance in Philanthropy programme, to highlight organisational challenges in giving during the COVID-19 pandemic, and share insights on how to stregthen resilience.