Institutional Philanthropy in the Arab World: Exploring Mediums in Strategic Giving

In the past decade, there has been an exponential growth in institutional and organised philanthropy in the Gulf and wider Arab region; particularly through corporate giving arms and the private sector. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has long-since been recognised as the primary structure in which corporate funds are be donated. However, through rapidly emerging innovative giving vehicles, a variety of philanthropic structures are now being leveraged to move private capital, such as through venture philanthropy and donor-advised funds. Trends in giving circles and collectives amongst philanthropists are now also quickly seeping into institutional giving.

The movement of private wealth has a vital role to play in bridging social needs and public sector resourcing, though impact can often be deflated as a result of structural and budgetary rigidity in traditional corporate giving. In this growing ecosystem, it is pertinent to keep abreast of the wide spectrum of responsible and strategic philanthropic investment options that result in measurable and optimised social good.

Through convening thought leaders in the institutional philanthropy space, this panel discussion will explore the importance of leveraging pioneering modes of giving and will support in identifying the positive implications of adopting these practices within the Gulf region. More specifically, the panel will touch upon the following questions:

• Why is strategic philanthropy important and how can we move past spontaneous grant making to a more sustainable model?
• What is impact investing and how can private funds be leveraged for social good?
• What are some innovative modes and structures for institutional and corporate giving?
• What are some key strategies that can be employed when investing private funds for social good?

If you’re an individual or institutional philanthropic donor and are interested in joining the Circle network, kindly reach out to us directly on apunjani@pearlinitiative.org or snair@pearlinitiative.org.