About Us

Alfanar was started by a small group of Arabs who believe that there is positive social change in the Arab region, and that this change should be supported. We do this by supporting grassroots NGOs that find innovative ways to address old problems, and demonstrate their ability to become partially or wholly financially sustainable and therefore less dependent on donors.  We also support these NGOs in non financial ways by bringing our professional skills as well as the skills of some of our partner organisations to help them achieve their goals. This requires us to make a long-term commitment to our partners and to establish a local presence in most countries in which we operate. A local presence also benefits Alfanar because it allows us to identify excellent NGOs and projects and to monitor and support their development.

We began operations in Egypt in 2004 and since then we have supported eight partners in Egypt, selecting them because they are developing unconventional ways to address existing problems. We have used this initial period to develop our approach, and to learn about what may be effective from a local grassroots perspective. Our long term objective is to be present in most Arab countries and Alfanar is now ready for growth across the Arab world.

Registration Status:
Alfanar is a charity registered in England and Wales (charity number 1105048). We have completed our registration in Egypt as a branch of the UK entity. Alfanar has also registered in the in the United States and will register in other Arab countries as deemed necessary for its operations.