The Near East Foundation helps build more sustainable, prosperous, and inclusive communities in the Middle East and Africa through education, community organizing, and economic development.

Their work is based on a conviction that, to play an active role in the development of their communities and countries, people need opportunities and tools: the knowledge to participate in civic and economic life, a voice in public decisions that affect their wellbeing, and a means of making a meaningful living. They call this approach “Knowledge, Voice, and Enterprise”- a philosophy reflected in all of NEF’s work.

For nearly 100 years, the Near East Foundation has pioneered innovative solutions to social and economic development challenges impacting communities throughout the Middle East and Africa.

Headquartered on the campus of the strategic partner Syracuse University, NEF is an operational non-governmental organization (NGO) with current programs in eight countries: Armenia, Jordan, Lebanon, Mali, Morocco, Palestine, Senegal, and Sudan.

In these countries and throughout the region, they work with local partners to directly improve the lives of tens of thousands of vulnerable people each year through initiatives in sustainable agriculture, microenterprise development, women’s empowerment, civic education, and peacebuilding.

Approach
- Knowledge
- Voice
- Enterprise

Programs
NEF addresses the pressing needs of the most vulnerable groups in the Middle East and North Africa through four core programs:
- Economic Cooperation and Development
- Women's Microenterprise Development
- Agricuture and Natural Resource Management
- Youth Civic Engagement