The Boeing Company has recently announced a grant to the John D. Gerhart Center for Philanthropy and Civic Engagement at The American University in Cairo (AUC) that will encourage the practice of organized philanthropy in the Middle East, particularly indigenous giving.
Among other projects, the Boeing grant will fund a new initiative at the Center entitled “Cooperation in Education and Philanthropic Development,” which will result in the creation of a comprehensive map of philanthropic organizations in the Arabic-speaking region, designed to help empower Arab civic groups seeking funding. A white paper recommending ways to strengthen and expand philanthropy in the Middle East also will result from this initiative. Both the map and white paper will be unveiled at a stakeholders’ conference organized by the Gerhart Center late in 2007.
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, Boeing vice president for Global Corporate Citizenship, made the announcement at the AUC. Roosevelt said of the Center, “The region has so many good projects that unfortunately never find their feet because they can’t get the support they need,” she said. “Boeing has a long and rich history of helping develop the landscape of philanthropic support and promote global corporate citizenship. We can’t wait to see the results and to witness the good work that will take place.”
Based on the information received from the initiative, the Gerhart Center will be better able to promote the sharing of best practices and encourage the formation of new grant-making institutions.
According to Barbara Ibrahim, project manager and director of the Gerhart Center, while the organized philanthropic sector in the Arab region is currently small, it is growing. “A trend toward renewed Arab philanthropy seems to be coming of age, ready to take the next step from a few exemplary models to a vibrant movement. This initiative will assist us in helping progressive organizations network and learn from each other.”
AUC President David D. Arnold noted that the Gerhart Center, which was inaugurated at the university last year, was created to enhance philanthropic giving in the Arab world and this grant will further that effort significantly. "AUC created the Gerhart Center to support and facilitate a new generation of philanthropists who are committed to building the field in the region. We are impressed by the innovations emerging in a number of countries in the region and are confident that this grant will allow us to enhance work already taking place there.”
The Boeing Company is the world’s leading aerospace company and the largest manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft, with capabilities in rotorcraft, satellites, launch vehicles and advanced information and communication systems. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A., Boeing employs more than 155,000 people in more than 67 countries and has customers in 145 countries around the world.
