# Takaful Charity Foundation Takaful Charity Foundation is a Foundation based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. ## Overview - **Organization type:** Foundation - **Headquarters:** Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - **Region:** Middle East - **Address:** Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - **Founded:** 2010 - **Assets under management:** Undisclosed - **Website:** takaful.org.sa - **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/takaful-charity-foundation ## Regulatory record - **Reports private funds:** No ## About The foundation was established in 2010 under the leadership of Yousef Al-Benyan, who concurrently serves as Saudi Arabia's Minister of Education and is the former CEO of SABIC. Its mandate centers on reducing financial barriers that prevent students in Saudi public schools from completing their education, targeting a transition from need to self-sufficiency through a combination of direct stipends, school-supply distributions, and technology-access programs. Takaful's deployment strategy is defined by a partnership-driven operating model and a bifurcated asset base. On the programmatic side, the foundation channels corporate donations into specific initiatives: Saudi Aramco backs the 'Knowledge Gift' tablet-distribution program, Jarir Bookstore supports the 'Back to School' supply drive, and financial institutions including Riyadh Bank, Al Rajhi Bank, and Saudi National Bank serve as funding partners for student aid. On the investment side, the foundation maintains two distinct portfolios — a Saudi Arabia-focused mixed-use endowment portfolio (waqf) and a globally oriented alternative investment portfolio — to generate the returns that sustain its charitable disbursements over time. Governance rests with a board that blends state educational leadership and institutional investment expertise. Board member Raed Abdullah Ismail holds a senior executive position at the Public Investment Fund and serves on the boards of ACWA Power and Credit Suisse Saudi Arabia, while investment committee member Dr. Abdullah Aldakhil is the former CEO of the Higher Education Fund. The foundation does not disclose team headcount, but its governance committees draw on real-asset and banking specialists — audit committee member Nasser Mohammed Nasser Alsadoun also sits on the boards of Abdullah Bin Saedan and Sons Real Estate and Mulkia Gulf Real Estate REIT. In its broader educational role, the foundation has contributed to G20 Education Working Group reports on blended education and educational poverty. Takaful operates at the intersection of a state-mandated social program and an independent endowment vehicle. Its structural distinction lies in this embedded posture: the chairman simultaneously runs the nation's education ministry, creating a direct feedback loop between policy design and charitable execution that bypasses the grant-proposal friction typical of independent foundations. ## Sectors - Education ## People - Yousef Al-Benyan — Chairman of the Board of Trustees - Dr. Mohammed Al-Aqili — Secretary General - Raed Abdullah Ismail — Board Member - Dr. Abdullah Aldakhil — Member of the Investment Committee - Nasser Mohammed Nasser Alsadoun — Audit Committee Member ## Questions ### How does Takaful Charity Foundation's governance structure influence its operating model? Chairman Yousef Al-Benyan simultaneously serves as Saudi Arabia's Minister of Education, a dual role that embeds the foundation directly within the national education policy framework. This alignment enables programmatic initiatives — such as the tablet-distribution partnership with Saudi Aramco — to scale in coordination with ministry priorities. The board also draws investment oversight from a senior Public Investment Fund executive, connecting the foundation's waqf management to state investment expertise. ### What is the composition of the foundation's investment portfolio? The foundation maintains two distinct investment portfolios. A Saudi Arabia-focused mixed-use endowment portfolio (waqf) holds domestic real assets. A separate global alternative investment portfolio provides exposure beyond the Kingdom. The foundation does not publicly disclose total AUM or allocation weights for either portfolio. ### Which corporate partners fund Takaful's student aid programs? Strategic corporate partners include Saudi Aramco, which supports the 'Knowledge Gift' tablet-distribution initiative; SABIC, which backs educational programs and creative classes; and Jarir Bookstore, which partners on the annual 'Back to School' school-supply drive. Financial partners providing donor funding include Riyadh Bank, Al Rajhi Bank, and Saudi National Bank. ### Does the foundation accept external grant proposals from organizations outside its partner network? The foundation operates primarily through direct, corporate-backed initiatives and partnership agreements rather than open grant cycles. Its public disclosures describe a model centered on distributing aid directly to eligible students in Saudi public schools via its corporate and government partners. ### Who serves on the foundation's investment committee? Dr. Abdullah Aldakhil, the former CEO of the Higher Education Fund, is a named member of the investment committee. The foundation's audit committee includes Nasser Mohammed Nasser Alsadoun, who holds board positions at Abdullah Bin Saedan and Sons Real Estate and Mulkia Gulf Real Estate REIT. The board also includes Raed Abdullah Ismail, a senior PIF executive and board member of ACWA Power and Credit Suisse Saudi Arabia. ## Related profiles - [Tak Fu Hong Trading](https://altss.com/profile/tak-fu-hong-trading) - [Takamatsu Shinkin Bank](https://altss.com/profile/takamatsu-shinkin-bank) --- Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/takaful-charity-foundation Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology