Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation

Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation

The foundation was established in 1992 by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Its initial endowment of $1 billion supports long-term humanitarian programs. Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan serves as chairman while Sheikh Omar bin Zayed Al Nahyan acts as vice chairman. The foundation allocates across healthcare, education, and infrastructure. Confirmed projects include the Zayed Mother and Child Hospital in Sanaa, the Zayed Center for Research into Rare Diseases in Children in London, and a network of 238 water wells spanning Niger, Sudan, and Mali. It also holds limited partnership interests in Ardian private equity funds. Geographic reach covers the Middle East, South Asia, Africa, and Europe. Structures include direct ownership of facilities and co-financing with local governments. The organization maintains roughly 20 named physical assets valued in the tens of millions. In 2024 it became part of the newly formed Erth Zayed Philanthropies umbrella. April 2025: Sponsored the Dubai International Humanitarian Aid & Development Conference. Oversight is provided by the Abu Dhabi Accountability Authority. Governance rests with a board drawn from the Al Nahyan family and appointed directors. The structure separates day-to-day project execution from the endowment vehicle, allowing the foundation to act as both grant maker and direct asset owner.