Middle East & North Africa (MENA) Strategic Fund

The MENA Strategic Fund is a special Trust initiative which was set up in 2011 to support grass roots human rights organisations in their response to the unprecedented opportunities and challenges created by revolution, conflict and crisis across the Middle East and North Africa. In particular the Fund recognises the importance of supporting civil society in Egypt and Tunisia during their process of democratic transition and political reform, and the need to support groups documenting human rights violations in Libya, Bahrain, Yemen and Syria.

The Trust aims - through a combination of direct granting, project funding and sub-granting - to fund established and emerging organisations and human rights defenders that document human rights violations; advocate for freedom of assembly, association and expression; support victims of arbitrary arrest, detention and torture by state security forces and seek justice and redress for those killed; and advocate for the rights of women, religious minorities, sexual minorities and refugees.

The Fund is independent, non-political and non-partisan.

Fund History

The MENA Strategic Fund was launched in June 2011, and currently supports six organisations:

Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
The El Nadim Centre for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture
Gulf Centre for Human Rights
Nazra for Feminist Studies
The New Woman Foundation

In addition to direct grants, the MENA Strategic Fund also provides organisations with funding for specific projects which are in line with the Fund’s aims. These include £9,000 to current SRT grantee the Mediterranean Women’s Fund for the organisation of a working group meeting of women’s rights activists in Egypt, and £35,000 to the Cairo Institute of Human Rights for the training of Libyan lawyers in human rights issues and networking.

Fund Total: £500,000