BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE & EQUITABLE AFGHANISTAN
REIMAGINING AID WORK & DEVELOPMENTOur Mission
To uplift the people of Afghanistan by connecting compassionate, impact-driven donors with community-led initiatives and grassroots organizations they can trust.
Our Vision
To be a key player in the redevelopment of Afghanistan from an aid-dependent economy to a self-sufficient, sustainable, and thriving nation.
Our Work
As a charitable fund, we vet and support grassroots organizations doing impactful work on the ground in Afghanistan and with Afghan refugees worldwide.
We are a non-political, women-led, humanitarian-focused organization with knowledge of and sensitivity to the local cultures and customs of the Afghan people. As a team of experts with eyes and ears on the ground, we assess critical areas of need, remain adaptable to evolving crises, and work to ensure a sustainable future for Afghanistan.
We seek to reclaim aid work as a conversation between equals, with those we serve setting the agenda for what kind of support best meets their local needs. We see our donors as culturally conscious allies in this work.
Our Funds
Afghanistan’s socio-political and economic climate is in a state of upheaval, with uncertainty being the hallmark experience of the 35 million Afghans in the country, as well as the hundreds of thousands fleeing Afghanistan under threat of persecution.
To help navigate the complexities of the current situation, our sectors of support are divided into seven funds. Each fund is responsible for supporting a trusted network of grassroots organizations doing work on the ground in Afghanistan and with Afghan refugees worldwide.
Education
A necessary prerequisite for any civil society is an educated populace. To help ensure a stable and self-sufficient future for Afghanistan, the country must expand its educational system and ensure that every girl and boy has access to a full and rich primary, secondary, and post-secondary education. Resources within the Education Fund support curriculum development, teacher training and salaries, school building, and collaborative educational partnerships between local school children and their peers around the globe. We have funded a range of innovative projects, from low-tech and high-tech solutions to hybrid education approaches, including community-based education initiatives that ensure learning reaches even the most remote areas.
Humanitarian Relief
The Humanitarian Relief Fund addresses the ongoing crises affecting millions of Afghan civilians in the aftermath of the Taliban’s takeover and the subsequent collapse of the country’s infrastructure. By 2024, Afghanistan continues to face severe economic, social, and humanitarian challenges, with widespread poverty, food insecurity, and limited access to essential services. The United Nations estimates that nearly 29 million people, including women, children, and the elderly, are in need of humanitarian assistance, with unemployment and poverty rates remaining critically high.
This fund provides resources to on-the-ground operations that deliver emergency support to internally displaced persons and vulnerable populations. Efforts focus on ensuring access to food, clean water, shelter, and medical care for those most affected by the crisis, as well as supporting initiatives aimed at stabilizing livelihoods and fostering community resilience amidst ongoing uncertainty.
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Fund supports organizations dedicated to protecting and empowering Afghan women and girls, individuals with disabilities, and ethnic and religious minorities. These groups represent some of the most vulnerable populations in Afghanistan's current landscape, requiring targeted resources and protective measures. The fund focuses on initiatives that combat discriminatory practices and address their psychological, social, and economic impacts, striving to foster a more equitable and inclusive society for all.
Refugee Resettlement
Since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, the country has faced significant political and social upheaval. By 2024, millions of Afghans have been displaced, seeking safety in various host countries. Many families are arriving in host countries with only a backpack of belongings. Relocating and resettling refugees in a dignified manner requires a huge coordinated effort, as they need help securing shelter, acquiring basic supplies, finding jobs, and navigating the complex bureaucracy associated with the resettlement process. The Refugee Resettlement Fund supports evacuation efforts and provides resettlement services for recent refugees, including legal protection and counsel once they reach their host country.
Preserving Afghan Knowledge, Culture & Art
Despite decades of conflict, Afghanistan has rebuilt its academic, cultural and political capital, with an increasingly vibrant research and academic community, and a thriving and creative arts scene. Today, many of these individuals have been displaced, but the preservation of expertise, experience, creativity, and culture is critical to advancing democratic values, freedom of expression, and the re-establishment of a civil society. This includes Afghans in exile who, if afforded dignity and safety, can play an integral role in their host communities and in shaping a better future for Afghanistan. The Arts & Culture Fund supports fellowships and scholarships that enable the thousands of Afghans, many in exile, to continue their work, build upon their country’s knowledge, and preserve its cultural heritage to ensure that essential institutional memory and the hard-won advancements of entire generations are not lost. This fund also supports projects aimed at documenting and archiving Afghan cultural practices and narratives to preserve cultural memory. This fund is co-led in partnership with the Civic Engagement Project (CEP). CEP has spent over a decade connecting individuals, networks, and institutions across sectors, with an ecosystem approach to civic engagement and social change.
Environmental Protection & Sustainability
Decades of war have significantly impacted and degraded Afghanistan’s natural landscape. The Environmental Protection & Sustainability Fund aims to support organizations dedicated to: 1) restoring and preserving the country’s natural habitats and the diverse species that rely on them; 2) revitalizing agricultural lands through ecologically responsible practices that mitigate the effects of climate migration; and 3) safeguarding Afghanistan’s waterways to ensure access to clean and sustainable water sources.
Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure
The Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure Fund is designed to revitalize local economies by identifying and marketing key resources in each region and building the necessary infrastructure for resource sharing across the country and in the global marketplace. Projects supported by this fund must: 1) prioritize the health and wellbeing of local people and local habitats, ensuring that neither are exploited in the process of revitalizing local economies; and 2) address local needs in innovative and sustainable ways that build local capacity and support job creation.
Our Core Values
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We uphold the dignity of Afghan people by uplifting their voices, honoring their values, and making sure they have control over their own representation.
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We commit to cultivating a culture of transparency by exchanging knowledge and best practices on aid allocation and distribution. We rely on advances in data science to enable governments, aid organizations, community leaders, and donors to make informed decisions.
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We are actively involved in advocating for self-determination by identifying and eliminating marginalizing practices and systems that prevent access to resources and sustainable outcomes for all Afghans.
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We believe in one people, one planet. We believe that what happens in one part of the world affects the entire global community. We believe that our cultural roots as people are braided, and our destinies as nation-states are interwoven. Therefore, it’s imperative that we make economic and social decisions that operate on the principle of win-win. It’s imperative that we value people over profit, and we let our guiding principles be compassion and equity.
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We believe in thinking about old problems in new ways. We believe in reimagining the way aid work has always been done in order to arrive at more sustainable and equitable solutions. We believe in honoring the input of local people on local problems.
Impact Fund
Our Impact Fund gives our experts the flexibility to direct your support to the area or project of greatest need. In Afghanistan, where multiple crises are unfolding, this flexibility is key—allowing us to direct your unrestricted support where it makes the most significant impact in real time.