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Non-profit

Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC)

Website:

arabculturefund.org
Headquarters:

Beirut, Lebanon
Type:

Nonprofit
Founded:

2007
Executive Director:

Rima Mismar

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The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC) is a nonprofit fund which awards grants to artistic and cultural endeavors in the Middle East. It promotes a more relaxed approach to traditionally strict Arab cultural norms which is exemplified through both the artistic nature of its projects, as well as its support for projects which promote left-of-center views on issues such as climate change. 1 AFAC claims to be the first independent Lebanese foundation for the arts, and its parent organization Culture Resource has been described as the first “non-governmental regional cultural organization in the Arab region.” 2

AFAC receives funding from major foundations such as such as the Ford Foundation and the Open Society Foundations, as well as a number of European governments. 3 It has raised over $47.6 million and awarded nearly $36 million in grants since its founding in 2007. 4

Background

Activist Basma El Husseiny, who previously founded the cultural NGO Culture Resource, collaborated with a group of activists in 2007 to found Arab Fund for Arts and Culture. 5 The intent of the fund was to provide grants for artistic and cultural projects in the Middle East which were not receiving any other support or funding at the time. 6 As early as 2005, Husseiny worked to secure funding for AFAC, requesting that international left-of-center philanthropist George Soros consider AFAC as a potential candidate for his Open Society Foundations funding. 7

In a 2012 panel for the prominent U.S. think tank Brookings Institution, Husseiny thanked the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (KCPA) for partnering with AFAC during the 2009 KCPA Arabesque Festival. 8 The Wall Street Journal described the Arabesque Festival as “one of the most ambitious Arab arts exhibitions in recent years,” as it featured “800 artists representing 22 Arab countries.” 9 Husseiny expressed that formerly, this kind of partnership was confined to governmental agencies, and expressed gratitude that a “nongovernmental, nonprofit organization” like AFAC was chosen for such a role. 10

AFAC has also used its artistic and cultural events to express support for causes such as the mass immigration of Muslims into European countries. The AFAC-led Berlin Beirut Creative Platform hosted a 2017 forum including musical performances, readings, panel discussions, and visual art presentations, all aimed at presenting the European immigration from an Arab migrant point of view. 11

Grants

Arab Fund for Arts and Culture features nine annual creative grants, including grants for visual arts, performing arts, and films. Each grant category has its own set of rules, but generally, they are primarily intended to alleviate costs directly relating to the completion of an artistic project. 12 AFAC awards around 200 grants per year, with a total of “1,737 projects supported” since its founding. 13 Additionally, AFAC provides mentorship to artists and seeks to “expand and diversify” artistic funding through promoting “philanthropy for the arts.” 14

Projects funded by AFAC grants include a number of artistic endeavors, many of which promote a more politically liberal and/or culturally liberal mindset compared to Arab region norms:

  • Ecocriticism and Prospects of Palestinian Creative Writing, a 2022 research writing grant winner, features poetry and fiction with a focus on environmentalism; 15
  • A set of 2022 workshops entitled, “Stop…Enough,” focuses on Syrian women and girls who experience violence based on their gender; 16
  • “Gaza the City of Amputees” is a 2022 photography documentary of Palestinian amputees who received their injuries during the Gaza war; 17
  • “Just a Few Minutes” is a 2021 theatrical performance which emphasized the alleged future effects of climate change on Alexandria, Egypt. 18

Partnerships

Arab Fund for Arts and Culture has forged partnerships with major media companies such as streaming subscription company Netflix. In 2021, Netflix partnered with AFAC to support 240 film freelancers through the AFAC-Netflix Hardship Fund. Netflix offered a total of $480,000 in grants, which provided individual freelancers with $2,000 each. 19 In 2022, Netflix’s Fund for Creative Equity again partnered with AFAC to award $250,000 to five female filmmakers from Arab countries. 20

AFAC has also partnered with the Sundance Institute, which is widely touted as hosting America’s largest annual independent film festival. 21 22 The Sundance Institute supported AFAC 2015 grantee project Of Fathers and Sons, an Academy Award nominated documentary about the struggles of two sons growing up in a radical Muslim family. 23 24 25

Tech giant Apple donated $50,000 to AFAC in 2021 and left its options open for an ongoing partnership. The same year, UNESCO Yemen created a partnership with AFAC to provide training programs for artistic and cultural endeavors. 26

Leadership

Rima Mismar currently serves as AFAC’s executive director. She previously had a career as a film critic, with a brief stint in writing and producing for television. Mismar began working for AFAC in 2011 as film programs manager and was promoted to deputy director in 2015 before taking over as executive director in 2016. 27

AFAC founder Basma El Husseiny currently serves as founder and executive director of AFAC parent organization Culture Resource. She previously worked for the Ford Foundation as a media, arts and culture program officer. Husseiny reportedly has experience in the arts and is involved in Arab feminist movements. 28

Ghassan Salame currently is the founding chairman of AFAC’s board of trustees. Salame also serves as the dean of the Paris School of International Affairs and teaches international relations at both the Paris Institute of Political Studies and Columbia University in New York. In 2003, he served as a political advisor for the United Nations, and from 2003 through 2006, he acted as senior advisor to the Secretary General. He has written a number of essays on foreign policy, which have been published in journals such as the European Journal of International Affairs. 29

Financials

As of 2020 AFAC held over $14.7 million in assets and reported just over $7.7 million in liabilities. 30 The following year, its grant activities totaled over $4.6 million, with total financial allocations just above $6.2 million. 31

AFAC receives funding from a variety of sources, including government agencies such as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 32 33 Major foundations also donate to AFAC, such as the Ford Foundation, which gave $900,000 to AFAC in 2017 for general purposes, $200,000 towards the AFAC JustFilms program, and $1,620 for AFAC leaders to attend a Ford Foundation meeting. 34 The New York-based Andrew W. Mellon Foundation donated $320,000 to AFAC in 2019 to use for research. 35

AFAC’s most prominent donor, Open Society Foundations, has worked with the organization since Husseiny’s first funding meeting with Soros in 2005. Throughout AFAC’s history, at least three members of its board of trustees also served in Soros-affiliated organizations: Abbas Zuaiter as chief operating officer of Soros Fund Management LLC, and both Ghassan Salame and Suzanne Wettenschwiler have sat on the board of the Open Society Institute. 36 37 Open Society Foundations’ website claims that it is “one of the largest private funders” of the arts in the Middle East through its donations to AFAC and parent organization Culture Resource. 38 Both the Ford Foundation and the Open Society Foundations partnered with AFAC to create its Solidarity Fund for Arts and Culture Structures in Lebanon. 39

References

  1. Arab Fund for Arts and Culture. “Climate Change Dictionary.” 2020. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.arabculturefund.org/Projects/6738
  2. UNESCO. “Basma El Husseiny.” Accessed September 18, 2022. https://en.unesco.org/creativity/capacity-building/experts/u/2882
  3. Arab Fund for Arts and Culture. “Donors.” Accessed September 19, 2022. https://www.arabculturefund.org/About/Donors
  4. Arab Fund for Arts and Culture. “About.” Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.arabculturefund.org/About
  5. The Saban Center for Middle East policy at the Brookings Institution. “Creative Expression and its Impact on Society in the Arab World.” The Brookings Institution. March 6, 2009. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/0306_creative_expression.pdf\
  6. Arab Fund for Arts and Culture. “Documentary Convention First Edition.” 2018. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.arabculturefund.org/Projects/6574
  7. Maha Akeel. “Soros Supports Development Of Open Society.” Arab News. February 22, 2005. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.arabnews.com/node/262710
  8. The Saban Center for Middle East policy at the Brookings Institution. “Creative Expression and its Impact on Society in the Arab World.” The Brookings Institution. March 6, 2009. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/0306_creative_expression.pdf\
  9. Amy Chozick. “Where to Hear the ‘Aretha of Sudan’.” The Wall Street Journal. February 20, 2009. Accessed September 18, 2022.

    https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123508738164327855

  10. The Saban Center for Middle East policy at the Brookings Institution. “Creative Expression and its Impact on Society in the Arab World.” The Brookings Institution. March 6, 2009. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/0306_creative_expression.pdf\
  11. Arab Fund for Arts and Culture. “Europe and the Mediterranean in Times of Migration: Challenges and Opportunities.” 2017. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.arabculturefund.org/Projects/6578
  12. Arab Fund for Arts and Culture. “Creative and Critical Writings.” 2022. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.arabculturefund.org/Programs/14
  13. “Projects.” AFAC. Accessed October 4, 2022. https://www.arabculturefund.org/Projects.
  14. “About.” AFAC. Accessed October 4, 2022. https://www.arabculturefund.org/About.
  15. Arab Fund for Arts and Culture. “Ecocriticism and Prospects of Palestinian Creative Writing.” 2022. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.arabculturefund.org/Projects/7079
  16. Arab Fund for Arts and Culture. “Stop…Enough.” 2022. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.arabculturefund.org/Projects/7029
  17. Arab Fund for Arts and Culture. “Gaza the City of Amputees.” 2022. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.arabculturefund.org/Projects/7018
  18. Arab Fund for Arts and Culture. “Just a Few Minutes.” 2021. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.arabculturefund.org/Projects/6922
  19. Arab Fund for Arts and Culture. “AFAC-Netflix Hardship Fund Supports 240 Arab Film & TV Freelancers.” September 6, 2021. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.arabculturefund.org/News/150
  20. Arab Fund for Arts and Culture. “Five Arab women filmmakers receive grant through Netflix’s Fund for Creative Equity in partnership with AFAC.” April 18, 2022. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.arabculturefund.org/News/171
  21. Sundance Institute. “Sundance Institute Announces New, Multi-Year Initiative to Support Theatre Artists from Middle East/North Africa.” September 15, 2015. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.sundance.org/blogs/news/sundance-institute-announces-theatre-support-in-middle-east-north-africa/
  22. Alissa Wilkinson. “Why Sundance, America’s largest independent film festival, matters.” Vox. January 23, 2020. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/1/19/14267740/sundance-film-festival-explained-robert-redford
  23. The Film Collaborative. “Of Fathers and Sons.” Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.thefilmcollaborative.org/fiscalsponsorship/projects/offathersandsons
  24. Arab Fund for Arts and Culture. “Of Fathers and Sons.” 2015. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.arabculturefund.org/Projects/6213
  25. Los Angeles Times. “‘Green Book’ named best picture, Olivia Colman and Rami Malek win lead acting awards. See the full list of the 2019 Academy Award winners and nominees.” Accessed September 18, 2022. https://envelope.latimes.com/awards/academy-awards/2019/
  26. Arab Fund for Arts and Culture. “AFAC Annual Report 2021.” 2021. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.arabculturefund.org/data/resources/110.pdf
  27. Arab Fund for Arts and Culture. “Team.” Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.arabculturefund.org/About/Team
  28. Arab Fund for Arts and Culture. “Basma El Husseiny.” Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.arabculturefund.org/Programs/Jurors/278
  29. Arab Fund for Arts and Culture. “Board of Trustees.” Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.arabculturefund.org/About/Board
  30. Arab Fund for Arts and Culture. “AFAC Annual Report 2020.” Accessed September 19, 2022. https://arabculturefund.org/data/filemanager/html/60f026c9ad4e9_Annual-Report-2020.html
  31. Arab Fund for Arts and Culture. “AFAC Annual Report 2021.” Accessed September 19, 2022. https://www.arabculturefund.org/data/resources/110.pdf
  32. Hanan Toukan. “The Politics of Art.” Stanford University Press. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.sup.org/books/extra/?id=24474&i=Introduction.html
  33. Arab Fund for Arts and Culture. “Our Donors.” Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.arabculturefund.org/About/Donors
  34. Ford Foundation. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax, 2017 Form 990. Accessed September 16, 2022. https://990s.foundationcenter.org/990pf_pdf_archive/131/131684331/131684331_201712_990PF.pdf
  35. Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. “Grants and Contributions.” 2019. Accessed September 17, 2022. https://mellon.org/media/filer_public/3a/e9/3ae9b847-1a2a-40a3-9c56-2ab41cb049f7/09112020_mellon_grants_2019.pdf
  36. Arab Fund for Arts and Culture. “Arab Fund for Arts and Culture 2010 Annual Report.” 2010. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.arabculturefund.org/data/resources/62.pdf
  37. Arab Fund for Arts and Culture. “Board of Trustees.” Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.arabculturefund.org/About/Board
  38. Open Society Foundations. “The Open Society Foundations in the Middle East and North Africa.” December 10, 2021. Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/newsroom/the-open-society-foundations-in-the-middle-east-and-north-africa
  39. Arab Fund for Arts and Culture. “Solidarity Fund for Arts and Culture Structures in Lebanon.” Accessed September 18, 2022. https://www.arabculturefund.org/Programs/34
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