Center for Arab American Philanthropy (CAAP)

CAAP is primarily focused on promoting Arab-American giving and shaping perceptions around Arab-American communities.  ³

Background

The Center for Arab American Philanthropy was founded in 2005 as a project of Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS). Two of the group’s primary goals include promoting Arab-American giving and shaping perceptions around Arab-American communities. CAAP claims that it distinguishes itself from other community foundations by being centered on an ethnic population rather than a geographical region. ^{3 4}

CAAP expresses support for the critical race theory-influenced concept of equity, stating its vision is to build a “just and equitable world nurtured by the active participation of Arab American giving.” ³

ACCESS

Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) is a charitable and educational nonprofit based in Michigan. The group runs multiple national programs including the Arab American National Museum, the Center for Arab American Philanthropy, the National Network for Arab American Communities, Working to Uplift Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Communities, and the Center for Arab Narratives. ^{3 5}

In 2023, ACCESS reported $51,013,521 in revenues, $42,192,438 in expenses, and $94,390,920 in total assets. In the same year, ACCESS reported giving $614,252 to CAAP. ^{6 7}

Activities

The Center for Arab American Philanthropy claims to house over 200 donor-advised funds, as well as “impact area” funds and “giving circles,” and has granted over $13 million since 2010. ^{1 2}

CAAP’s community impact fund is geared toward supporting organizations focused on Arab-American communities; the fund has made over $1 million in grants. The 2024 grantees of this fund include Afikra LLC, Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture, the Arab American Action Network, the Arab American Civic Council, the Arab Film and Media Institute, ArteEast, Mizna, the Museum of the Palestinian People, Noor Theatre, and the Palestinian American Community Center. ⁸

The group also hosts “giving circles” such as “100 Arab American Women Who Care,” a fundraising event launched in 2014 that has collectively given nearly $100,000 to groups such as “Belinda Sue Fund for Ovarian Cancer Awareness and Research, Safe Harbor for Women, [and] Kids Against Hunger.” ⁹

Funding

The Center for Arab American Philanthropy is a project of Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS). As such, ACCESS shares its tax identification number with CAAP, making it unclear whether grants are CAAP-specific, unless explicitly designated as such in a grant description. ¹⁰

In 2024, the Charities Aid Foundation of America gave $40,103 in support of CAAP.  ¹¹

The Jesra Foundation gave $25,000 in support of CAAP in 2022 and $25,000 in 2021. ¹²

The American Task Force on Lebanon gave $7,500 in 2022, $25,100 in 2021, and $25,500 in 2020 in support of CAAP. ¹³

In 2010, the Ford Foundation gave $150,000 in support of CAAP to “mobilize new philanthropic resources in the U.S. Arab-American community.” ¹⁴

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has granted nearly $3 million to the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services, most of the funding designated for the “Promise of an Equitable Future.” As CAAP is a project of ACCESS, it is unclear how much if any of that funding went to CAAP; however, in its 2023 annual report, CAAP reported that the W.K. Kellogg Foundation was one of its largest funders that year. ^{15 2}

2023 Annual Impact Report

In 2023, Center for Arab American Philanthropy reported housing over 200 donor-advised funds and granting nearly $2.5 million from a total of 380 grants. ²

CAAP’s largest areas of donor-advised grantmaking in 2023 included $561,490 for education, $547,325 for community development and research, $310,770 for human services, $228,767 for humanitarian relief, $136,277 for religious institutions, $113,971 for arts and culture, and $66,962 for advocacy and civic engagement. ²

CAAP’s largest areas of board-directed grantmaking in 2023 included $327,076 for humanitarian relief, $81,700 for human services, and $66,000 for arts and culture. ²

People

Maha Freij is the founder of the Center for Arab American Philanthropy. Freij is the president and CEO of ACCESS. Freij has been a member of the Michigan State Board of Ethics, the treasurer of the Council of Michigan Foundations, a board member at Detroit Future City, and a member of the Michigan Advisory Committee of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. She has previously been affiliated with ACLU-Michigan, the Growing Michigan Together Council, the United Palestinian Appeal, and the Independent Sector Advisory Group on Nonprofit Effectiveness. ^{16 17}

Gheed Itani is the chair of the advisory board of CAAP. Itani has been on the board of the Arab American Educational Foundation in Houston, a board member of the National Network for American Communities, and a founding member and president of the Center for Arabic Culture in Boston. ¹⁸