Pioneers in Philanthropy

It is not easy to compile a list of donations and charitable giving in the Arab world, as we know that what is publicly disclosed may represent only the tip of the iceberg compared to what remains unannounced. Many donors choose not to publicize their contributions for social reasons or out of religious conviction. Others, however, believe that transparency in announcing donations helps encourage further giving and allows the public to track where funds are directed—benefits they see as worthy of disclosure. With due respect to both perspectives, we present this list of the largest publicly announced donations by Arab businessmen and businesswomen for 2025, as part of our ranking of leaders in philanthropy, based on the methodology outlined below for those wishing to explore further.

The value of the 30 contributions tracked by the “Manhom” rankings team exceeded $1.3 billion. These donations, announced during the study period from January to November 2025 for the compilation of the “Leaders in Philanthropy” list, revealed clear disparities in the landscape of Arab giving—both in terms of the scale of contributions and their geographic focus—highlighting a concentration on certain causes over others.

The individuals on the list are ranked by bid value.