The “Leaders in Philanthropy” list highlights the most influential impact-makers in the Arab world through giving, at a time when the need for responsible initiatives that deliver tangible change to communities is steadily growing. Amid rapid economic and social transformations, both institutional and individual philanthropy has emerged as a key driver of sustainable development, social innovation, and opportunity-building for future generations.
The list aims to document and track the most impactful charitable contributions through publicly announced financial donations made in 2025, even if their implementation is scheduled for a later year. The research team adopted a rigorous and transparent methodology that underscores the scale and reach of these initiatives, while recognizing individuals and companies that have made giving an integral part of their identity and long-term journey.
The list reflects forms of philanthropy whose donors have chosen to disclose their names, positioning themselves as role models for other individuals and institutions. It also sheds light on the growing role played by the private sector and entrepreneurs in supporting humanitarian and development causes across the Arab world.
The “Leaders in Philanthropy” list is compiled based on clear and transparent criteria designed to identify the most prominent contributors to charitable work in the Arab world. The methodology takes into account the following:
Year
Only donations made in 2025 were considered, specifically those announced between January and November 2025.
Disclosure
Only officially announced donations were included.
Individuals
The list includes individuals who publicly announced their donations—both Arab and non-Arab figures residing in Arab countries—supporting causes within the Arab world, based on a unified measurement methodology. Where multiple donations were recorded for the same individual, the “Who’s Who” rankings team calculated the total value of their contributions.
The following were excluded from the list:
Unannounced donations
Donations made by local or international public charitable organizations
Donations by governmental or semi-governmental figures, including members of ruling families
Donations by publicly listed companies
Donations by religious figures or religious organizations
Anonymous charitable contributions, due to the inability to verify or measure them
The methodology covers all fields of giving—including education, health, relief, the environment, and others—across all Arab countries, without exception.
The methodology will be updated on a regular basis. The “Who’s Who” rankings team will release updated annual editions of the “Leaders in Philanthropy” list, positioning it as a reference platform for initiatives that impact Arab society and encouraging more institutions and individuals to engage in the journey of philanthropy and development.
We recognize that giving begins with financial contributions, but it is ultimately a complex process aimed at achieving impact—which is the most important outcome and the most difficult to measure. As a media organization, our role is to spotlight financial donations as a critical starting point, with the aim of promoting a culture of giving.
We acknowledge that cultural norms in the Arab region may not always favor the public disclosure of donations. However, we tend to support transparency in giving, in the hope that it leads to transparency in spending. We also recognize that unannounced contributions may be far larger, and that these funds play a vital role in providing assistance and saving lives.
Some donations may be announced but not implemented in practice. We are aware of this, and responsibility for such follow-up lies with other institutions or future media reporting. Our list is therefore based on official donation announcements, assuming good faith.
We do not rule out the possibility that some announced donations were not captured or could not be verified in terms of the individual responsible for the declaring institution. Accordingly, such cases were not included in the list.
