UAE Puts Dh100 Million on the Table for Its Non-Profit Sector: NPO Empowerment Fund Launched

Launch of the NPO Empowerment Fund

Shamma Al Mazrui, UAE Minister of Community Empowerment, formally launched the NPO Empowerment Fund at a ceremony at Emirates Towers in Dubai, joined by representatives from non-profit organisations across the country.

Several senior figures attended and spoke at the event:

• Patrick Chalhoub, executive chairman of Chalhoub Group, said meaningful social impact requires structure, starting with one’s own people, then building through partnerships.
• Abdullah Humaid Al Ameri, director general of the Authority of Social Contribution, described the fund as a joint public-private initiative.
• Ahmed Taleb Al Shamsi, CEO of Emirates Foundation, said: “We are here in the country to share the joys and the sorrows of the society. This is part of our DNA as citizens and residents.”
• Saeed Al Eter, chair of the UAE Government Media Office, said the environment is filled with people who want to do good.

Al Mazrui told the press conference that the challenge in the UAE’s non-profit sector was never a lack of funding or intent — it was the absence of a framework that connects efforts and measures impact.

So what exactly is this fund?

The NPO Empowerment Fund is a government grant scheme.

Non-profit organisations apply ↳ Get assessed ↳ And if approved receive a cash grant (no repayment required)

The money is tied to delivering specific programmes in specific areas.

There are two grant sizes depending on how established the organisation is:

Seed stage

Up to Dh500k

For NPOs operating less than two years — to build capacity and launch first programmes

Scale stage

Up to Dh5m

For established organisations — to expand programmes and grow community impact

Who can apply?

Any UAE-registered NPO is eligible – whether licensed by the Ministry, a local authority, or a free zone authority.

Review process

A committee from the Ministry of Community Empowerment reviews each application on three criteria:

• Organisational capacity,
• Potential impact,
• And financial feasibility.

Shortlisted applicants present their proposals in person.

Applications

The first application cycle is open now and runs until 31 May 2026. Priority in this cycle goes to projects in:

• Education,
• Health and wellbeing,
• Community development,
• Family support,
• Volunteering,
• Environmental and animal welfare

Who Is Shamma Al Mazrui?

Al Mazrui made history in February 2016 when she was appointed UAE Minister of State for Youth Affairs at the age of 22, making her the world’s youngest cabinet minister at the time.

She holds a Master of Public Policy from Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government, and has since taken on the role of Minister of Community Empowerment.

She also serves as a board member of Erth Zayed Philanthropies, established by Federal Decree in November 2024 under the UAE Presidential Court, to support humanitarian causes across the country.

Her track record makes clear that this fund is not a one-off gesture.

It sits within a longer arc of institutionalising community development — moving from individual acts of goodness to a system built for scale.

UAE’s Broader Push to Professionalise Giving

The NPO Empowerment Fund lands at a moment when the UAE is actively reshaping how charity and community work function.

The initiative aims to help more than 800 charitable groups.

Yet the more telling detail is the shift in philosophy: away from supporting individual initiatives and towards driving measurable long-term social impact.

Moreover, the fund reflects a growing recognition across the Gulf that voluntary sector capacity — the ability of civil society organisations to manage money, run programmes, and report outcomes — is itself something that needs investment.

Giving money to a cause is one thing; building an organisation capable of deploying it well is quite another.