Alfanar Venture Philanthropy has officially released its 2025 Annual Report titled “Growing What Works,” highlighting a monumental year of backing local organizations across the Arab region. Throughout 2025, the venture philanthropy organization deployed over £1 million to support social enterprises expanding access to education, employment, and income-generation for women, youth, and children across Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine. The comprehensive report underscores a shifting regional impact economy that is rapidly moving away from short-term donor dependency toward sustainable, self-reliant business models.
Driving Portfolio Growth And Tangible Impact
During the past year, Alfanar provided patient capital, tailored capability-building, and critical ecosystem connections to a diverse portfolio of 53 social enterprises, comprising 31 early-stage (SEED) and 22 growth-stage (SUSTAIN) ventures. The organization’s unique support model successfully strengthened enterprise-level financial controls, data-driven performance frameworks, and long-term sustainability.
The results of this strategic backing are highly visible in the portfolio’s growth metrics. In 2025, the supported enterprises collectively impacted 29,466 individuals across marginalized regional communities. Furthermore, 73% of the backed enterprises successfully increased their overall social impact, while 65% recorded a notable increase in their self-generated income. This data underscores the effectiveness of pairing flexible grant capital with rigorous technical assistance, a model that investees noted nearly doubled the perceived overall value of the support they received.
2025 Impact And Portfolio Growth
During 2025, the organization provided patient capital, tailored capability-building, and hands-on strategic support to a diverse portfolio of early-stage and growth-stage enterprises. The support model successfully strengthened financial sustainability and deepened social outcomes across the region.
- Enterprises Supported: 53 social enterprises (31 SEED stage, 22 SUSTAIN stage)
- Funding Deployed: £1,029,392 in flexible funding and grants
- Lives Impacted: 29,466 individuals across targeted regional communities
- Impact Growth: 73% of supported enterprises increased their overall social impact
- Financial Growth: 65% of enterprises increased their self-generated income
Thematic Priorities Driving Regional Change
The strategic focus of the 2025 funding was tailored to the specific economic and social realities of the target countries. Funding and operational support were divided into four primary thematic areas:
| Theme | Primary Geographies | Core Mission | Total Investment |
| Earning | Jordan, Lebanon | Building pathways to sustainable income and job creation | £390,000 |
| Climate | Egypt | Creating jobs through sustainable agriculture and climate resilience | £343,000 |
| Learning | Palestine | Expanding access to quality education amid systemic disruptions | £220,000 |
| Heritage | Jordan, Palestine | Sustaining cultural traditions while creating artisan livelihoods | £76,000 |
Enabling The Ecosystem And Fostering Collaboration
Beyond direct enterprise funding, Alfanar doubled down on its commitment to strengthening the broader regional infrastructure for social entrepreneurship. In 2025, the organization launched capacity-building programs for enterprise support organizations in Jordan and published strategic research on policy and legal frameworks for the local ecosystem.
A major highlight of the year was the inaugural Regional Impact Connector in Amman, which brought together more than 200 entrepreneurs, investors, donors, and ecosystem leaders. This convening focused on bridging the gap between innovative ideas and the capital required to scale them, reinforcing Alfanar’s role as a key ecosystem builder in the Middle East.
Paving The Way For Anara Impact Capital
In 2025, the organization laid the essential groundwork and allocated resources for the upcoming launch of Anara Impact Capital. This affiliated impact investment fund is purposefully designed to mobilize capital toward businesses addressing the region’s most pressing social and environmental challenges. Targeting a formal launch in 2026, the fund will strictly focus on learning, wellbeing, and climate. It aims to back ventures with proven early traction, strong founder-market fit, and the robust potential to scale significantly while delivering financial returns.
Financial Resilience And Expenditure
The organization recorded a strong financial performance in 2025, driven by major funding agreements, strategic resource allocation, and a deliberate focus on long-term growth planning.
- Total Income: £3.48 million (a 76% year-on-year increase)
- Total Expenditure: £3.25 million
- Grant Disbursements: £1.09 million deployed directly to social enterprises
- Setup Costs: £357,000 allocated specifically for the launch of Anara Impact Capital
About Alfanar Venture Philanthropy
Founded in 2004, Alfanar Venture Philanthropy pioneers a long-term, flexible investment model for the Arab region. Moving away from traditional short-term aid, the organization provides funding, strategic training, and essential networking connections to local social enterprises across Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine. By backing founders who are deeply rooted in their communities, the organization empowers initiatives that transform access to education, employment, and income-generation for marginalized groups. Through targeted capacity building and patient capital, Alfanar operates on the core belief that those closest to a challenge are the best equipped to solve it, ultimately fostering a solidarity-driven and self-reliant regional impact economy.
Source: Alfanar Venture Philanthropy
