The Riyadh-based King Khalid Foundation (KKF) recently concluded a strategic partnership with the renowned Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) to build the capacity of the philanthropic sector in the Kingdom.

The deal also aims at promoting the role of partnerships and collective action in tackling regional and global challenges.

The new partnership between KKF, a leading Saudi foundation, and BMGF, the largest grant foundation in the world, will begin with a series of meetings and professional exchanges to be held between representatives from both companies.

Other Saudi foundations will also take part to exchange expertise, share leading practices and discuss the role of philanthropic institutions in advancing development.

“The partnership will focus on leading exchange on practices and capacity-building within the philanthropic sector, while upcoming projects will be developed throughout 2015,” said the KKF media head.

According to spokesperson, the agreement was endorsed by the KKF Director General Princess Banderi bint Abdul Rahman Al-Faisal on behalf of the King Khalid Foundation, and by Joe Cerrell, BMGF managing director, and Hassan Al-Damluji, head of Middle East Relations.

Princess Banderi Al-Faisal described the partnership as a quantum leap in the level of strategic partnerships within the Kingdom’s philanthropic organizations, in which both parties are able to work together to achieve the mission of KKF.

“By doing so, we hope to build strong, effective and transparent organizations capable of improving the social and economic well-being of Saudi citizens,” she noted.

According to her, the partnership is the first of its kind between a foundation in the Arab world and a global organization of such scale, with the focus on strengthening the practices in the Saudi non-profit sector.

Speaking on his part, Cerrell said the latest initiative is an integral part of the foundation’s commitment to supporting partners in Saudi Arabia.

“It’s great to see that the Kingdom is going to such efforts to build its philanthropic sector,” he said.

“We are happy to share the expertise we have developed over more than a decade of working to improve the quality of life for the world’s poorest because we know the power of Saudi Arabia’s generosity to help people all over the world.”

“This partnership is important because the KKF will help us identify and strengthen some of the strongest charitable organizations in Saudi Arabia. Both sides have a lot to learn from each other and we are very pleased to be working together,” said Al-Damluji.

 
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