Consultancy to support the Development of the Asfari Foundation Strategy 2023-2027

The Asfari Foundation (the Foundation) is a UK-based grant-making charity established by Ayman and Sawsan Asfari in 2006. The Foundation focuses its efforts within the Levant and UK, and through its grant-making programmes pursues its key objectives:

1. To enable the development of a resilient, effective, and accountable civil society infrastructure by developing the sustainability, productivity and visibility of high potential civil society organisations (CSOs).
2. To create non-traditional learning and economic opportunities by providing innovative support to young entrepreneurs to help them build sustainable enterprises and tackle social challenges.
3. To empower partners to transform their organisations, increase their impact, and strengthen learning and collaboration – locally, regionally, and globally – through community-led, localised knowledge-sharing.

Following a strategic review in 2018, the Foundation shifted its focus to offering longer-term funding with an emphasis on supporting organizational development sustainability and innovation. In 2019 the Foundation further refined elements of this strategy, taking into consideration the social, political and economic changes in the Middle East, as well as the opportunities afforded by innovative technology and techniques in learning and knowledge-sharing to take the Foundation’s impact to scale. In 2020, the Foundation also introduced some strategic decisions in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, financial crisis in Lebanon, and other crises affecting the region and to support the resilience of its partners.

What We Do

We operate at local, regional, and global levels, making grants across our thematic programmes: Youth Learning, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Civil Society, and ad-hoc Relief.

At the regional level the Foundation develops strategic partnerships with influential academic and policy centres such as the American University of Beirut. We also consider partnerships with INGOs to deliver co-investment in areas of shared common interest, enabling the Foundation to take its impact to scale.

The Foundation uses the evidence of its impact and that of its partners to advocate for localisation, collaboration, experimentation with innovative approaches to grant-making and partnerships, and the important role family foundations can play in helping to drive positive change in the Middle East.

The Foundation is seeking a consultant to support the development of its new strategy for 2023-2027 given all the rapid changes affecting the world in general, and the region in particular enabling it to build on its legacy in the past decade and deepen its impact for the future in the purist of its vision for a just world where people have equal opportunities to transform their lives, invest in their communities, and shape the future of their countries.

The Position

The Consultant (individuals or companies) will coordinate the production of the strategy using the relevant data, both quantitative and qualitative, to develop and finalise the strategy.

The undertaking will involve working closely with the Asfari Foundation Team to ensure the strategy meets the Foundation’s requirements.

The position will report to the Chief Executive Office of the Asfari Foundation and the Director of Civil Society.

Responsibilities

• Planning
• • Agree the final methodology and timeline for delivery of the Strategy with the Asfari Team. – Review all current strategic and relevant documents of the Foundation. – Schedule a series of brainstorming workshops (a minimum of 2) with the Asfari Team to agree the content, structure, and design of the strategy. – Plan a series of meetings with all stakeholders including the team, Board of Trustees, current and previous partners, Family Foundations and INGOs operating in the region, policy makers (if needed) etc. – Check-in weekly with the Director to update on progress and identify any gaps/problems requiring resolution.
• Technical Implementation
• • Deliver the brainstorming workshops. – Gather and analyse the relevant data identified in the workshops, and from reviewing documents and reports provided by the Foundation’s MEAL Framework and grant management system. – Liaise with Asfari Team for assistance with sourcing the required data and contact details. – Write the strategy, liaising closely with the Asfari Team for support with editing the content. – Co-present the final draft strategy to the team and Board of Trustees for comments and final signoffs.

Outputs

• A high-quality five-year strategy document for the Asfari Foundation within the agreed timeframe, suitable for submission to the Board of Trustees and for publication to the Foundation’s website and social media channels.

Skills & Experience

• At least 10-15 years prior experience in the non-profit and philanthropic sector in the MENA region, with knowledge of the Civil Society and/or Entrepreneurship Sector in the region.
• Has written or co-written high quality strategy documents.
• Excellent administrative, organizational, teamwork, interpersonal and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work proactively, independently, efficiently and to prioritize work and meet deadlines with well-developed time management.
• High level of motivation, integrity, and work ethics.
• Commitment to gender equality, diversity, and inclusion.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English.
• Good knowledge of the Arabic language is desirable.

Qualifications

• For individuals: A relevant MA in business or social sciences (including Development-related subjects).

Duration

The Consultancy will last for approximately 3-4 months starting February 2023.

Expression of Interest

Interested consultants (individuals or companies) are invited to submit an Expression of Interest including the following information:

• The individual or the company’s profile highlighting relevant work and experiences
• A technical and financial proposal including a proposed methodology and budget to complete the work highlighting whether this includes travel, TAX and VAT etc.