Type: Grant

J-PAL MENA

Strategy

Economic Empowerment; Opportunity & Inclusion; Access to Income & Assets; Access to Healthcare

Summary

Meem Foundation has partnered with J-PAL MENA at the American University in Cairo (AUC) to launch a three-year incubator to support and evaluate evidence-based approaches to women’s empowerment in Egypt. The initiative will fund and assess three NGO-led pilot programs focused on maternal and reproductive health, digital financial tools, and gender-equitable technical education.

Who

J-PAL MENA (Middle East and North Africa) was established in July 2020 by The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) at the American University in Cairo (AUC) to reduce poverty in the region through evidence-based policies. J-PAL MENA builds long-term partnerships with governments, NGOs, and foundations to integrate rigorous evidence into policy and programming. Their work spans areas such as education, health, labor markets, and governance, aiming to ensure that policy decisions worldwide are guided by scientific evidence.

What

The SEED incubator will begin with a capacity-building workshop program for ten Egyptian NGOs, training them in theory of change development, program design, and impact evaluation. Three of these organizations will then be selected to receive funding and tailored technical assistance for pilot implementation. Each pilot will undergo rigorous monitoring and evaluation by J-PAL MENA to ensure measurable, data-driven outcomes.

By embedding evidence generation from the outset, the program strengthens local NGO capacity. It creates a pipeline of scalable, high-impact solutions that enhance women’s access to healthcare, digital finance, and employment opportunities. This partnership advances Meem Foundation’s mission to promote inclusion and evidence-based innovation across the Arab world.

Sharjah Women Impact Fellowship (SWIF)

Strategy

Economic Empowerment; Opportunity & Inclusion

Summary

Through this grant, we support the Sharjah Women Impact Fellowship (SWIF), launched by the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa) to equip 12 women founders with the skills, networks, and resources to grow impactful businesses. SWIF builds on Sheraa’s decade-long experience nurturing over 180 startups and creating 1,900 jobs across the UAE. The program prioritizes founders based in Sharjah or expanding their operations to the Emirate, contributing to the region’s inclusive entrepreneurial growth.

Who

The Sharjah Women Impact Fellowship (SWIF) is an initiative of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa), launched under the patronage and vision of Her Highness Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi. SWIF is rooted in Sharjah’s broader commitment to innovation, equity, and sustainable development, bringing together government, corporate, and investment partners to champion women’s leadership in business. Through its equity-free model, SWIF enables exceptional women founders to access world-class mentorship, funding opportunities, and strategic networks that expand their ventures’ impact and visibility.

What

Despite growing momentum in MENA’s entrepreneurship landscape, women remain significantly underrepresented. According to a 2022 TiE Dubai and Wamda case study, The Gender Gap in Startup Investment, only 2% of MENA investment funding went to solo women founders, while 5% of funding went to at least one female co-founder teams.  The rest, 92.7% went to all male startups. Women founders typically receive less investment and fewer scaling opportunities.

SWIF addresses these gaps by focusing on leadership and systemic inclusion. It builds the visibility, confidence, and networks that women founders need to access funding and grow their enterprises.  The Fellowship combines leadership development, peer learning, and venture-building opportunities for founders at the early and SME stages.  This is a four-month fellowship with individual stipends for all 12 women founders.

By empowering women entrepreneurs to lead, innovate, and build resilient ventures, SWIF advances Meem Foundation’s mission to create inclusive pathways for women’s economic empowerment in the UAE and across the MENA region.

Source: WAMDA Research 2022

ANERA – SAWA Project

Strategy

Economic Empowerment; Future of work educational and training programs

Summary

Through this grant we support the SAWA (‘together’) project, created by Anera, which provides education to 750 out of school girls in North Lebanon and seeks to enhance their access to education and inspire them to pursue further education or careers.

What

In Lebanon, early marriage is most acutely felt among displaced populations, and it is estimated that 41% of Syrian refugee women aged 20-24 have been married before the age of 18. The SAWA project, launched in 2021 as a pilot, uses conditional cash transfers to aid in completing young girls’ education. SAWA also provides retention classes, life skills workshops, and runs public awareness campaigns on the health risks of early marriage. During the pilot program, 1,300 girls received educational support through conditional cash transfer. SAWA saw promising results: decreased dropout rates and decreased early marriage rates among the participants. By implementing a multifaceted approach that includes conditional cash transfers, educational support, and community-based interventions, SAWA provides a robust framework for supporting girls’ education and well-being.

Throughout the program, comprehensive impact measurement and evaluation metrics are used to assess the program’s effectiveness. This holistic approach is aimed at long-term impact on girls’ lives.