Dr. Maya Morsi, Minister of Social Solidarity, announced the launch of the Fund to Support Projects of Associations and Civil Institutions, along with the inauguration of the fund’s first annual conference.

The Minister expressed her honor to celebrate the launch of the Fund to Support Projects of Associations and Civil Institutions, marking a new chapter in developing mechanisms for civil work in Egypt, as one of the key achievements of the Civil Work Regulation Law No. 149 of 2019, under the slogan “A Supportive and Enabling Environment for Civil Society Organizations.”

Minister Thanks President for Supporting Civil Society

Dr. Maya Morsi extended her thanks to President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi for his historic support and backing of civil and nonprofit society in Egypt.

The Minister also acknowledged the support of former Ministers of Social Solidarity Dr. Ghada Wali and Nevine El-Kabbaj, as well as Dr. Abdel Hadi El-Qosaby, Dr. Talaat Abdel Qawi, Ayman Abdel-Mawgoud, Dr. Ahmed Saada, and the late Dr. Nabil Samuel, who contributed to bringing the fund to light.

Partnership Between the State and Civil Society

Dr. Maya Morsi confirmed that today marks a new chapter in the partnership between the state and civil society. This is not a mere event but a public policy that redefines the role of civil society as a genuine partner in development, responsible for measurable impact and participating in decision-making. She indicated that the announcement today represents a shift from the concept of “aid or grants” to an “integrated system supporting civil society.” Today, a new chapter begins in the partnership between the state and civil society.

Egyptian Red Crescent and Humanitarian Aid to Gaza Strip

The Minister highlighted the important role of the Egyptian Red Crescent as a national mechanism responsible for coordinating humanitarian aid to support the Gaza Strip. More than 35,000 volunteers have worked over the past 700 days to deliver humanitarian assistance to Gaza. She also mentioned the role of the National Alliance for Developmental Civil Work, which includes major grassroots associations providing many services.

Mechanism of the Fund to Support Projects of Associations and Civil Institutions

The Minister explained that the fund’s work is based on the principle of seeing and measuring results; hence, they adopted a results-based financing approach, linking disbursements to agreed performance indicators, independent evaluations, and transparent monitoring of supported projects from application submission to impact measurement. Today, the fund is governed by values such as governance, transparency, cooperation, and partnership for serving the nation. These are not just financial procedures but public accountability policies that reassure citizens, facilitate funders, and guide decision-makers towards development and expansion. Governance is completed by digital transformation; an advanced electronic system was built to facilitate access to funding and knowledge, provide a database to review trends and results, and centralized systems to manage strategy and resources.

Dr. Maya Morsi stated their commitment through the fund to activate an enabling legal framework balancing compliance and flexibility through flexible, fast, and clear regulations and procedures that do not limit governance but rather enhance it. With this spirit, legal compliance supports expansion and builds trust. Success is measured by documented real-world impact. Funding is directed where needed, ensuring services reach actual beneficiaries through an integrated system of geographic justice in access to resources and opportunities. They believe that supporting diversity through inclusion is not a formal item but a funding criterion, measuring the percentage of projects that integrate women’s empowerment, participation, and leadership, involve youth in design and implementation, ensure full accessibility for persons with disabilities, and consider climate justice in every intervention.

Policy of the Fund to Support Projects of Associations and Civil Institutions

The Minister emphasized that innovation is a general policy of the fund, shortening the path between challenges and opportunities and between needs and sufficiency to improve targeting, reduce costs, and accelerate service delivery. This is accompanied by governance frameworks protecting privacy, preventing bias, and ensuring transparency in work models used. Innovation is the foundation for building technical solutions. Partnership is the basis of the fund’s work; they welcome all state institutions, private sector, universities, research centers, civil society institutions, foreign NGOs, development partners, and others for partnership not only in funding or implementation but also in design, governance, and monitoring.

The Minister concluded her speech saying: “Today, I announce the launch of the Civil Society Support Fund (CSF), a unique Egyptian public entity and a national donor for civil society, enabling, participating, supporting, and coordinating. We invite you all to be part of this partnership; to contribute your expertise, and to build together a social infrastructure that doubles impact and achieves the desired development for the advancement of this nation. Let us all today be partners in a lasting impact.”