About Sawiris Foundation
The Sawiris Foundation was founded in April 2001 as a grant-making foundation. Set up with an endowment from the Sawiris family – which is made up of prominent members of the business world and the development community - it is one of the first family donor foundations dedicated to social development to be established in Egypt. In 2005, the Foundation was granted special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
The Sawiris Foundation’s focus, mission and work have evolved from the collective thinking of like-minded individuals within the international development community. Mrs. Yousriya Loza Sawiris, founding chair of the Association for the Protection of the Environment (APE), and the late Dr. Ibrahim Shihata, Senior Vice-President and General Counsel of the World Bank, began the dialogue and thinking of how to shape the Foundation. They were further encouraged in their efforts by the collaboration of advocates such as Mrs. Mary Asaad, a community development expert, and the late Dr. John Gerhart, former President of the American University in Cairo (AUC). Dr. Shihata helped codify the Foundation’s by-laws and processes, and recruited the members of its Board of Trustees and the Foundation’s first Executive Director. All board members are leaders of Egyptian society and experts in their field.
