Massive AED 3.72B Raised in UAE Fathers’ Endowment Drive
The Fathers’ Endowment campaign has reached a historic milestone by raising over AED 3.72 billion from more than 277,000 contributors. This soaring win marks an unprecedented achievement in UAE’s humanitarian initiatives. The overwhelming response came from people, businesses and organizations in public and private sectors. Azizi Developments made a record-breaking AED 3 billion contribution – the largest individual private sector donation in UAE history.
Sheik Mohammed’s Ramadan initiative builds on UAE’s strong foundation of successful humanitarian work. The campaign wants to provide essential healthcare support to people in need and shows the nation’s steadfast dedication to humanitarian causes. This achievement follows the success of previous campaigns like the 10 Million Meals initiative in 2020 and the 1 Billion Meals campaign in 2022. These efforts reinforce UAE’s deeply rooted culture of philanthropy and community participation.
Sheik Mohammed’s Campaign Shatters Fundraising Records with AED 3.72 Billion
Image Source: www.dewa.gov.ae
His Highness Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched the historic Fathers’ Endowment campaign on February 21, 2025. The campaign raised AED 3.72 billion, doubling its original target in less than a month.
His Highness shared that the campaign will keep accepting contributions throughout the year, after this remarkable achievement before Ramadan ended. “As Ramadan concludes in the Year of Community, our society has showed remarkable cohesion and solidarity in its dedication to humanitarian causes, embodying the values of giving and generosity,” Sheik Mohammed remarked.
The campaign wants to establish a sustainable endowment fund to provide healthcare for the less fortunate and received support from many sectors. Azizi Developments made UAE’s largest private sector contribution in history by giving AED 3 billion to fund a humanitarian medical complex in Dubai. This complex will include a hospital, research center, and medical training facility.
Education entrepreneur Sunny Varkey joined the cause with a pledge of AED 100 million. Several real estate developers made substantial contributions:
- Imtiaz Developments – AED 50 million
- Peace Homes Development – AED 50 million
- SAMANA Developers – AED 40 million
- Buimerc Corporation Ltd. – AED 20 million
The Most Noble Number charity auctions in Abu Dhabi and Dubai boosted the campaign by a lot, raising AED 167,461,000. Dubai’s auction generated AED 83,784,000, with AED 75.9 million from RTA vehicle plate numbers and the rest from special mobile numbers.
His Excellency Mohammad Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Secretary General of MBRGI, highlighted Sheik Mohammed’s vision of a new approach to humanitarian work that focuses on sustainability. Al Gergawi said the campaign’s soaring win during the Year of Giving shows UAE’s deeply rooted values of generosity and family unity.
Major Donors Propel Fathers’ Endowment to Unprecedented Heights
Image Source: Aletihad Newspaper
The Fathers’ Endowment campaign’s success comes from several major contributions that set new records in UAE philanthropy. Azizi Developments made history with a AED 3 billion donation – the biggest private sector contribution that ever spread in the UAE. This money will help build a medical complex in Dubai with a hospital, research center, and medical training facility.
Mirwais Azizi, Founder and Chairman of Azizi Developments, expressed his dedication to the cause: “This campaign aims to provide vital treatment and healthcare to the poor, the needy, and those unable to afford it, offering hope and ensuring broader access to healthcare services for underserved communities”.
Education entrepreneur Sunny Varkey and his family gave AED 100 million to support the initiative. Varkey’s generosity stems from his family’s values: “I have been fortunate that I grew up in a family where charity was ingrained in us from a very early age”. His family has kept giving as their core philosophy since moving to the UAE.
People can easily donate through six different channels: the campaign website (Fathersfund.ae), SMS, bank transfers, a dedicated call center (toll-free number 8004999), the DubaiNow app, and Dubai’s community contributions platform Jood.ae.
The initiative has drawn more than 160,560 contributors from all sectors. This is a big deal as it means that the original AED 1 billion target was surpassed. His Excellency Mohammad Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Secretary-General of MBRGI, pointed out that these amazing results show Sheik Mohammed’s Ramadan campaigns’ effect.
Al Gergawi added that this community involvement proves that “noble values of charity and a culture of giving are deeply rooted in Emirati society”. The UAE ended up strengthening its position as a global leader in humanitarian initiatives.
UAE Government Implements Strategic Plan for Healthcare Endowment
Image Source: Dubai Media Office
Abu Dhabi has launched a strategic AED 1 billion healthcare endowment fund alongside the Fathers’ Endowment initiative. The five-year fund aims to improve specialized healthcare services for the community. The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi and the Endowments and Minors Funds Management Authority (Awqaf Abu Dhabi) have joined forces in this most important milestone of the UAE‘s healthcare strategy.
The fund’s foundation received AED 50 million as life-blood funding from Awqaf Abu Dhabi. This first major partnership opens doors for more sector-focused endowments throughout Abu Dhabi.
Profits and returns from the Abu Dhabi Healthcare Endowment Fund will help bridge financing gaps in essential healthcare programs and treatments. His Excellency Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Chairman of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, stated “This fund signifies our commitment to creating a sustainable flow of support that ensures the accessibility of healthcare services to all members of the community”.
Abdul Hamid Saeed, Chairman of Awqaf Abu Dhabi, noted that the collaboration “is aligned with the UAE Government’s agenda and catalyzes social investment governance structures which are directed to those most in need”.
The implementation strategy focuses on these key areas:
- Developing hospitals and increasing their capacity
- Providing necessary medical equipment and securing medicines
- Upgrading operating rooms and improving medical staff skills
- Establishing eco-friendly financial instrument frameworks
These efforts mirror the Fathers’ Endowment campaign’s broader healthcare objectives to improve healthcare in underserved communities worldwide. Dr. Noura Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, emphasized that these initiatives represent “first steps towards a long-term commitment to systemic and sustainable finance solutions”.
The UAE’s healthcare endowment strategy demonstrates the nation’s all-encompassing approach. It tackles healthcare challenges while ensuring long-term sustainability and access for everyone.
The UAE has achieved something remarkable with the Fathers’ Endowment campaign, showing the nation’s steadfast dedication to humanitarian causes. This groundbreaking initiative exceeded its original target and established new standards for private sector philanthropy. Azizi Developments made history with their AED 3 billion contribution.
The campaign’s soaring win and Abu Dhabi’s strategic AED 1 billion healthcare endowment fund showcase an all-encompassing approach to eco-friendly healthcare solutions. These programs highlight UAE society’s deeply held values of generosity and community support.
Sheik Mohammed has revolutionized traditional charitable giving by creating sustainable endowment models. The enthusiastic participation of 277,000 contributors demonstrates that UAE’s citizens and residents unite behind a shared goal – delivering quality healthcare to those most in need.
This milestone achievement opens new possibilities to create lasting positive change. The UAE builds a resilient framework for sustainable healthcare support through these endowment initiatives and sets an example for humanitarian efforts globally.
