The Near East Foundation is unique in many ways:

We were America’s first nation-wide international philanthropic effort;

We pioneered nearly a century ago the approach to international development which enables people to acquire the tools to help themselves;

Our successes became the model for the United States government’s international aid program and for nearly all current development organizations;

We work one-on-one, hand-in-hand with the often forgotten people at the grass-roots as equal partners in making our shared world better;

Our staff overseas, with few exceptions, is made up of local people—those who know the culture, language, and circumstances of the people with whom we work;

We have worked with reliability, trustworthiness, and success since 1915.