Near East Foundation

In 2010, NEF entered into a historic strategic affiliation with Syracuse University.

At Syracuse, NEF is engaging the talent and creative energy of the academic community to help solve the problems facing the Middle East and Africa. In turn, NEF is helping train a new generation of students who will lead the future of international social and economic development.

The considerable benefits of the new alliance include:

• Increased Capacity: Student program assistants (interns) make substantive contributions and gain valuable experience supporting our teams in the field and providing much-needed help with programs, administration, and communications.

• Strategic Partnerships: NEF is partnering with the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, and the Whitman School of Management. Programs at these schools have helped develop a monitoring and evaluation plan to track project impacts, conducted a 10-year retrospective analysis documenting NEF's impacts, and laid the groundwork for strategic planning.

• Innovation: A newly created NEF Fellowship program allows recent graduates to bring their insights to programs in the field. The first two NEF Fellows traveled to Morocco, where they documented the impact and lessons learned from NEF’s work with young people in urban slums and with children in rural primary schools.

• Leveraged Resources: Though both remain legally and financially independent organizations, NEF and Syracuse can capitalize on opportunities to fundraise and outreach together. Relocating to the Syracuse campus has significantly reduced operating expenses and increased access to state-of-the-art facilities.