Palestine has long been deemed a ‘donor-dependent economy’ with international aid arguably doing more harm than good in the post-Oslo era. Despite this, there continues to be an important role for aid and philanthropy in supporting and empowering impact-driven initiatives.

How can we redirect philanthropic giving so that it tackles the root cause? What is the vision of impact we have for our community, and what is the role of the Diaspora in achieving this?

Moukhtar Kocache has expertise in philanthropy, cultural and civil society development and curatorial practice. Born in Beirut and raised in Paris, he currently lives in NYC and sometimes in Istanbul. From 2004 to 2012 he was Program Officer at the Ford Foundation’s regional office in Cairo. During his tenure, he worked on the development and sustainability of arts and culture spaces, networks and service infrastructure and the emergence of institutional philanthropy in the region. His grant‐making supported small to mid‐sized organizations and focused on creativity, discourse, education, grantmaking and civic/cultural development in Egypt, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Lebanon with programming extending throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

In 2015 he founded Rawa: Creative Palestinian Communities Fund a community-led participatory funding platform that supports innovative community development initiatives throughout historic Palestine and advocates for improved and more just philanthropic practices and development aid.

Moukhtar is a consultant and adviser to many nonprofits and philanthropies and has worked with cultural organizations, councils, museums and nonprofits in Europe, MENA and the US since the early 90’s. He serves on the following boards: International Media Support; Open Society Foundations (MENA Region) and American Friends Service Committee (International Council). His current interests include the sustainability of independent creative platforms, cultural and social justice philanthropy, the links between political philosophy and policy, alternative institutional and organizational structures, participatory and community philanthropy, innovative community development, civic engagement, gender equity and diversity, international collaboration, memory, film, photography, material culture and the activation of art and cultural production to advance civic and social change.