MiSK Foundation

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Foundation (the MiSK Foundation) (Arabic: مؤسسة الأمير محمد بن سلمان بن عبدالعزيز مسك) is a non-profit foundation established by Saudi crown prince Mohammad bin Salman in 2011.[1]

Mohammed bin Salman "MISK" Foundation
مؤسسة الأمير محمد بن سلمان بن عبدالعزيز مسك
FounderMohammed Bin Salman
Key people
Bader Al Badr
Websitemisk.org.sa/en/

History

Created in 2011, the MiSK foundation was initiated by Mohammad bin Salman, then advisor to the Governor of Riyadh. The name of the Foundation comes from "misk" ("musk" in English); the perfume is a symbol of generosity and benevolence.[2] The Foundation's work is focused on education, culture and media.[3]

The MiSK Foundation launched the Tweeps Forum in 2013, an annual networking event connecting the Saudi youth with social media leaders, gathering speakers such as Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Ivanka Trump.[4][5]

In October 2015, the MiSK Foundation was one of the main partners of the 9th UNESCO Youth Forum in Paris.[6] In September 2016, the two organisations signed a Framework Agreement to collaborate on the development of youth, education, emerging technologies, culture, and science.[7] The 7th International Forum of NGOs was held in Riyadh in May 2017 in partnership with the MiSK foundation.[8]

In 2017, the Foundation became a "member company" of the MIT Media Lab consortium.[9]

The MiSK Art Institute, launched in 2017, is the artistic branch of the MiSK Foundation.[10][11][12] MiSK led the Saudi pavilion at the 2019 Venice Biennale, organizing an exhibition by the Jeddah-based Saudi artist Zahrah Al Ghamdi.[13] Saudi Codes is an educational program that is implemented in partnership between Misk, the Saudi Ministry of Education and the Communication and Information Telecom Company (STC).[14] MiSK Foundation launched in 2019 Growth Accelerator program to support tech start-ups in MENA region.[15] In collaboration with the Saudi Ministry of Hajj, MiSk Foundation has launched Misk AL-Mashaer initiative that aims at recruiting volunteers to help pilgrims during Hajj season.[16]

In November 2018, a month after the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pulled funding from the foundation.[17] The decision ended a joint initiative between the Gates Foundation and the MiSK Foundation called the MiSK Grand Challenges, which made grants to organisations around the world working to create innovative solutions to development challenges. In 2017, the Gates Foundation had committed $5 million to the MiSK Grant Challenges. “Jamal Khashoggi’s abduction and murder are extremely troubling,” said the Gates Foundation in a statement.[18][19]

Entrepreneurship

In the beginning of 2019, MISk foundation signed partnership contracts with 500 Startups to promote entrepreneurship.[20] Misk Foundation started "Misk Startup School" for entrepreneurship education. In the same year, a group of young male and female Saudis represented the foundation in the Youth 20 Summit (Y20) held in Japan.[21]

In April 2022, MiSK Foundation acquired 96% ownership of the Japanese video game company SNK.[22]

See also

References
  1. "Misk Foundation Partners with Bloomberg to Advance Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 with Major Investments in Financial Training and Global Market Capabilities | Press | Bloomberg LP". Bloomberg L.p.
  2. "About MiSk". Misk.org.sa. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  3. Elizabeth Dickinson (8 May 2017). "Q&A: Saudi nonprofit MiSK paves the way for youth". Devex.com. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  4. Mallory Shelbourne (21 May 2017). "Ivanka Trump says social media 'empowers the people'". Thehill.com. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  5. "Abdullah bin Zayed attends 4th Tweeps Forum in Riyadh". Emiratespressrelease.com (Press release). 18 April 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  6. "Main sponsors". Unesco.org. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  7. "UNESCO and MiSK Foundation join forces for knowledge societies". Unesco.org. 14 September 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  8. ""Youth and their Social Impact" – 7th International Forum of NGOs in official partnership with UNESCO". Unesco.org. 28 April 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  9. Grif Peterson; Yarden Katz (30 March 2018). "Elite universities are selling themselves – and look who's buying". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  10. Anna Somers Cocks (8 December 2017). "Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince launches institute to promote art in the Middle East". Theartnewspaper.com. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  11. Siegfried Forster (12 October 2017). "L'art contemporain saoudien, une bonne surprise exposée à l'Unesco". Rf1.fr (in French). Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  12. James Tarmy (29 January 2018). "Saudi Arabia Is Planning a Massive, New Arts Center". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  13. "Saudi Arabia returns to Venice Biennale after eight-year hiatus". theartnewspaper.com. 9 April 2019. Retrieved 2019-07-12.
  14. "'Saudi Codes' attracts over 1 million participants". Arab News. 2019-02-10. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  15. "Arabnet | Misk to launch MENA Growth Accelerator". www.arabnet.me. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
  16. "Hajj Ministry, Misk launch program for volunteers to serve pilgrims". Arab News. 2019-07-24. Retrieved 2019-07-30.
  17. DiChristopher, Tom (November 2018). "Gates Foundation halts cooperation with Saudi crown prince's nonprofit after Khashoggi killing". CNBC. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  18. Roberts, Paul (2 November 2018). "Gates Foundation cuts ties with Saudi charity over journalist's murder". Seattle Times.
  19. Denny, Andrew (4 November 2018). "Gates Foundation Pulls Funding From Saudi Charity Over Khashoggi Murder". Inquisitr.
  20. "Misk Innovation partners with 500 Startups to encourage entrepreneurism". Arab News. 2019-01-28. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  21. "Misk Foundation participates in Youth 20 Summit". Arab News. 2019-06-25. Retrieved 2019-06-30.
  22. Peters, Jay (5 April 2022). "SNK is now almost entirely owned by the Saudi crown prince's foundation". The Verge. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
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