Since its establishment in 1977, The Arab British Centre has supported more than thirty resident organisations, providing subsidised work space. Today, residents continue to have the opportunity to grow and develop their work alongside like-minded individuals and benefit from the networks and promotion offered by The Arab British Centre.
The Barakat Trust
Resident Organisation
The Barakat Trust is a British registered charity, established in 1987 to support the study and preservation of the heritage, art, archaeology, architecture and culture of the Islamic World by funding scholarships, conservation, digitisation and archaeological projects, academic research, publications, conferences and other initiatives. To date, it has supported more than 600 projects and grantees in over 40 countries. Recently-supported projects include archaeological work in Jordan, Morocco and Uzbekistan, building conservation work in Egypt, manuscript conservation in Ireland, and a large number of travel grants, and scholarships at Oxford University. The Trust counts many eminent heritage professionals and academics in the field among its grantees, and prides itself on the multitude of ways in which local communities have benefited from its work over the past 30 years.
The British Palestinian Committee
Resident Organisation
The British Palestinian Committee’s mission is to advocate for Palestinian rights by ensuring that British-Palestinian voices are integral to public discourse and policymaking on Palestine.
Caabu (The Council for Arab-British Understanding)
Resident Organisation
Caabu (The Council for Arab-British Understanding) promotes an enlightened and positive approach to Arab-British relations by providing a forum for politicians, journalists, opinion formers and members of the public to co-operate on issues relating to the Arab world. Founded in 1967, its achievements include organising parliamentary delegations to the Arab world, engaging with the media for fair and informed reporting and reaching out to the next generation by working with young people and teachers in schools. Its mission is to influence, inform and inspire in the fields of politics, media and education in Britain.
Centre for Transnational Development and Collaboration
Resident Organisation
Centre for Transnational Development and Collaboration (CTDC) is dedicated to promoting gender equality, women’s rights, the rights of sexual minorities and marginalised groups including refugees and asylum seekers. We work towards achieving social, political and economic change across the world through research, consultancy services, monitoring and evaluation, advocacy, project design, capacity building, awareness raising and educational programs.
Fobzu
Resident Organisation
Fobzu (Friends of Birzeit University) has been working since 1978 to support the right to education for Palestinians and its role in the creation of a free and flourishing Palestine by providing scholarships, building links between UK and Palestinian higher education and raising awareness about the experience of Palestinian students and educators living under occupation and in exile.
Hoping Foundation
Resident Organisation
HOPING stands for Hope and Optimism for Palestinians in the Next Generation. We provide grants to community centres working with Palestinian refugee children in camps across the Middle East. We work directly with the grassroots organisations to ensure that Palestinians identify their needs and design the activities we support, which include poetry workshops, football academies, journalism training, theatre camps, filmmaking clubs and university scholarships. Above all, we want to show young Palestinians that people in Britain care about them and their future.
Palmusic UK
Resident Organisation
Palmusic UK (Friends of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music UK) is a UK-charity that nurtures the talent and skills of the next generation of Palestinian musicians through the provision of scholarships, instruments and music training. They link British and Palestinian musicians and create opportunities for further education and cultural cooperation between the two countries.
Shubbak Festival
Resident Organisation
Shubbak Festival is the UK’s largest festival of contemporary art and culture from across the Arab world, bringing the best artists, musicians, directors, dancers and performers from across the region to London for a two week celebration of outstanding culture from the Arab work to audiences of over 50,000. Shubbak 2017 will take place from 1 – 16 July 2017 in locations across London.
Zaytoun
Resident Organisation
Zaytoun is a Community Interest Company founded in 2004 to create and develop a UK market for artisan Palestinian produce. In 2009 it launched the world’s first ever Fairtrade olive oil, a tribute to the hard work of the Palestinian producers and processors with whom it works. Zaytoun products are available in Selfridges Food Hall, Whole Foods Market, Planet Organic, Traidcraft and a wide network of independent retailers nationwide.
Banipal
Associate Resident
Banipal is in independent literary magazine publishing contemporary Arab authors and poets in English translation, presenting both established and emerging Arab writers in English for the first time. The three issues a year include poems, short stories and excerpts from novels as well as author interviews, profiles and book reviews. The Arab-British Centre and Banipal established the library of modern Arab literature (BALMAL), which is housed at The Arab British Centre.
British Tunisian Society
Associate Resident
The British Tunisian Society aims to further friendly relations and understanding between the people of Tunisia and United Kingdom; connect people with a common interest or connection with the UK and Tunisia; preserve the centuries-long tradition of close relations between the UK and Tunisia; and propagate knowledge of Tunisia and the United Kingdom and vice versa – to all those interested.
The Saudi British Society
Associate Resident
The Saudi British Society was formed in 1986 to help promote closer friendship and understanding between the people of Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom. The Society is a social, cultural, non-political and non-commercial organisation. It aims to bring together British citizens who have an interest in Saudi Arabia (whether professional, commercial, cultural or otherwise) and Saudi Arabian citizens who are resident in, visitors to or interested in the UK. It aims also to provide a medium through which hospitality may be offered to Saudi Arabians visiting or living in the UK.
The Arab Puppet Theatre Foundation
Associate Resident
The Arab Puppet Theatre Foundation (APTF) was founded in 2008 as a non-profit organization with the mission to encourage puppetry practices throughout the Arab world and advance new developments in the field whilst simultaneously functioning as an established puppetry school and theatre.
APTF was born out of a need for a space in the Arab world for curious and passionate students interested in the art of puppetry. The initiative is the very first of its kind and provides a vital platform to revive, advance, continually challenge, and rethink puppetry in the Arab world whilst encouraging and supporting the professional development of any artists interested in puppetry practices.
We provide skills and specialized programs for experienced and novice puppeteers, including puppet-makers, educators, social workers, human rights workers, and librarians. We also collaborate with artists, professionals, and local and international NGOs from a variety of complementary fields and disciplines which means we are constantly evolving and exploring new and exciting possibilities in our field.
The Mansoojat Foundation
Associate Resident
The Mansoojat Foundation is a UK-registered charity founded by a group of Saudi women with a passionate interest in the traditional ethnic textiles and costumes of Arabia.
Where We Go In The Future Is Determined
By Where We Have Been In The Past.
The Mansoojat Foundation’s mission is to revive and preserve the traditional ethnic designs and costumes of the various regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; to promote and conduct academic research important for the understanding of the history and culture of the region, and to raise public awareness for the appreciation of this unique heritage.
Makan
Associate Resident
Makan is a Palestinian-led political education organisation that strengthens voices for Palestinian rights. We help to transform the existing narrative on Palestine-Israel to one that upholds freedom, justice and equality for all by delivering educational workshops and trainings on Palestine, creating useful resources and tools for human rights advocates, and connecting people and organisations active on the issue to one another. We help strengthen the Palestine movement in the UK and, by extension, the global movement that is pushing for freedom for Palestinians.