PLATINUM2024

American Near East Refugee Aid (Anera)

Where Hope Finds a Way

aka Anera   |   Washington, DC   |  http://www.anera.org

Mission

Since 1968, Anera has helped refugees and others hurt by conflicts in the Middle East live with dignity and purpose. Anera, which has no political or religious affiliation, works on the ground with partners in Palestine (West Bank and Gaza), Lebanon and Jordan. We mobilize resources for immediate emergency relief and for sustainable, long-term health, education, and economic development. Our staff serve in their communities, navigating the politics that constrict progress to get help where it’s needed most. That’s how Anera delivered 98.3 million in programs in 2020 alone, and it’s how we will keep building better lives until hope finds its way in the Middle East.

Ruling year info

1968

Principal Officer

Mr. Sean Carroll

Main address

1111 14th Street NW, #400

Washington, DC 20005 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

52-0882226

NTEE code info

International Development, Relief Services (Q30)

International Relief (Q33)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

Sign in or create an account to view Form(s) 990 for 2023, 2022 and 2021.
Register now

Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Anera mobilizes resources for immediate emergency relief and for sustainable, long-term health, education, and economic development. Our staff serve in their communities, navigating the politics that constrict progress to get where it's needed most.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Health

Anera partners with local non-governmental organizations and key institutions to respond to health needs, while also delivering humanitarian relief when crises arise. Because of our long history in the region, Anera has the flexibility to meet the specific needs of health care providers and the know-how to reach the most vulnerable members of society.

Population(s) Served
Families
Caregivers

In Gaza and the West Bank, early childhood development (ECD) is a staple of Anera's work. The vast majority of preschools in Palestine are run privately on shoestring budgets. Your donations help Anera to build and renovate preschools, train teachers in interactive learning techniques, provide books and educational materials for children, and integrate health, nutrition and the arts into the curriculum.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Academics

Anera is helping men and women in Palestinian refugee camps and poor communities around the region get through hard times. With your help, we create jobs that build and upgrade schools, health clinics, and water wells. We design job training programs and help entrepreneurs set up small local businesses. When families and communities have what they need to succeed, the impact of Anera's work lasts long after a project is completed. - See more at: https://www.anera.org/priorities/livelihoods/

Population(s) Served
Families

In a region where conflict and humanitarian crises can happen at any time, Anera is always ready to step in to ease people’s suffering and help them return to their normal lives with quick and flexible emergency response. Our staff members in the Middle East live in the communities they serve and can quickly determine what needs exist in an emergency situation.

Population(s) Served
Families
Immigrants and migrants

Where we work

Videos

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number of return website visitors

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Input - describing resources we use

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

We are consistently enhancing our website infrastructure and design to align with evolving digital trends and ensure compatibility with various mobile devices.

Number of unique website visitors

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Input - describing resources we use

Direction of Success

Increasing

Number of press releases developed and distributed

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Religious groups, Ethnic and racial groups, Age groups, Work status and occupations

Related Program

Humanitarian Relief

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

All press releases are available on our website under the "Who Are We" and "Resources" tab.

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

Anera was founded in 1968 to respond to the refugee crisis arising out of the 1967 War. There are still hundreds of thousands of refugees in the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon and Jordan with many more flooding out of Syria as the war continues there. Anera's humanitarian relief work reaches refugees and impoverished, marginalized communities alike. We strive to ease suffering and help people live with some level of dignity in very trying circumstances.

Anera also works to affect sustainable improvements that have an impact long after Anera's intervention ends, whether it is building infrastructure or teaching youths job skills.

Anera helps local institutions become more self-sufficient and effective in serving their communities. Every project is planned in consultation with the communities that ultimately benefit — an approach that ensures relevancy and commitment, and secures the long-term viability of the projects.

Headquartered in Washington, DC, Anera has offices in the West Bank, Jerusalem, Gaza, Lebanon, and Jordan – giving the organization a significant presence throughout the Middle East.

A regional staff of more than 120 employees includes specialists in health, education, agriculture, civil engineering, procurement and commodity management, information technology, and community development. They directly implement a wide range of development assistance programs in the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon and Jordan.

Anera has been awarded funding from a variety of government agencies, multilateral donors (UNICEF, OFID), bilateral donors (Canada, Kuwait and Qatar), and a growing range of foundations, corporations, and private contributors.

Anera has a long list of accomplishments throughout its 52-year history. These include major infrastructure projects, emergency relief during times of crisis, and providing young people with opportunities through education. However, due to the political realities in the places where Anera works, as well as navigating COVID-19, the needs are always changing and Anera is always adapting to new challenges.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time

Financials

American Near East Refugee Aid (Anera)
lock

Unlock financial insights by subscribing to our monthly plan.

Subscribe

Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. Try our monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights?
Learn more about GuideStar Pro.

Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

American Near East Refugee Aid (Anera)

Board of directors
as of 03/20/2024
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Joseph P. Saba

Grace Tompkins

Lawrence A. Hamdan

Jim Abdo

Jihan Andoni

Nader Barakat

Teresa C. Barger

Judy M. Barsalou, PhD

Kenneth Close

Mourad Elayan

Tarek Ghandour

Jean Newman Glock

John Gurley

Matt Haddad

Alison Hills

Piney Kesting

Alfred Khoury

Nabil Elie Khoury

Rania Kiblawi

Samar Langhorne

Jeffrey Mansour

Thairah "Cindy" Mousa

Mona Naffa

Kathleen Ridolfo

Kathleen Rogers

Fred Rogers

James K. Sams

Mamoon Sbeih

Murad M. Siam

Robert Trice

Katherine Wilkens

Omar Zalatimo

Edward Gnehm

Jr.

Pilar Solano

Jeannie Yamine

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 6/21/2023
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Male, Not transgender
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or Straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

Transgender Identity

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 06/16/2023

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.