Origins and organisational structure

The Heikal Foundation for Arab Journalism is a public service trust established by Mohamed Hassanein Heikal and his family to support the profession to which he has dedicated his life and with which his name has been synonymous for decades.

The Foundation's headquarters will house Mr. Heikal’s extensive library, including tens of thousands of books and documents, to be made available to researchers, journalists and scholars who meet fixed rules of access.

The Foundation is endowed with a renewable trust fund, provided by Mr. Heikal and his family. Throughout the phase of its establishment the Foundation will not accept contributions from any other parties though it may later accept outside contributions channeled towards activities and programmes it deems appropriate, and with complete transparency.

The work of the Foundation is overseen by a Board of Trustees comprising donors and prominent public figures. The head of the Egyptian Journalists' Syndicate is an ex-officio member of the Board. The total number of Board members will not exceed seven.

The Executive Bureau, responsible for formulating the Foundation’s policies and programmes and their day to day implementation, is appointed by, and answerable to, the Board of Trustees. The Executive Director of the Foundation is a member of the Executive Bureau, providing leadership across the Foundation's programmes and activities.