We Bring
People Together
Serving conflict-affected and fragile communities in the Middle East and North Africa by harnessing resilience through authentic local partnerships.
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Our Services
An in-depth understanding of local contexts in the Middle East and North Africa is essential to peacebuilding and conflict prevention. We deliver nine specialized service areas across the MENA region.
Conflict Prevention & Stabilization
Locally led crisis committees, IDP reintegration, and social cohesion programming that interrupt cycles of violence in Iraq, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.
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CVE, Rehabilitation & Reintegration
Capacity building for psychologists, social workers, and prison staff working with individuals affected by violent extremism, plus repatriation support and enumerator training across Iraq and MENA.
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Strategic Communications & Narrative Change
Counter-narrative content, counter-disinformation programs, and community messaging champion training that interrupt extremist narratives and build resilience to false information across Iraq, Yemen, and MENA.
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Gender Equality & Women's Empowerment
Gender-transformative programs advancing women's political participation, economic independence, and GBV prevention — engaging men as accountable partners for change across Iraq, Yemen, and the MENA region.
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Youth Employment & Livelihoods
Market-driven youth livelihoods programs combining labor market research, digital skills training, employer engagement, and MSME support — reaching 8,000+ youth across Iraq with explicit inclusion targets.
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Local Partner Capacity Building
Tailored organizational development for civil society organizations — proposal writing, MEL frameworks, fundraising strategy, and donor compliance — supporting 25 local organizations across Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Yemen, and Somalia.
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Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning
Adaptive MEL frameworks, trauma-informed field data collection with 26 trained enumerators, and digital monitoring systems that generate real learning — not just compliance reporting — across Iraq and the MENA region.
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Technology & GenAI for Development
Practical GenAI curricula, digital literacy programs, and technology partnerships that equip civil society organizations and conflict-affected communities in MENA to navigate the opportunities and risks of the AI era.
Learn MoreFiscal Sponsorship for MENA Organizations
A US 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsorship umbrella enabling civil society organizations in Jordan, Yemen, Sudan, Iraq, and Syria to access international donor funding, manage grants compliantly, and build donor credibility.
Learn MoreBridging Divides.
Building Futures.
We serve conflict-affected and fragile communities in the Middle East and North Africa by working with local stakeholders, members of their country's diaspora, and international experts to harness communities' resilience.
Our front-line practitioners help donors and international implementors connect with local communities, cultivating a global mindset that leads to context-appropriate, effective engagements that achieve the aims of all parties.
"We build resilient communities through sustainable, effective, and transformative partnerships."
Our Vision
"We are working to incorporate technology into our development efforts, with a particular focus on generative artificial intelligence. By collaborating with tech companies and academic experts, we aim to create innovative curricula that will effectively meet the demands of this new era."
— Humam Rajab, Executive Director
Where We Work
Active operations in seven countries across the Middle East, North Africa, and the Horn of Africa — with a deep network of local partners on the ground.
Conflict Prevention, CVE Rehabilitation, Youth Employment, Gender Equality
Strategic Communications, Women's Empowerment, Fiscal Sponsorship
Civil Society Capacity Building, Emergency Resilience, Fiscal Sponsorship
Community Resilience, CVE & Reintegration, Capacity Building
Radicalization Drivers Assessment, Conflict Analysis, CVE Research
Countering Violent Extremism, Community Resilience
Fiscal Sponsorship, Civil Society Support
Featured Work
Real programs, real partners, real results — across Iraq, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, and beyond.
Advanced Capacity Building for Psychologists and Social Workers
AC's Humam Rajab co-delivered advanced training for psychologists and social workers engaged in the rehabilitation and reintegration of detainees convicted of extremism-related offenses.
Meta Trusted Partner for MENA Digital Safety
Aligning Cultures partnered with several local organizations to ensure digital safety in the MENA region — working alongside local organizations on the front lines of harmful content monitoring to keep communities safe in an increasingly dangerous digital landscape.
Business Development Support for Sudanese CSOs
AC collaborated with local organizations to develop organizational policies and procedures, enhance fundraising capacity, and prepare proposals aligned with the evolving donor landscape following the cessation of US foreign aid.
From the Field
News, impact stories, and program updates from our work across the MENA region.
Building Connections: Youth Employment in Diyala
How a Telegram channel built by an AC partner in Diyala Governorate has helped connect unemployed youth with private sector employers — a grassroots solution to a region-wide challenge.
Read MoreExpanding to Somalia: Addressing CVE in Bay and Bakool
Aligning Cultures is expanding to Somalia. We have identified local partners for a GCERF opportunity to Prevent and Counter Violent Extremism in Bay and Bakool, Southwest State.
Read MoreTrusted by Leading Organizations
Why People Give
From individuals in the diaspora to institutional funders, our donors share one thing in common — a belief that communities deserve agency in their own recovery and growth.
"Supporting Aligning Cultures felt like the most direct way I could help real people in conflict zones. Their transparency and local-first approach gave me complete confidence in where my donation was going."
Individual Donor
Virginia
$1,000 donated"Aligning Cultures has demonstrated the following attributes: • Established Expertise: On-the-ground insights into harmful content circulating on social media platforms. • Social Impact: A desire to create a social impact that improves the health and safety of digital spaces. • Appetite to Collaborate: An interest in working with others to achieve this social impact. • Capacity: A team that is already helping improve or has an interest in building capacity to help improve the health and safety of digital spaces. • Commitment: The commitment to engage in the mission of our program."
GlobalGiving
Vetted Nonprofit Partner
Verified PartnerLet's Build Something Great Together
Aligning Cultures encourages all our networks to support our fundraising initiatives and help connect diaspora communities with their home communities.