Saudi Arabia’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) landscape is thriving. With 71.67% of major companies now running CSR programs—exceeding Vision 2030’s interim targets—and an annual spend of SAR 1.3 billion, the foundations for social development are strong. Yet, as the Kingdom pushes toward deeper, systemic change, a critical gap remains: the potential of CSR is still siloed. Larger corporations dominate with sophisticated initiatives, while smaller firms struggle to replicate their impact.

This is where the Multi-Donor Fund model emerges as a transformative solution. By adopting global best practices like blended finance and place-based investing, Saudi companies could unlock unprecedented collaboration. The fund’s architecture is designed to balance risk and reward: concessional loans attract cautious investors, grants act as "first-loss" capital to encourage participation, and guarantees mitigate risks for private backers.

[Image: Slide showing funding instruments]

But the true innovation lies in its metrics-driven approach. Unlike traditional CSR, where outcomes are often anecdotal, the fund would align all participants—corporates, NGOs, and foundations—on common KPIs. Imagine a unified dashboard tracking health education reach in Riyadh or water access in Al-Ahsa, with each partner contributing complementary resources.

[Image: Slide with "Alignment on Measurable Impact"]

The model’s third pillar is partnership. By convening roundtables with non-profits and corporations, the fund could identify overlapping priorities (e.g., youth unemployment or renewable energy training) and pool resources to scale solutions. A mid-tier company might lack the funds to build a vocational center alone, but with five others sharing costs and expertise, the impact multiplies.

For Saudi Arabia, this isn’t just about optimizing CSR—it’s about rewriting the playbook for social investment. The Multi-Donor Fund could turn isolated goodwill into a coordinated force for Vision 2030.

To explore the full study on multi-donor funds, download the complete report here.