SOURCE OF WEALTH: Olayan Group, Olayan America
FUNDING AREAS: Policy & Global, Health
OVERVIEW: Hutham Olayan conducts her philanthropy through Olayan Charitable Trust, which primarily supports international policy organizations, including those working in the Middle East. According to available tax filings, the foundation awarded $627,000 in grants in 2017. She serves on the boards of several organizations, including the Peter G. Peterson Institute for International Economics.
BACKGROUND: Hutham S. Olayan has a B.A. from the American University of Beirut and an MBA from Indiana University. She worked in investment and commercial banking with Chase Manhattan Bank, Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette, and Saudi International Bank. She joined Olayan Group in 1984, a Saudi conglomerate established in 1947 by her father Sulaiman. She’s been CEO and president of Olayan America Corporation since 1995.
ISSUES:
INTERNATIONAL POLICY: Olayan serves on the board of Peter G. Peterson Institute for International Economics, and on the advisory council of Carnegie Middle East Center. Other grantees include Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Middle East Policy Council, Physicians for Peace, and Council on Foreign Relations, which she is a member of.
HEALTH: Olayan supports Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where she serves on the board.
OTHER: Olayan is a major supporter of her alma mater, American University of Beirut. Other grantees include Smithsonian Institution and Layalina Productions, which produces films and television series that attempt to bridge the divide between the Arab world and the U.S.
LOOKING FORWARD: It is unclear how much money is waiting in the wings here, but expect Olayan to continue support for select organizations working in international policy.
CONTACT:
Olayan Charitable Trust
505 Park Ave., 10th Fl.
New York City, NY 10022
