John D. Gerhart Center AUC 3.54

The John D. Gerhart Center for Philanthropy, Civic Engagement and Responsible Business promotes social change in the Arab region through building a culture of effective giving,
corporate social responsibility and civic responsibility.
In addition to disseminating research and policy papers, the center strives to build leadership capacity among Arab youth and enhance their abilities to become more civically engaged. It also aims to positively impact society through social entrepreneurship, mentorship and creativity.
These goals are pursued with an array of national, regional and international partners in the academic, civil society and corporate sectors. Through fellowships, seminars, conferences, publications and digital platforms, the center works to fill relevant gaps with necessary information that is vital to the academic shift of the field by providing analyses of trends and critical issues.
The center also seeks to develop the pool of next-generation scholars and link them to a network of social activists, donors and philanthropy professionals. The center was named after the late John D. Gerhart, ninth president of AUC, whose career provided a model of public service. Established in 2006, the center aims to further the AUC's mission to advance social responsibility and active citizenship.
The center prides itself on its growing social footprint in the philanthropic field throughout the region. By streamlining philanthropy in the Egyptian and Middle Eastern Region and gradually building an academic discourse, the field is improved through the center’s commitment to philanthropy related research development and unveiling opportunities for foundations and civil society to tap into philanthropy as a platform to instigate social impact and change.
The center also published its flagship book, “From Charity to Social Change: Trends in Arab Philanthropy” in 2008, further anchoring its role as a driver of philanthropy in the region. Additionally, the center introduced the AUC with the concept of community-based learning as a methodology that couples learning with serving the community.
To further capitalize on its social-added value to the AUC and the community, the John D. Gerhart Center for Philanthropy, Civic Engagement and Responsible Business became affiliated with the AUC School of Business in 2014 and is now functioning as the developmental arm of the school. With this strategic move, the center has been provided with supplementary gateway access to an invaluable source of human capital containing a strong business knowledge base.
Once again, the center is leading the social movement by advocating for a link between philanthropy, civic
engagement and responsible business practices through community initiatives, research and direct engagement of the private sector.