King Faisal Foundation
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| Abbreviation | KFF |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1976 |
| Headquarters | Riyadh |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: 24°41′27″N 46°41′1″E / 24.69083°N 46.68361°E |
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Region served
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Saudi Arabia |
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Chairman
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Mohammed Al Faisal |
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Managing Director
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Khalid Al Faisal |
| Website | www |
The King Faisal Foundation was established in 1976 by the sons of King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. Prince Mohammed is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the King Faisal Foundation. Managing Director of the Foundation is Prince Khalid Al-Faisal. The foundation is one of the largest philanthropic foundations in the world.
The foundation presents an annual prize, King Faisal International Prize, to "dedicated men and women whose contributions make a positive difference". The foundation awards prizes in:
Each of the five annual prizes consist of a certificate hand-written in Diwani calligraphy summarizing the laureate's work; a 24 carat 200 gram gold medal—uniquely cast for each winner; and a cash prize of SR 750,000 (USD $200,000). The prizes are awarded at a ceremony in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, by the King of Saudi Arabia. The first King Faisal International Prize was awarded to Abul A'la Maududi in the year 1979 for his service to Islam. In 1986, it was awarded to Ahmed Deedat, also for service to Islam.
It is sometimes claimed that the first Jewish recipient of the prize was Ronald Levy, in 2009. In fact, Sydney Brenner was the first Jewish winner in 1992.
The King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies was established in 1983. Based in Riyadh, the centre is an independent, not-for-profit institution financed by the King Faisal Foundation. The center studies issues affecting the Arab and Muslim worlds, and organizes a number of conferences each year.
In keeping with the goals of the King Faisal Foundation, the Center is dedicated to serving Islamic civilization, supporting continuing research, and encouraging cultural and scientific activities in a number of fields. The Center summarizes its mission as follows:
The Library's collection covers the fields of Islamic Studies and Islamic Civilization. At present, there are more than 250,000 volumes in Arabic and Latin languages. There is also a collection of rare and out-of-print periodicals and more than half million articles. A separate audio-visual research library has more than 11,000 audio and videocassettes, slides, and films, which contain lectures and documentary material related to the Center’s various activities and interests.
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Wikipedia