NED · GULF REGIONAL — 28 grants, $11.0M
Key claim: The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) has 28 active grants totaling $11.0M for democracy, governance, and human-rights work in the Gulf Regional area, including Yemen representative-governance and media-freedom projects.
Abstract
The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) has 28 active grants in GULF REGIONAL totaling $11.0M (public listing as of 2026-07-15). Grantee names are largely withheld for grantee safety (NED duty of care). Sample projects: To strengthen representative governance in Yemen, the Institute will enhance engagement of political leaders and civil society coalitions in local and national dialogues that promote democratic unity and facilitate pathways for democratic governance Defending Human Rights ($455.0K); Monitoring and Advocating for Media Freedom ($90.0K); Tracking and Advocating for the Implementation of Reform Promises ($103.0K); Enhancing Human Rights Advocacy ($130.0K).
Why this matters
The Gulf Regional slice is one of NED’s larger regional portfolios by dollar value, and its heavy weighting toward Yemen representative-governance and media-freedom work signals sustained U.S. democracy-promotion engagement in a region dominated by monarchies and closed political systems. Because grantee identities are largely withheld for safety, the onward trail goes cold at the program level — subgrantees can only be inferred from public NED disclosures. This portfolio should be tracked separately from the MENA Regional line to avoid conflating Gulf-specific programming with broader Arab-world work.