Research & Grants
Research Programs
The Mouradian Foundation recognises that societal challenges can only be overcome once they are thoroughly understood. For this reason, we identify topics which merit greater understanding and provide grants to Research Programs to carry out the necessary research, usually over several years.
Research Programs are teams typically led by senior economists, often from the Foundation Advisory Board, who mentor the ideas of junior academics in the socio-economic area in question.
The Mouradian Foundation is forging partnerships with leading academic centres (universities, think-tanks and other research-oriented institutions) around the world to establish intellectual hubs to consider socio-economic matters. A large network of centres in different countries helps to provide a global network of scholars enabling them to interact with one another. This global reach broadens the spectrum of our public policy analysis allowing our research to impact policymakers and academics for the benefit of the general public, worldwide.
Our approach to collaborative thinking encourages innovative ideas which may influence new policies, business decisions and societal behaviour. The Mouradian Foundation thinks of tomorrow’s world.
Grants
The Mouradian Foundation awards grants annually to academics from both ends of the political spectrum who research an area of social or economic policy which impacts the public generally. Our grants allow topics within the public interest to be scrutinised and concepts which could shape public policy to be analysed. The Mouradian Foundation follows an objective grant – making policy when awarding grants for research which can be found at the following link:
Columbia College
The Mouradian Foundation’s mission is to promote a deeper understanding of the challenges which our global society faces, to enable meaningful and practical solutions to be discovered. This fits in extremely well with the ethos at Columbia College where its mission is to promote and foster a College community that understands, respects, and values diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The Mouradian Foundation is proud to support Columbia College with funding for their students through scholarships or admissions travel aid, ensuring that their education is accessible for all.
Columbia College has a diverse and intelligent gathering of students and participates in a daily democratic experiment – to listen and converse, to challenge and be challenged, to strive for greater knowledge and to succeed in a collective enterprise of learning. The success of this endeavour is tied to Columbia College’s unique ability to mirror the world, both by virtue of its location in New York City and by the calibre and range of perspectives assembled on its campus. Columbia College is committed to creating and supporting a community which is richly diverse.
I Am You
Currently there are over 65 million people who are living as refugees or as displaced persons inside their own countries, half of these people are under the age of 18 with many children refugees fleeing alone or separate to their parents. The crisis continues to be highly critical and the Mouradian Foundation wanted to raise awareness of the world’s refugee crisis. We chose to support Sonia Nassery Cole’s film I Am You to highlight the issues facing refugee’s and to give an insight into the difficulties that they face.
I Am You is an independent film based on the true story of Afghan refugees and their will to survive. It is inspired by the story of a refugee, the horrendous conditions before his heroic journey, the heart-breaking indifference confronting him along the way, and the uplifting power and humanity found in hope, truth and justice. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2019.
I Am You was directed by Sonia Nassery Cole, a philanthropist who stands for women’s rights and fights for humanitarian efforts providing food and education for her fellow Afghans as the founder and chairman of AWF. Cole is an author, humanitarian and activist who founded the Afghanistan World Foundation and is the recipient of a "Congressional Recognition" award on December 4, 2006, "Afghan American Sisterhood Award," and the "UN Women Together Award" on June 7, 2012. In 2013, she received the Freedom to Write Award from PEN Center US.