Over the past three decades, the Khalili Foundation has been a global leader in promoting interfaith and intercultural relations. The Foundation has supported and driven a number of internationally recognised projects that use the power of art, culture and education to bring people together. Our partners include UNESCO, the Commonwealth and the Prince’s Trust.
Explore our initiatives
The Khalili Foundation proudly awarded the first-ever Commonwealth Peace Prize to two exceptional peacebuilders from {...}
The Khalili Foundation is working with UNESCO and Wikimedia UK on a project to raise awareness of the diversity of the world’s cultural heritage. This effort, fully funded by the […]
Read More02 May, 2025
The Khalili Foundation has for many decades engaged in a form of ‘cultural philanthropy’ – the act of giving and sharing not just through conventional financial means, but also via the production and distribution of cultural knowledge. Such knowledge is produced through amassing and conserving culturally significant artefacts and then researching and digitizing them. This knowledge is then shared and distributed via publications, exhibitions and through various digital platforms.
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Over the course of five decades, Professor Sir Nasser D. Khalili has assembled eight of the world's finest art collections - each on its own merit being the largest and most comprehensive of its kind. Together, the Eight Collections comprise some 35,000 magnificent works, many of which have been exhibited at prestigious institutions worldwide.
Wikipedia is the dominant reference site on the internet, providing educational material freely and without adverts, in hundreds of different languages. As part of its cultural philanthropy, the Khalili Foundation promotes the diversity of visual culture on Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia sites by sharing images and research, by employing a Wikimedian In Residence, and by helping students, researchers, and institutions share their knowledge.
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The Khalili Foundation collaborates with UNESCO to promote cultural diversity globally. Key initiatives include university endowments funding diversity projects, the World Festival of Cultural Diversity, which is an international celebration supported by UNESCO, and the Interfaith Explorers programme. This programme equips educators with resources to teach students about different cultures and faiths, fostering understanding and respect.
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Tensions existing in the world today are largely the result of ignorance and lack of understanding. If ignorance is the problem, then education must be the answer. With this premise, the Maimonides Interfaith Initiative launched Interfaith Explorers – a free, UNESCO supported, online learning resource designed to support the delivery of RE, PSHE and citizenship education in schools, alongside effective SMSC development.
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Being often hailed as one of the most culturally diverse collections in the world, we had chosen to focus our efforts on using our objects to curate stories about cross-cultural exchanges in the history of art and to show the interconnectedness of the human family. Some of these efforts had been shared and enjoyed by many online via our partners Google Art & Culture and Europeana, amongst others.
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On February 2024, amidst esteemed guests including Commonwealth High Commissioners, religious leaders, academics, and youth ambassadors, the 2024 Commonwealth Faith Festival was inaugurated by the Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, alongside our Founder, Sir David Khalili. The festival, themed ‘Peacebuilding through Faith,’ featured roundtable discussions aimed at identifying key focus areas and brainstorming solutions to today’s most urgent challenges.
Special Festival section on GA&C spotlighting various technological features and digital exhibits that showcase the world’s cultural expressions.
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A campaign to tackle the cultural bias on Wikipedia including the engagement of non-Western cultural institutions to digitize and release more content on open access.
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Six stellar panel discussions (webinars) over 12 months exploring how cross-cultural dialogue can be fostered through communities,
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Special event on the World Day of Cultural Diversity (May 21st 2023) at the UNESCO HQ in Paris. This will include talks, performances, film screenings, a reception and fundraising dinner.
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A Festival of ideas with the theme of “thinking through music” drawing from world music, dnace, film and visual arts.
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Special Festival section on the Europeana platform, bringing together stories of European culture in all its diversity.
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A series of lectures that explore the story and evolution of science throughout history and in different cultural contexts.
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An architectural design competition for resilient and adaptable houses that advance, adapt and update specific local building traditions to meet 21st century needs.
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An intercultural research project looking at how deliberate spaces can be created for greater cross-cultural dialogue and peacebuilding
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A short film to show how young people in the UK are using global citizenship to advance their career and learning opportunities.
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For the first time, Sir David shares his extraordinary journey: one that has taken him through the souks of North Africa, the auction houses of Europe and the United States, the bazaars of South Asia, and far beyond. Through a riveting collection of real-life adventures, he reveals his collecting strategy, business ethics and what motivates him to continuously collect, conserve, research, publish and exhibit the treasures in his collections.
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The Khalili Foundation has conceived, funded and driven a number of projects that promote cultural diversity worldwide. Among these are a campaign to promote the World Day for Cultural Diversity and the production of a milestone publication to mark the 20th Anniversary of the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity.
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As one of the great preservers of Islamic cultural heritage, Professor Sir Nasser D. Khalili has always considered it a responsibility to showcase the contribution of Islamic art and culture to the world. So in 2005, the Khalili Foundation published Visions of Splendour: The Timeline History of Islamic Art and Architecture – a book written by Sir David that tells the story of Islamic civilisation through the art it produced.
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With over one hundred and twenty publications, each work of art in the Khalili Collections has been meticulously conserved, researched, catalogued and as part of what is considered to be one of the most ambitious art scholarship projects in modern history. Over eighty eight volumes have already been published, personally edited by Professor Sir Nasser D. Khalili and with contributions from the world’s leading experts in each respective field.
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Over the last three decades, the Khalili Foundation has given a number of substantial grants and gifts to various international organisations, educational establishments and charities. These serve to encourage the excellent work being done by the respective organisations – both at the research and practitioner levels – and to mark occasions of cultural significance.
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The Khalili Foundation has made numerous cultural heritage donations to prestigious institutions globally. These contributions reflect the foundation’s dedication to preserving and sharing world heritage, fostering cross-cultural appreciation, and supporting academic and cultural institutions. Through these gifts, the foundation aims to strengthen global cultural understanding and ensure that significant cultural artefacts are accessible to a wider audience.
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Faith in the Commonwealth is a joint initiative between the Commonwealth and the Khalili Foundation to deliver Global Citizenship Education (GCED) and religious literacy in an interactive, practical and contemporary way.
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Professor Sir David Khalili, The Khalili Foundation and its initiatives have had the longstanding support and of UNESCO.
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The Khalili Foundation and The Prince’s Trust, through the Mosaic Initiative, together launch an exciting new social integration and youth leadership project.
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The Aspen Institute UK, in partnership with the Khalili Foundation, is launching the ‘Designing for Diversity’ webinar series, in which we explore these pertinent questions.
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The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) was established in 2005, as the political initiative of Mr. Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary- General and co-sponsored by the Governments of Spain and Türkiye.
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Europeana shares and promotes Europe’s digital cultural heritage, making it accessible for everyone to use and enjoy—whether for learning, work, or simply for fun.
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Art UK is the online home for every public art collection in the United Kingdom. As an art education charity, Art UK democratises access to art.
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Wikimedia UK believes that open access to knowledge is a fundamental right, and a driver for social and economic development. Open knowledge and free access mean no barriers and no paywalls.
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Google Arts & Culture is a non-commercial initiative that partners with cultural institutions and artists worldwide. Together, their mission is to preserve and bring the world’s art and culture online, making it accessible to anyone, anywhere.
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Cambridge is a globally diverse institution, with students from over 130 different countries. Its researchers collaborate with colleagues worldwide, and the University has established partnerships across Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe.
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Oxford is a world-leading centre of learning, teaching and research and the oldest university in the English-speaking world.
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SOAS challenges perspectives, broaches debate, and empowers students to question the global status quo and find solutions to the issues facing the world today.
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