Marwa El Daly is the Founder and Chairperson of Waqfeyat Misr Foundation, Egypt’s leading Waqf Foundation. She is also founder and chairperson of  Waqfeyat al Maadi Community Foundation (WMCF), which is the first Community Foundation in Egypt and a pioneer initiative for reviving and modernizing the Waqf / traditional endowment-model that used to be the backbone of civil society in Egypt and the Middle East for centuries. Marwa is also an Assistant Professor at the American University in Cairo (AUC) teaching courses related to management of NGOs, innovation and philanthropy, as well as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and entrepreneurship at the School of Global Administration and Public Policy (GAPP). Marwa El Daly is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Federation of NGOs in Egypt.

Marwa El Daly was recognized by the BBC in London as one of the most influential 100 women in the world representing women of the Middle East and North Africa. Marwa is also the winner of the distinguished African Philanthropy Award granted to her by the African Grant-makers Network in South Africa in appreciation for her work in strategizing philanthropy across Africa and internationally.  She was awarded twice as a Social Entrepreneur / Innovator by Ashoka Arab World and by Synargos Institute (2006 & 2010) to become a permanent fellow for both international organizations. In addition,  Marwa is the first recipient of the Rockefeller and ISTR’s (International Society for Third Sector) Award as best researcher in strategic philanthropy and the Civic Sector.

This award was presented to her at the University of Barcelona in 2013.  Marwa El Daly holds a PhD degree from the Economics and Business Administration Department at Humboldt University in Berlin, a Master of Arts (MA) in Development Studies and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Political Science, both from the American University in Cairo (AUC). She is currently a permanent fellow to the Maecentata Institute for Third Sector Research in Berlin and an international permanent fellow to the Center for the Study of Philanthropy at the City University of New York (CUNY). Marwa El Daly received a number of distinguished international awards as a researcher and social entrepreneur and she is the author of a number of publications that are primary scientific references in the field of philanthropy, civil society and and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).