National Center for the Non-Profit Sector
The National Center for Non-Profit Sector is a Saudi government body in Riyadh, created in 2019, that licenses, supervises and supports non-profit organisations and runs platforms for fundraising and volunteering.
Industry: Non-profit sector regulation and development | Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Founded: 2019
About National Center for the Non-Profit Sector
The National Center for Non-Profit Sector, known as NCNP and named in Arabic the National Center for the Development of the Non-Profit Sector, is a Saudi Arabian government body based in Riyadh. It organises the role of non-profit organisations in development work and coordinates the licensing services that apply to them.
Saudipedia reports that the centre was created in 2019 by Council of Ministers Resolution No. 459. Its statute was issued by Resolution No. 618 and published in the Umm Al-Qura gazette on 11 June 2021. The statute links the centre to the President of the Council of Ministers and gives it a main headquarters in Riyadh, with powers to open branches in the Kingdom. A governing council chaired by the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development oversees it, with members from five ministries, the General Authority for Awqaf, civil and cooperative associations, the private sector and two experts. A chief executive appointed by the council runs daily operations; the centre's website and an August 2026 ministry release name Ahmed Al Suwailem in that post.
The statute lists 16 functions, among them issuing regulations and standards, licensing, supervising and classifying non-profit organisations, promoting volunteering, governing donation collection, keeping a sector database, and supporting social enterprises and social impact investment. Its website lists services including a for-profit sector enabler, document authentication, activation of fundraising channels, the Donate Safely platform and the Nawa platform.
As of 22 October 2026 the website reported 8,166 non-profit entities, made up of 6,257 associations, 681 private foundations and 1,228 family funds. In 2023 the centre toured all thirteen provinces on a sector development programme. On 26 August 2026 the Ministry of Economy and Planning announced a memorandum with the centre on non-profit research, think tanks and social impact measurement. On 22 September 2026 the centre's website recorded a memorandum with the UN Volunteers programme.
TechScoop reported in June 2026 that the centre was among the organisers of Social Entrepreneurship Week, which Monsha'at led from 14 to 18 June with the Social Development Bank and more than 44 entities.