Article 29 of the Saudi Civil Society Associations Law
المادة 29 من نظام الجمعيات والمؤسسات الأهلية
This article gives the sources of a civil society organization's resources, the funds, endowments, gifts and bequests allocated by its founder or founders, and allows it to receive donations after Ministry approval.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
تتكون موارد المؤسسة مما يخصصه لها المؤسس أو المؤسسون من أموال ، أو أوقاف ، أو هبات ، أو وصايا ، ويجوز لها استقبال التبرعات بعد موافقة الوزارة.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 29 explained in plain English
This article begins the provisions on civil society organizations and sets out their resources:
First: original resources. What the founder or founders allocate to it of:
- Funds.
- Endowments (awqaf).
- Gifts.
- Bequests.
Second: donations. The organization may receive donations from others, but only after the Ministry's approval.
Meaning: an organization is based mainly on its founders' money, so its original resources come from them. Donations from the public are not an automatic resource; they require the Ministry's approval before they are received. The text does not set out the procedures for requesting this approval or its duration, and it places no limit on how much the founders allocate from their funds.
In practice: a businessman who established a civil society organization with an endowment from his funds may add gifts or bequests to it whenever he wishes. If the organization wants to launch a campaign to collect donations from the public, it must first obtain the Ministry's approval.
Article 30 follows, which sets out the details to be included in the organization's articles of association, among them a detailed statement of the funds allocated to it.
Practical example
A family in Qassim established a civil society organization to support the education of needy students, funded by a real estate endowment. Later the organization wanted to receive donations from benefactors outside the family; it may do so after the Ministry's approval.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 29 of the Saudi Civil Society Associations Law
What are the resources of a civil society organization?
What its founder or founders allocate to it of funds, endowments, gifts or bequests.
May a civil society organization collect donations?
It may receive donations after the Ministry's approval.
More articles on Civil Organizations and the Board of Trustees
- Article 30
This article lists the details the organization's articles of association must contain: name, area and headquarters, founders, purpose, voluntary dissolution cases, allocated funds and their fate on dissolution, and rules on the board of trustees and executive officer.
يجب أن تشمل اللائحة الأساسية للمؤسسة البيانات الآتية : 1 - اسم المؤسسة ، ونطاق عملها الجغرافي ، ومقرها الرئيس. 2 - اسم المؤسس أو أسماء المؤسسين ، وبياناتهم الشخ
- Article 31
Every organization must have a board of trustees of at least three members, appointed by the founder or founders or whoever the articles of association designate; the Ministry is notified of appointments and changes, and steps in if a replacement cannot be appointed.
يكون لكل مؤسسة مجلس أمناء من ثلاثة أعضاء على الأقل يعينهم المؤسس أو المؤسسون أو من يعهد إليه بذلك بموجب اللائحة الأساسية ، وتبلغ الوزارة بالتعيين ، وبكل تعديل ي
- Article 32
The board of trustees manages the organization under the Law, the Regulations and the articles of association, and its chairman represents it before the courts and others, and may delegate this with the board's approval.
يتولى مجلس الأمناء إدارة المؤسسة وفقاً لأحكام النظام واللائحة واللائحة الأساسية ، ويمثلها رئيس المجلس أمام القضاء وأمام غيره ، ولرئيس المجلس بعد موافقة مجلس الأ
- Article 33
A civil society organization must have an annual budget and a final account, though with the Ministry's approval a statement of revenues, expenses and spending of funds may suffice in place of the final account.
تكون للمؤسـسة ميزانية سنوية ، وحساب ختامي ، ويجوز - بعد موافقة الوزارة - أن يكتفى عنه ببيان يتضمن إيراداتها ومصروفاتها ، وأوجه إنفاق أموالها بحسب طبيعة المال ال
- Article 34
The Ministry must keep a special register of civil society organizations; the Regulations set its provisions, the registration procedures and the details to be recorded.
تُعِد الوزارة سجلاًّ خاصًّا بالمؤسسات ، وتحدد اللائحة الأحكام المتعلقة بهذا السجل ، وإجراءات التسجيل فيه ، والبيانات اللازم تسجيلها.
- Article 35
The article regulates voluntary dissolution or merger of an organization, the Ministry's powers to protect its funds in the Article 23 cases, the limits on dissolving it, and the requirement of a reasoned decision after a warning.
1- لا يجوز حل المؤسسة اختياريًّا أو دمجها في مؤسسة أخرى إلاَّ بموافقة المؤسس أو المؤسسين ، أو وفقاً لما تقضي به اللائحة الأساسية. 2 - تتخذ الوزارة - في الحالات
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.