A promise made. A promise kept.

Mona Foundation was founded by Mahnaz Aflatooni Javid and a small group of people whose life experiences compelled them to answer the call of service.  Born into a very charitable family and exposed to extreme poverty as she was growing up, Mahnaz was raised to remember the privilege of birth and geography that shielded her from the misery around her, and to do something about it. 

She did remember. In 1999, shaped by her childhood experiences and inspired by Mona Mahmudnizhad (see below), Mahnaz founded Mona Foundation to honor Mona's commitment to principle and to continue in her name her unfinished work of promoting education and social justice. Watch the video below for more on our founding story.

In Mona Foundation's first year of operation, with a four-member Board and a budget of $5,000, we supported the education of four students in two countries: two at Anis Zunuzi School in Haiti and two at Badi School in Panama.

Since then, guided by an experienced Board, aided by a dedicated staff, and supported by a global community of individuals, businesses, and organizations, Mona Foundation has grown to provide access to quality education to over 4,200,000 students through 41 partner organizations in 23 countries.

This is a tribute to the ceaseless labors of our grassroots partners, the trust of our donors in our work, and our commitment to our trailblazing approach to development. To learn more, read Evolving the Approach to Philanthropy: Shifting values to catalyze systems change - Together.

Aligned with the United National Sustainable Development Goals, Mona Foundation has now set its sights on educating and empowering 10,000,000 students by 2030 through partnership with grassroots organizations.

Who is Mona?

Mona Mahmudnizhad was a young Iranian woman who loved children and began volunteering in an orphanage at the age of 12. She was also an outspoken defender of human rights and wrote a high school essay on “Freedom.”

Because of her beliefs as a Baha’i, her service to children, and her outspoken nature,  she was arrested in 1983, at the age of 17, and executed after nine months of imprisonment. Her youth, courage, and commitment to education, service, and social justice inspired us to name the foundation after her.