The SHF believes that a thriving arts, culture and heritage ecosystem is an essential component of a creative society.

That’s why the Foundation runs or supports a wide range of projects and initiatives designed to:

• Support emerging artists, cultural practitioners and creative professionals in the UAE
• Build new audiences for the arts, culture and heritage in the UAE
• Create new opportunities for people to experience or participate in artistic, cultural and heritage-related activities in the UAE
• Document, preserve and showcase the unique arts, culture and heritage of the UAE
• Boost the profile of the arts, culture and heritage of the UAE to local and international audiences.

The SHF’s main Art, Culture & Heritage current programs and initiatives include:

• Salama bint Hamdan Emerging Artists Fellowship (SEAF): An intensive 10-month artistic education and development program for promising UAE-based artists operated in partnership with the US-based Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).
• Warehouse421: A unique arts and cultural space in Abu Dhabi’s historic Mina Zayed district.
• National Pavilion UAE – La Biennale di Venezia : The organization behind the UAE’s participation in the International Art and Architecture Exhibitions of the Venice Biennale.
• Lest We Forget: An independent UAE-based cultural enterprise that is part digital archive, part oral history and part contemporary artmaking project.