named programs · 3 · from sources
What they call their work
Facilitation Training & Certification
Three-step program including foundational training, advanced practice, and a practicum leading to certification and UN-recognized credentials for dialogue facilitators.
Facilitator Community of Practice
Ongoing professional development network for certified facilitators offering continued training, peer learning, and paid leadership opportunities.
Global Circles
Online facilitated dialogue program bringing together youth from diverse global backgrounds to discuss key social and political issues over a two-week period.
activities · 5 groups
What they do
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Conflict Mediation & Resolution Services 2 activities
- Offer facilitation training and certification programsProvides multi-tiered facilitation training programs, including self-paced and advanced courses with live sessions, personalized feedback, and a 4-week practicum leading to a UN-endorsed Facilitator Certificate. Training builds skills in dialogue facilitation, group dynamics, and cross-cultural communication, with interactive practice and mentorship.
- Support organizational capacity for dialogue and constructive engagementProvides training, consulting, and coaching to universities and organizations to build internal capacity for dialogue, including Concentric Dialogues and Nexus Leadership Training. Services include developing facilitators, improving team communication, and creating institutional models for trust-building and inclusion.
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Program Evaluation and Impact Research 1 activity
- Conduct research and publish impact findings on dialogue programsConducts research on program outcomes and publishes findings, including annual impact reports with methodology and data. Findings show high participant gains in cross-cultural communication (94%), knowledge of global events (92%), sense of belonging (90%), and community knowledge-sharing (90%).
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Interfaith Dialogue & Peacebuilding 1 activity
- Deliver virtual exchange and dialogue programs for youthFacilitates semester-long, structured virtual exchange programs that connect thousands of university students annually from Western and predominantly Muslim societies in small, diverse groups to engage in guided dialogues on identity, conflict, and global leadership. Programs include live sessions, reflective activities, and digital collaboration, serving over 75,000 alumni across 60+ countries and 33 U.S. states.
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Mentorship and Professional Development Programs 1 activity
- Provide ongoing community and professional development for facilitatorsMaintains a global community of trained facilitators through biannual virtual gatherings, interactive skill-building sessions, and peer learning opportunities, achieving 100% retention since 2023.
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Uncategorized 2 activities
- Host Global Circles and short-format dialogue experiencesConvenes time-bound, pro-facilitated Global Circles and intensive dialogue rounds (e.g., 4–5 weeks) featuring live virtual sessions and asynchronous activities. These programs bring together hundreds of participants globally in small groups to discuss pressing global issues using structured dialogue norms.
- Operate Arabic-language Resource Center for Virtual ExchangeRuns an Arabic-language Resource Center to expand access to virtual exchange knowledge in the MENA region, offering resources in three core areas: Virtual Exchange Design, Facilitation Model, and Constructive Engagement, including a glossary of key terms translated into Arabic.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$2.29M
Contributions & grants$2.03M89%
Program service revenue$257K11%
Investment income$2K0%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$1.22M
Program expenses79%
Admin / overhead20%
Fundraising1%
Salaries & benefits$429K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineProfessional Fees
balance sheet
Total assets$832K
Cash$293K
Investments$0
Liabilities$68K
Net assets$764K
Liquid reserves2.9 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue +366.9%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salma Elbeblawi | Executive Dir. | 40 | $108K |
board members · 7
- Adam Hood — Board Member
- Barbara Ibrahim — Finance Committ
- Dr Atyia Martin — Board Member
- Jason Purvor — Board Member
- Katherine Pickus — Board Member
- Shamil Idriss — Board Chairman
- Tareef Kawar — Board Member
relationships · 20
Who they work with
- AFS Intercultural Programs Partner — Collaborates to create a continuum of intercultural experiences linking in-person mobility, virtual exchange, and leadership development.
- AFS Intercultural Programs Partner — Collaborates to support participants in continuing their intercultural learning journey through certification, volunteering, and exchange programs.
- AFS Intercultural Programs Partner — Joined forces in 2025 to integrate facilitated dialogue, virtual exchange, and in-person mobility for global learning and leadership.
- AFS Intercultural Programs Partner — Soliya is now a non-profit subsidiary of AFS, combining AFS’s global intercultural exchange network with Soliya’s virtual dialogue expertise.
- Advanced Facilitation Training Network — Training program whose graduates form the core membership of the Facilitator Community of Practice
- Fortune 500 Partner — Provides training, dialogue, and consulting solutions to Fortune 500 companies.
- Global Circles Partner — Program platform co-hosting structured dialogues on global conflicts with Soliya
- Soliya Network — Member of a global network facilitating intercultural dialogue among youth.
- Tel Aviv University Partner — Collaborated with Dr. Boaz Hameiri on research related to intergroup perceptions and conflict.
- The Saxelab Social Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory at MIT Partner — Collaborated on shaping research goals, developing measurement tools, and applying them to virtual exchange.
- UN-Habitat Government — Endorses Soliya's facilitator certification program.
- University College London Partner — Engaged since 2016 with Dr. Sandy Schumann to study the long-term impact of Soliya's programs.
- University of Jena Partner — Collaborates with Soliya on the Virtu-PEACE Arabic Dialogue Facilitation Training program.
- University of Padova Partner — Collaborated since 2010 with Dr. Francesca Helm on qualitative research assessing virtual exchange.
- University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg's Peace and Conflict Neuroscience Lab Partner — Hosted Dr. Emile Bruneau's continued collaboration with Soliya on research and evaluation tools until 2020.
- Zoom Partner — Uses Zoom as the video conferencing platform for live dialogue sessions.
- global organizations Partner — Works with global organizations to implement communication and dialogue initiatives.
- top universities Partner — Partners with top universities to deliver dialogue and leadership programs.
- universities Partner — Academic institutions that host and deliver the Connect Program to students
- youth organizations Partner — Organizations that collaborate with Soliya to deliver the Connect Program to young people
strategies · 3
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Facilitated Intergroup Dialogue for Empathy and Social Changemethodology: intergroup-contact-theoryBy using trained facilitators to guide structured dialogues between individuals from different cultural and identity backgrounds, Soliya produces measurable personal and social change because this approach fosters empathy, disrupts polarization, and enables constructive engagement across deep differences.
- Participant-to-Facilitator Development Pathwaymethodology: facilitator-pathwayBy training participants first as dialogue learners and then as facilitators, Soliya builds authentic, scalable facilitation capacity because lived experience with dialogue deepens self-awareness, strengthens facilitation practice, and enables peer-led expansion of impact.
- Virtual Exchange as Scalable Intercultural Interventionmethodology: virtual-contactBy delivering facilitated cross-cultural dialogue through virtual exchange, Soliya achieves both depth and scale because digital platforms reduce geographic and language barriers while maintaining the transformative potential of intergroup contact.