Middle East Institute

US public policy think tank and cultural center Middle East InstituteThe Middle East Institute near Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C.AbbreviationMEIFormation1946TypePublic Policy Think TankHeadquarters1763 N St. NW (Washington, D.C.)LocationWashington, D.C.President Amb. (ret.) Stuart E. JonesBoard ChairC. David WelchRevenue$8,389,421 (2024)Employees42 (2022)Websitewww.mei.edu The Middle East Institute (MEI) is a non-profit, non-partisan think tank and cultural center in Washington, D.C., founded in 1946. It seeks to "increase knowledge of the Middle East among the United States citizens and promote a better understanding between the people of these two areas." In 2024 around 40% of its funding came from governments of Persian Gulf countries. History Founding years In 1946, architect George Camp Keiser strongly believed that the Middle East, a region he had traveled through prior to World War II, should be better understood in the United States, so he brought together a group of like-minded people to form the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C. The United States had not yet assumed an active role in Middle Eastern affairs. In anticipation of the role that it would have to pla