The Middle East Forum (MEF) is a Philadelphia-based American conservative think tank founded in 1990 by Daniel Pipes, who serves as its founder and public face. While Pipes is the director in overall leadership, the organization maintains a robust executive staff and board of directors including significant donors and conservative thinkers, with key current roles held by Gregg Roman (Director), Efraim Karsh (Editor, Middle East Quarterly), Alex Joffe (Director of Academic Affairs), and Jim Zietz (Chief Operating Officer). It promotes American interests in the Middle East through research, advocacy, campus programs, legal initiatives, and efforts to influence U.S. foreign policy, emphasizing pro-Western policies, a staunch pro-Israel stance, criticism of Islamist movements, and countering radical Islam, Islamism, and Islamist influences in the West. MEF is often critical of Iran and associated with supporting anti-Islam initiatives. Beyond general research, it operates specialized high-impact projects including Campus Watch (critiquing Middle Eastern studies in North American universities for analytical failures and anti-Western bias), the Legal Project (providing legal assistance and funding to researchers and activists sued for 'exposing' Islamism, termed 'Lawfare'), the Middle East Forum Education Fund (distributing millions in grants to like-minded organizations such as CAMERA and individuals), The Washington Project (engaging policymakers for a 'Victory' strategy for Israel and a 'hard-line' approach to the Iranian regime), and the Counter-Islamist Grid (CIG) (a local-level initiative to identify and counter Islamist influence in American cities). MEF is primarily funded through private foundations and high-net-worth individual donors, including major past contributors like the Donors Trust, the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, and the Scaife Foundations, and does not accept government funding.