In a sincere moment of dialogue with Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulatif Al-Humaidi (Chairman of the Endowment Support Association), a question that was not born of academic theorizing but rather resulted from daily engagement with the public scene surfaced: Is the state moving towards converting ministries into non-profit entities? Not in the sense of abandoning its institutions, but by transforming its mental pattern and executive direction from authority to mission, and from management to meaning.

This question is not a linguistic trick, but rather a careful reading of a real transformation whose features are beginning to become clear in the Saudi administration's body.

The external appearance is not enough to understand the essence

It may be a mistake to think that the transformation is limited to creating a fund, launching a professional association, or establishing an empowerment administration. What is happening is deeper than that. We are witnessing a transformation in the state's mindset: from a mindset that dictates and executes to a mindset that empowers, motivates, and smartly regulates legislation.

Every ministry today—without exaggeration—has a non-profit arm, whether it is apparent in a list or hidden in its institutional behavior:

- Community empowerment administrations.

- Specialized funds within ministries.

- Supportive associations with complementary objectives.

This is no longer limited to ministries of social and religious affairs, but has extended to culture, entertainment, arts, and even education, health, and sports.

From the logic of control to the logic of meaning

The transformation we observe is not measured by the number of associations or funds, but rather by the change in the internal logic of the state. It is as if the state is redefining "power," not as control, but as containment and empowerment.

The state has shifted from a "direct push" mentality to a "doubling impact" mentality. It no longer asks: How much have we spent? But rather asks: How much have we changed? And what is the long-term social return?

This transformation, while it may seem administrative on the surface, is at its core ethical, philosophical, and historical. It is as if the state is rediscovering the endowment in its contemporary form.

What is really happening?

- The ministry is no longer the center of decision and execution, but has become a legislative platform for guidance and empowerment.

- Administration is no longer an end in itself, but a tool for achieving community partnership.

- We are beginning to see the non-profit entity not as a supportive arm, but as a natural extension of the modern ministry's mindset.

Why this transformation?

Because the state has realized that development is not managed solely from meeting rooms, but through actual life networks: associations, individuals, initiatives, and partnerships.

And because spending alone does not make a transformation, but it is made by the "collective consciousness" when people feel that institutions are not an authority over them but rather a meaning for them.

And because policies do not succeed unless they are based on an ethical component that makes justice, empowerment, and enrichment tools of leadership, not tools of decoration.

Where can this trend lead?

- The role of ministries may be reshaped to become "sectoral enablers."

- The supportive associations under government agencies may increase and gradually gain independence.

- The government return may be redefined not in riyals but in impact.

The name is not the issue. The idea is the battle

It will not make a significant difference if the naming continues as "ministry" or transforms into "authority" or "center" or even "association." Because what is truly changing is the structure of authority and the position of the individual within it.

And because when the state redefines itself as an enabler rather than a monopolizer, it does not weaken, but strengthens. It does not abandon its role but elevates it from the surface of execution to the depth of impact.

And this is the essence of the transformation that deserves our nurturing, not merely as an administrative project but as a civilizational transition in the meaning of the state itself.

Here begins our mission as those interested in the non-profit sector: not to applaud or criticize, but to read, build, and integrate with this transformation to become part of it, not spectators of it.

By: Hilal bin Hussein Al-Qurashi

Editor-in-Chief of "The Third Bank"