Afghan American philanthropist Dr. Ehsan Bayat is the founder and chairman of Afghanistan's largest private foundation. He launched the Bayat Foundation with his wife, Fatema, in 2005 and has since played a central role in the social and economic development of his homeland. Striving to support the most at-risk Afghans, Dr. Ehsan Bayat's foundation operates a variety of programs that provide emergency aid, deliver food and clothing to families in need, and support critical services including health and education. In total, it has provided more than 10 million meals.

In addition, the Bayat Foundation has constructed 12 maternity hospitals in several provinces across Afghanistan. These facilities provide critical care to hundreds of thousands of pregnant women per year and have helped reduce maternal and infant mortality rates. The foundation also facilitates food, blanket, and warm clothing donations to struggling families during the cold winter months. Ramadan aid drives similarly provide families in need with essential food items like flour, rice, and cooking oil. 

The Bayat Foundation also works to provide Afghan communities with access to clean, drinkable water and proper sanitation. It recently completed a deep well project at Afghanistan's Islam Qala border crossing and has also built water wells in Kabul's Dasht-e-Barchi and Arzan-Qemat areas.

Dr. Bayat has received several awards from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for his efforts to improve living conditions in Afghanistan. The Afghan American Chamber of Commerce awarded him the National Human Rights Award for Afghanistan. He also received the Mahatma Gandhi Humanitarian Award from the Friends of the South Asian American Communities and the Corporate Social Responsibility Award from the Canada-Afghanistan Business Council.

A native of Kabul, Dr. Bayat and his family immigrated to the US in the 1980s. After graduating from the New Jersey Institute of Technology with a bachelor of science in engineering, he became a successful entrepreneur. The company he founded, the Bayat Group, is now among the largest private investors and employers in Afghanistan.