The fund's development programme seeks to support the economies of recipient countries by enhancing economic growth and promoting job opportunities.

[2] According to the World Bank, SFD is one of the most global of Arab international development funds, financing projects in many continents, including in Europe and South America.

[17] SFD has supported transportation and infrastructure projects designed to reduce social and economic isolation in landlocked African countries.

To combat this, SFD has contributed to the financing of several internal and external road projects in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Niger, Mali and Chad, linking them to seaports in Djibouti, Ghana and Mauritania.

Due to their geographical location, the countries have experienced significant social and economic challenges; the development of the roads and transportation links is expected to enhance trade and connectivity in the region, with the potential to generate jobs and increase business opportunities for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).

According to the UNHCR, Saudi contributions have enabled a continued humanitarian response in the Middle East and other regions, particularly to those affected by the Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan, and Rohingya crisis.

In 2019, Saudi Arabia, through SFD, was recognized as one of the top three largest donors to UNRWA and has donated SAR 3 billion (US $800 million) to the agency since 1994.

[31] As a result, more than 800,000 people in the Swat district of Khyber Pankhurst province will have the restoration of 639 ongoing basic community infrastructure schemes.

SFD has worked on several cross-border projects, such as the Tadjoura Port,[33] in Djibouti, and the development of transport links in West and Central Africa.

Other African countries include Burkina Faso, Burundi, Comoros, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Kenya, Liberia, Mauritius, Mauritania, Morocco, Sudan and Tunisia.

SFD also works with countries in Asia such as Bahrain, Jordan, Maldives, Nepal, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Sri Lanka.

[34][35] To date, SFD has contributed SAR 1.5 billion (US $411 million) in financial assistance to more than 21 countries in Europe, South America and the Caribbean.