The global landscape of foreign aid flows has shifted from the dominance of G-7 donors to a mixed bag featuring new players, such as donors in the Gulf donors and the global South. The rich literature on the determinants of foreign aid, based mostly on cross-border flows originating in Western countries, finds that donors prioritize soft power, geostrategy, and humanitarian needs. However, far less is known about the motivations of Gulf donors. Does the selection of countries, sectors, and implementation mechanisms reflect their foreign policy priorities, international economic strategies, or values related to religious affinity? To answer this question, we combine data on foreign aid flows from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait with key recipient country indicators, including per capita income, government expenditures, foreign policy alignment with donors, religious affiliations of populations, and elites’ favorable of donors. We find that, unlike their Western counterparts, Gulf donors are 60 times more likely to fund Muslim-majority countries and 17 times more to fund countries where elites hold a favorable view toward them. Gulf donors are punching below their financial weight by not articulating their own values, not releasing any foreign aid strategies, and not having distinct delivery modalities or sectors with competitive advantages.