About
Founded in 2021, the American Muslim Women’s Giving Circle is a collective of Muslim women around the US who are dedicated to philanthropy and are looking to amplify the impact of their charitable giving. Through the American Muslim Community Foundation (AMCF), we have created the first national giving circle for Muslim women so that we may work together strategically to make a bigger and more long-lasting impact in our communities. Bismillah!
Purpose: To Amplify Your Impact
The American Muslim Women’s Giving Circle believes there is power in Muslim women’s philanthropic giving by combining our donations into one fund and democratizing how we give. Through this giving circle, we will provide seamless big-dollar donations to a few key organizations to make a larger impact in our community.
Members of this fund will:
- contribute towards an endowment for selected charities
- have direct input on the organizations that receive support
- allow AMCF to increase their impact by investing in sharia-compliant halal mutual funds
- receive a single streamlined tax receipt for all contributions made annually
- have access to a yearly donor report highlighting the impact of their contributions
After Donating, you can Nominate a Charity!
Leadership (from 2021, if you’re interested in joining the 2024 committee, fill out this form)
Co-Chairs: Uzma Jafri, Mona Kafeel, & Afshan Qureshi
Co-Treasurers: Faseeha Altaf & Fatima Iqbal
Events/Marketing/Communications Committee: Khadidja Fares, Zaiba Hasan, Reema Kamran
Become a Member
- A gift of any amount will be added to the pool of funds
- Membership dues are $420/year (which includes a 5% AMCF administrative fee)
- Dues can be paid in full or $105/quarter, all paid by the end of the calendar year
- Membership earns you one vote to determine which organizations are supported
- Donating more is welcome but does not earn you more than one vote
- Please note: You may donate less than the minimum donation if you’d like to contribute without becoming a member
- Muslim women or allies of any age or background living in the US or US citizens living abroad are encouraged to join
- You should become a member if you’re interested in:
- committing to attend giving circle deliberations to determine which organizations receive funding
- participating in collective philanthropy with a network of like-minded women
- building the community by spreading the word and hosting events/inviting women to join the giving circle
- championing female-led organizations or female-adjacent causes
Want to take on a leadership role in this giving circle? Email amwgc-leadership@amuslimcf.org
How it works
- Members may nominate one eligible organization for grant consideration at the time they donate their $420 membership dues
- Organization should impact and work towards alleviating women’s issues (preferably female founded/led organization)
- Organization should serve Muslim women in the US (preferred, but flexible)
- Organization should serve zakat-eligible women (zakat-eligibility status of organization must be easily determined and widely accepted)
- Nominated organizations will be vetted and qualified organizations will be invited to apply for funding
- Giving circle members will review all applications and the top 3 organizations will be invited for Deliberation Day
- After listening to presentations from the top 3 organizations, members will deliberate and rank the organizations so endowments can be created by the end of the year
- Funds will be divided in a 50%, 30%, 20% model for ranked fund distribution
- Organizations are eligible to win an award every 3 years
- Members must attend Deliberation Day to cast their votes (Zoom link will be sent to all voting members)
Timeline
| Pay Dues (donation form below) & Nominate Orgs | April |
| Members Share Nominations | August |
| Open Request For Proposals | August |
| Orgs must submit Letter Of Inquiry | September |
| First Votes, Group selects Top 3 Orgs | October |
| Presentations & Final Votes | November |
| Fund Orgs | December |
| Orgs share 1 page report on use of funds | April |
The giving circle will host a general members meeting once per quarter.
Charities Supported
Resources
- Group Mural Giving Exercise
- AMCF Giving Circles
- What Is A Giving Circle
- Philanthropy Together
- Muslim Philanthropy Initiative
- Research by the Johnson Center
- Women’s Philanthropy Institute
- Meeting Recordings
- Have questions? Please email amwgc-leadership@amuslimcf.org
FAQ
- What is a giving circle?
- A Giving Circle is a form of philanthropy in which groups of individuals donate their money and time to a pooled fund. Together as a team, the group decides which nonprofit(s) or project(s) to fund.
- How can I join?
- You can join by donating membership dues to the Women’s Giving Circle below.
- How much are membership dues?
- Members donate a minimum of $420 (includes 5% administrative fee) into the fund.
- What is the 5% administrative fee used for?
- The administrative fee is retained by the American Muslim Community Foundation (AMCF) for housing the grant funds and distributing them directly to the organizations of our choice. AMCF also provides one single tax receipt to donors regardless of how many organizations we chose to fund.
- By which date must I donate dues?
- By contributing monthly, quarterly, or annually by the end of April.
- Can I donate in installments?
- Yes, the donation form allows for quarterly or monthly payments.
- Why is $420 the minimum donation to join the fund?
- The giving circle wanted to keep the minimum donation amount accessible. We believed $105/quarter ($35/month) was a reasonable amount to get started. You are welcome to donate more if you desire.
- I can’t afford to donate $420 in membership dues, can I still join?
- You can contribute less than $420 into the fund and the giving circle will happily include your funds in the amount that is donated to organizations. However, you will not be able to cast a vote on Deliberation Day unless you can commit to donating at least $420 by Dec 31, 2021.