The AMCF Muslim Women’s Giving Circle transforms how Muslim women practice collective philanthropy. Launched in 2021 at the height of COVID, it began with a small but powerful idea: that Muslim women, even in times of uncertainty, could come together to give intentionally and change lives.
The founding members each contributed $35 a month or $420 a year, alongside larger one-time gifts. Their goal was simple — to create a space where giving, learning, and leadership intersected. Some of those early members have since moved on to other initiatives, while others remain active today, still helping shape what has become one of AMCF’s most impactful programs.
Now, in 2025, women can join the Muslim Women’s Giving Circle with as little as $5 a month, expanding access to Muslim women from every walk of life. Whether through small monthly gifts, participation in our WhatsApp community, or engagement in virtual and in-person gatherings and member-driven webinars, every act of giving strengthens the Circle’s collective impact — funding vital programs, building relationships, and cultivating a culture of generosity rooted in faith.
Our 2024 grantee, Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA) captured this spirit of impact, sharing: “Thanks to the Women’s Giving Circle grant, we secured life-changing legal victories and advanced cases with the potential to shape national precedent.” These outcomes are the fruits of collaborative giving planted in faith and nurtured by community.
Impact That Grows with Every Cycle
The Circle’s first grant cycle in 2022 raised $26,000, funding Peaceful Families Project, Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation (TMWF), and Facing Abuse in Community Environments (FACE) — three organizations addressing urgent needs in family-violence prevention, community healing, and women’s empowerment.
Since then, the giving circle has grown to 56 members, including 40 voting members, and has raised nearly $56,000 over four years. It has celebrated 36 nominees and funded six organizations — with three more to be selected in fall 2025 as part of the latest cycle.
Each contribution — whether $5 or $500 — represents an investment in equity, education, and empowerment. Collectively, members are amplifying Muslim women’s leadership, sustaining community-based nonprofits, and ensuring that faith-driven giving continues to flourish and bear fruit.
As one of our giving circle members and prior nominees, Dr. Shaza Khan (ISLA) reflected, “The American Muslim Women’s Giving Circle is a powerful and empowering platform that allows Muslim women to decide which institutions they wish to support as a collective. By pairing up with other Muslim women, our contributions multiply — and so too does its effect.”
The 2025 cycle featured Decision Day on November 4, when five finalists — 200 Muslim Women Who Care, Green Muslims, Khair Collective, Minnesota Deaf Muslim Community, and Muslimat Al Nisaa Shelter — presented their work to voting members and participated in a live Q&A. Members reviewed the presentations and voted to determine which three organizations would receive funding from the approximately $15,000 collectively donated this year. Funds were made available in the form of grants or endowment contributions.
For organizations like our 2024 grantee Olive Community Services, this funding makes a real difference: “We used the funds to invest in marketing and communications, spreading awareness of our work in empowering and engaging seniors to live, learn, and thrive.”
The 2025 winners were announced at the AMCF National Muslim Philanthropy Awards on November 22, celebrating another powerful chapter of Muslim women-led generosity and collaboration.
A Model of Faith-Driven Giving
The AMCF Women’s Giving Circle redefines philanthropy through the 5 T’s of Giving — time, treasure, talent, ties, and testimony.
Members don’t just give — they lead. They shape every activity, from choosing webinar topics and suggesting speakers to connecting AMCF with new partners and nominees. Their ideas, networks, and passion continually drive the Circle’s evolution and deepen its community reach.
This member-led model has created measurable outcomes. In the 2025 Giving Circle Cycle, members collaborated with Rabata, Muslim Women Professionals (MWP), Olive Community Services, MUHSEN, Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA), the Minnesota Deaf Muslim Community, Nour Company, The Intentional Currency, and TACS to deliver a yearlong lineup of educational programs reaching hundreds of participants nationwide.
Topics ranged from nonprofit capacity-building to financial empowerment, including:
• How to Start Your Philanthropic Journey
• Senior Matters: Embracing Aging in Your Communities
• Art of Impactful Giving
• Reclaiming Our Legacy: Muslim Women, Philanthropy & the Power of Collective Giving
• Halal Investing 101: Building Wealth with Faith & Intention
As the 2025 cycle concluded, AMCF and Muslim Women Professionals (MWP) co-hosted the inaugural Muslim Women Wealth Summit on November 8 in Irvine, CA — an empowering in-person event featuring an all-Muslim women speaker panel, practical wealth-building tools, and ASL interpretation by MUHSEN to ensure accessibility for all.
All past webinars and recordings are available on the AMCF YouTube channel, with links on our Events Page.
How the Giving Circle Builds Muslim Women Leaders
The Muslim Women’s Giving Circle has become a cornerstone of leadership within AMCF’s growing ecosystem. Its Leadership Circle — Madiha Patel, Eaman Shebley, CPA, Dr. Agnes Chong, and Zahra Bokhari Hassan — provides strategic guidance and mentorship.
Two members, Eaman Shebley and Dr. Agnes Chong, went on to launch Raiya595, a social enterprise born from their Giving Circle connections — a testament to how shared giving can spark innovation and long-term change.
At the 2025 AMCF Nonprofit Summit, two-thirds of all speakers, attendees, staff, and planners were women, and the majority were connected to the Giving Circle ecosystem as members or nominees — a dramatic shift from 2024, when fewer than one-third were women.
Looking Ahead: The Growth Continues
As the 2025 cycle concluded, momentum continued to build. The 2026 Giving Circle Cycle officially opened on November 1, welcoming new members and returning supporters to join this ever-growing network of impact. A $500 donation match in November was provided by a generous community member.
To launch the new cycle, AMCF hosted “The Power of Giving Circles” — a live webinar on November 12, presented in partnership with Philanthropy Together. The session featured Dyma AbuOleim, founder of 200 Muslim Women Who Care — one of our longtime members and a 2025 finalist — alongside other Muslim women leaders reflecting on how collective giving builds connection, faith, and sustained impact.
Ready to Join the Muslim Women’s Giving Circle?
The giving circle welcomes Muslim women from all backgrounds and giving capacities:
✓ Start with just $5/month
✓ Vote on which organizations receive funding
✓ Connect with Muslim women nationwide
✓ Access exclusive webinars and events
✓ Shape the future of Muslim women’s philanthropy
Join today and be part of the impact: Join on Grapevine
Conclusion
In just four years, the AMCF Muslim Women’s Giving Circle has blossomed from a handful of donors into a thriving community of Muslim women leaders who have collectively raised nearly $56,000 to advance philanthropy, education, and empowerment. From supporting seniors and legal advocacy to inspiring new generations of givers, this community continues to grow — season after season.
Like an apple tree that bears fruit abundantly, the giving circle’s roots run deep in faith and generosity. Its branches spread wider with each cycle, its blossoms multiply in color and fragrance, and its fruits nourish others through grants that empower, programs that educate, and members who continue planting seeds of generosity wherever they go.
Together, we are not just funding change — we are cultivating it.