Founded in 2016, the American Muslim Community Foundation is an innovative and award-winning grassroots, national nonprofit organization in the United States. Our focus is on creating Donor Advised Funds, Giving Circles, distributing grants, and building endowments for the Muslim community. Part of AMCF’s mission is to provide the community with resources reflect, learn and connect on giving in Islam. Check out some of these resources below catering to all ages, from children to adults!
Resources on Zakat
Zakat.fyi – This site offers educational resources on Zakat, including guides on understanding its principles, calculating Zakat accurately, and ensuring compliance with Islamic teachings. It serves as a comprehensive reference for individuals and organizations looking to fulfill their Zakat obligations responsibly.
Zakat.com – This platform facilitates Zakat donations by connecting donors with verified charitable organizations. It provides information on Zakat eligibility and calculation, making it easier for users to determine how much to give and where their contributions will have the greatest impact.
CryptoZakat.io – Aimed at modernizing Zakat, this site specializes in helping individuals fulfill their Zakat obligations on cryptocurrency assets. It offers calculation tools, guidance on eligible assets, and direct donation options to align cryptocurrency holdings with Islamic financial principles.
ModernZakat.com – Modern Zakat provides resources and tools to help users understand and manage Zakat in today’s financial landscape. It includes calculators, educational content, and insights into Zakat’s role in wealth distribution within contemporary economic systems.
Zoya Finance – is a platform designed to help Muslims invest in a way that aligns with Islamic principles. It offers a range of tools for ethical investing, including a Zakat Calculation Tool that simplifies the process of calculating Zakat on various assets, such as cash, stocks, and gold. This tool guides users step-by-step, ensuring they calculate their Zakat accurately based on their financial portfolio, making it easier to fulfill this religious obligation with confidence.
Encourage your children and family to participate in discussions around zakat and sadaqa throughout Ramadan!
For three years now, AMCF has shared with the community a children-centered Ramadan initiative called the Ramadan Giving Box Challenge. The goal of the initiative is to encourage children to “earn” sadaqa throughout Ramadan to donate towards a favorite charity. Each year’s giving challenge is outlined in a Children’s Giving Guide that includes daily Ramadan Qur’anic verses, ahadeeth, duaas and activities. You can find the 2022 and 2023 guides here. We are now happy to announce the release of our 2024 guide on the theme of “Giving, Gratitude and Growth in Difficult Times.” You can access the 2024 guide free by registering here:
Check out our Muslim Philanthropic Value Cards, another great resource for family and friends alike to connect on the beauty and importance of giving!
Philanthropy is the love of mankind as an expression of values. What we believe to be important, the difference we seek to make, how we prioritize causes or select nonprofits or projects to fund – all of these elements of a philanthropic journey can be informed by our values. Values come from many sources, lessons and experiences, including from the Islamic tradition. Islamic teachings provide a foundation for philanthropy that is rooted in tradition yet profoundly relevant today.
The Muslim Philanthropic Values are based on Barakah Culture Cards from The Productive Muslim Company in partnership with the American Muslim Community Foundation. These cards are a tool to help individuals and groups take a values-based approach to philanthropy and charitable giving. The Cards invite exploration and reflection. They can be used to prompt and support discussion of core personal Islamic philanthropic values and to surface values shared by a group. They are intended for use by individuals, families, foundations, and giving circles.
Use the document above or the content here to work through the Cards.
ABOUT THE CARDS
Each card has a value, ritual, or mindset. Users should approach the Cards from the value side first, referring to the text to develop conversations around the concept.
DISCUSSION PROMPTS
Which three values, mindsets, and rituals most resonate for you personally? Share among your group, exploring areas of overlap and difference.
What community issue(s) relate to the values that most resonate for you or your group?
Which value(s), mindset(s), and ritual(s) speak to something you have learned or experienced through your philanthropy and charitable giving? Share the value, the text and how you have learned about or experienced this concept.
What nonprofit organizations that you know of align most with these cards you’ve identified? Feel free to use AMCF’s online Nonprofit Directory.
Have each person in the group select the one or two cards which speak to you and answer the question:
How is this value represented, or not, in current local, national, or world events?
What values have you learned from a loved one or have you taught to your children? Share the value and what it means to you/your family.
Which value(s) do not resonate for you? Why not?
What Islamic values related to philanthropy do you feel are missing from this deck?
