Muslim women give generously. They give to their masjids, their schools, their community organizations, and the causes they believe in — often quietly, often without recognition, and often without a seat at the table where funding decisions are made.
The AMCF Women’s Giving Circle exists to change that.
Founded in 2021, the American Muslim Women’s Giving Circle (AMWGC) is the first national giving circle dedicated to Muslim women — a collective of women across the United States who pool their charitable contributions, share in the decision-making, and direct funding toward organizations that center Muslim women and the communities they serve.
It is philanthropy practiced the way the community has always known giving should work: collectively, intentionally, and with the dignity of every voice counted.
The Women’s Giving Circle is also a community in the fullest sense. Members lean in to all five dimensions of philanthropy — time, talent, treasure, ties, and testimony — by highlighting organizations, sharing success stories, and supporting one another’s charitable growth. A private WhatsApp group connects members year-round, offering a safe space to ask questions, share resources, and discuss causes. That ongoing conversation has shaped AMCF webinar topics and programming, and the circle’s influence extends far: at the 2025 Nonprofit Summit, many of the attendees and speakers were WGC members, and the host for the field trip to the Inspired Generosity Exhibit was a giving circle member as well.
What Is a Giving Circle?
A giving circle is a form of participatory philanthropy in which members pool their financial contributions and make collective decisions about how to grant those funds. The model democratizes giving — transforming what might be a small individual donation into part of a meaningful collective investment, and giving every member a voice in where that investment goes (Bearman, 2017).
Giving circles have grown significantly across the United States as donors seek more engaged, community-centered alternatives to traditional charitable giving. AMCF hosts the Women’s Giving Circle and is part of the Philanthropy Together network, which supports giving circles nationwide. The Women’s Giving Circle is the flagship — and the one with the longest track record of impact. Other regional Muslim women’s giving circles have also emerged across the country, including 200 Muslim Women Who Care (200MWWC), themselves a grantee of the 2025 AMWGC cycle.
How the Women’s Giving Circle Works
The AMWGC operates on a clear, democratic model:
Members nominate. Any member can nominate a nonprofit organization for consideration. The entry point for membership is a nominal donation of $5 or more per month — a low threshold designed so that anyone who wants to participate can. Nominations are open to Muslim women-led and women-focused organizations working across the full range of community need.
AMCF vets. AMCF’s team conducts due diligence on nominated organizations, ensuring they meet eligibility criteria and are positioned to make effective use of grant funds. All nominees must be 501(c)(3) organizations based in the US and primarily doing work in the US; fiscally sponsored organizations are permitted. To advance in the cycle, organizations must claim their Candid profile and obtain a Gold or Platinum Seal of Transparency — and AMCF provides training to help them get there.
Organizations present. Vetted finalists present to the membership — making their case directly to the women who will decide their fate.
Voting members decide. Members who contribute $420 or more annually (or $35 per month) become voting members with the power to rank organizations and collectively select the top three recipients.
Funds are granted and invested. Pooled funds are placed in an endowment through AMCF, with investment returns distributed to grantees on a 50/30/20 split — meaning the relationship with funded organizations is not a one-time grant but an ongoing source of support as the endowment grows. Grantees may choose to receive their funding as an unrestricted grant, as a new endowment opened through AMCF, or as an addition to an existing endowment. Funding is designed to be frictionless: the trust has already been established by the members who nominated — grantees and nominees receive their funds without reporting requirements, and all are listed on the AMCF website and welcome to share updates with the community at any time.
Donors stay connected to impact. Giving Circle members receive a tax receipt for their donations, and impact updates from nominees and grantees are shared regularly through AMCF’s weekly newsletters. All grantees and nominees are also featured at here.
Who the Women’s Giving Circle Has Funded
Since its founding, the AMWGC has funded organizations working at the intersection of Muslim identity, gender justice, and community wellbeing. Grantees have included:
2025 Grantees:
- Minnesota Deaf Muslim Community (MDMC) — ASL interpretation and accessibility services for Deaf Muslims
- 200 Muslim Women Who Care — a giving circle within a giving circle, mobilizing Muslim women’s collective philanthropy at the local level
- Khair Collective — community care and mutual aid rooted in Islamic values
2024 Grantees:
- Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA) — civil rights legal defense for Muslim communities
- Olive Community Services — senior care and social services for Muslim elders in Southern California
- Pillars of Peace — community healing and conflict resolution grounded in Islamic principles
2022 Grantees:
- Facing Abuse in Community Environments (FACE) — domestic violence prevention and survivor support
- Peaceful Families Project (PFP) — Muslim family wellness and violence prevention
- Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation (TMWF) — economic empowerment and wraparound support for Muslim women in Texas
The range of organizations reflects the breadth of the WGC’s vision: Muslim women’s well-being is not a single issue. It is legal protection, elder care, disability access, economic security, and family safety — all of it at once.
Why This Circle, Why Now
Research on Muslim women’s philanthropy consistently documents a paradox: Muslim women are among the most generous givers in the community, yet they are dramatically underrepresented in philanthropic leadership and decision-making (Hussain, 2023). The organizations that serve Muslim women — and that are often led by Muslim women — receive a disproportionately small share of Muslim philanthropic dollars.
The Women’s Giving Circle is a direct response to that gap. It does not simply fund organizations serving Muslim women — it puts Muslim women in the role of funder. Members are not passive donors; they are decision-makers. That shift matters not only for the organizations that receive grants, but for the women who do the giving, who build their philanthropic identity and confidence through the process.
As the AMWGC’s founding language puts it: “Join us to find out what social change looks like when women make the decisions.”
How to Join
Membership in the Women’s Giving Circle is open to any woman who shares the circle’s commitment to amplifying Muslim women’s philanthropic voice. You do not need to be a large donor. Every gift counts toward the pooled fund, and voting membership is available to anyone who contributes $420 or more annually.
Questions: givingcircles@amuslimcf.org
The Women’s Giving Circle is proof that Muslim women have always been changemakers. It is simply giving them the infrastructure to do it together.