Donor Advised Funds

What do we do?

Our focus is on creating DAFs, distributing grants, and starting endowments. An endowment is an investment fund set aside by a nonprofit so that it can grow. Every year, the nonprofit can receive the endowment’s earnings while leaving the principal intact. Dar Al-Fikr will set up and administer its own Endowment. Dar Al-Fikr’s endowment will create sustainability and support specific programs and eventually an operational budget. The endowment will be invested in a manner consistent with Muslim ethics and laws regulating Illinois not for profit corporations exempt from tax as described by section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

An endowment is a financial resource, in the form of a donation to be used as an investment, which generates an annual return based on the principal of its assets (cash, stock, property, will, etc.,).

We research and vet your favorite non-profits and help you distribute your DAF funds in a more meaning way.

How DAF works?

You donate and open a DAF account. We handle the rest!

When you create a Donor Advised Fund (DAF), you can provide recommendations regarding when and to which charities you want to support, and we take care of the rest. We vet your selected charities, keep track of your donations, provide information regarding charities, and can even invest your funds so that your charitable dollar grows.

Importantly, Dar Al-Fikr handles all the administration for your DAF including investing in sharia compliant and halal mutual funds. We compile a donor report to help you track your charitable giving and give the charities you support a report of which donors are supporting them from Dar Al-Fikr DAFs.

In a rare event that a charity you have recommended does not satisfy Dar Al-Fikr’s criteria for receiving donations (for example, it cannot or does not accept donations, it is not recognized by the IRS as a public charity, is not in good standing with federal and state regulators, or has not been classified by the IRS as a supporting organization eligible to receive donations from donor advised funds), Dar Al-Fikr will select an alternate charity to receive your donated funds.

Grant Making

All people deserve the opportunity to fulfill their potential, contribute to society and have their voices heard.

Our futures are interwoven, so the impact of poverty reverberates through every segment of society. The problems we face – issues like lack of access to capital, healthcare and quality education and threatened civil rights. The solutions will not come from treating symptoms; we must use our grantmaking to address root causes.

In our pursuit of impact, we must measure our progress over the longer term. For example, we have 10-year strategic planning horizons, make multi-year grant commitments to our partners and expand our work to include civic engagement and public policy. All of this is to focus on lasting changes that can alter the outcomes and symptoms of human suffering, especially amongst the poor and vulnerable.

We pursue systemic changes in four inter-related areas: education, health, community-building, civil rights, and refugees’ rehabilitation.

Of course, there will be emerging challenges that we cannot plan for, but, as a community foundation we are ready to address any urgencies that may crop up.

Grants

Dar Al-Fikr awards grants from its endowment to nonprofit organizations working in partnership, with the Muslim community in one of the five strategic initiatives outlined below. The funding cycles will be announced on social media platforms and our email newsletter Subscribe or follow us online.

Dar Al-Fikr is using a new grant portal, please register and apply for grants below in this new system. Each year, nonprofit organizations will be invited to apply for a grant by submitting a letter of interest.

Strategic Initiatives

Hover over the following cards to know more

Education

We believe quality education is a solution to ending poverty.

Free coaching for IIT, medical and other entrance examinations, up to 2 years for students who are bright and motivated coming from ultra poor families. For teenagers who dropped out of schools/seminaries due to economic reasons, provide them with an opportunity where dedicated teachers, counselors and mentors provide students with intensive tutoring in a limited group setting of no more than six. This puts them on a fast and focused track to graduate and clear High School exams to get into professional colleges.

Bring rural poor and underprivileged children into the mainstream through education, undertake educational projects at grassroots level, build and empower micro-communities in areas that are ravaged by extreme poverty and social hopelessness.

Health

Provide medical facilities to poor people.

Building healthier communities requires more than just access to care. Dar AlFikr brings together nonprofits and institutions to address the root causes of major health issues and disparities. We also focus on engaging health leaders and community members to advocate for programs and services that benefit public health.

50 Community Centers

Community Centers are the cornerstones of our community

It is important to ensure they are actively engaging their youth, providing spiritual and communal connections for families, as well as providing women equal access to leadership, space, and resources. The Dar Al-Fikr Foundation intends to develop and provide support for one Muslim Community Center in each city.

Civic Engagement

Community organizing and grassroots movements

Help mobilize people for the better. To make a difference, we need to increase our engagement in politics, media, and civil rights. We stand up for the minorities whose rights are suppressed. There are many deficiencies within our social structures, and this fund restores that balance to help bring an end to poverty, homelessness, and inequality. To save a life is to save all of humanity. Basic needs, education, and social services are vital to breaking the cycle of poverty. We promote foster care and empower the disadvantaged to succeed.

Refugees Rehabilitation

Provide cash and medical assistance to new arrivals

Provide cash and medical assistance to new arrivals, as well as support for case management services, English as a Foreign Language classes, and job readiness and employment services — all designed to facilitate refugees’ successful transition to life in the U.S. and help them to attain self-sufficiency. Provide holistic and integrated trauma assistance services to underserved refugees and other eligible newcomers, including case management, health, psychological, and social adjustment services.

Be The Change!

Open A Donor Advised Fund

A D.A.F. is a charitable fund maintained and operated by Dar Al-Fikr.

When you donate assets in your DAF, you may receive tax benefits, an opportunity to grow assets, and the flexibility to distribute funds to charities recommended by you on your own timetable.

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