Cause
Best Muslim Philanthropy & Grantmaking Charities
Grantmaking foundations and donor-advised funds in the Muslim space pool donor dollars and distribute them to downstream implementers. They add a layer between donors and beneficiaries — sometimes bringing expertise and vetting, sometimes just adding overhead. Evaluation turns on whether the grantmaker improves what goes to the ultimate beneficiary.
Evaluated charities
Frequently asked questions
- Is giving to a foundation zakat-eligible?
- Scholars generally accept this when the foundation passes funds through to eligible recipients in a timely way. The central concern is delay — most scholars hold that zakat should reach beneficiaries within a reasonable time, and foundations that hold funds as endowments for years are on weaker ground. Good Measure Giving flags the foundation's own stated zakat policy (if any); the fiqh assessment is your scholar's.
- Does adding a grantmaker layer reduce impact?
- It depends. A skilled grantmaker with due-diligence capacity can route funds to higher-impact work than an individual donor could find alone. A thin grantmaker that just re-grants with high overhead reduces impact.
- How do you evaluate grantmakers?
- Grant-to-overhead ratio, timeliness of disbursement, transparency of grantee lists, and whether grantmakers publish their evaluation methodology.
- Should I give through a foundation or directly to implementers?
- Direct-to-implementer is simpler and has less overhead. A foundation adds value when you don't have capacity to evaluate implementers yourself and the foundation has genuine vetting expertise.