ANNU AL REPORT · • Produced 130+ films watched by 3million +viewers • Given 10,200+ Lectures • Obtained 44 Law Degrees • Earned 115 Masters Degrees Where Our Scholars Are

A N N U A L

REPORT 2019

I pray that you and your loved ones are in the best of health and faith. I am pleased to share this report with you which includes a summary of many of the successes we’ve achieved together and a brief look ahead.

The COVID19 crisis has revealed so many courageous acts of compassion from American Muslims that not only benefit our community but the general community at large. Examples include Muslim physicians, as front liners, that are working double or triple shifts, a psychiatrist providing free therapy, volunteer community members sewing home-made masks for distribution to healthcare workers just to name a few. Even though examples are numerous, we continue to see a lack of media coverage for the contributions American Muslims are directly making to the general public. Now, more than ever, ISF’s work is needed to make a difference to improve public opinion of Muslims and Islam.

Last year, we set an internal record by awarding the highest number of scholarships and grants since inception in addition to building the required infrastructure to launch ISF’s Congressional Internship & Fellowship programs. These new programs aim to increase our representation by developing and supporting Muslims working directly on Capitol Hill.

ISF is the only organization that provides support to American Muslims dreaming of making a differ-ence through Media, Film, Law, and Politics. I continue to be amazed at everything we have achieved together in the last 11 years and I look forward to another decade of success - defined by our ability to increase representation and empower American Muslims in media and policy to change the face of public opinion and public policy in pursuit of creating an inclusive United States.

Wa-Salam and in solidarity,

Dr. Hamid RezapourFounder

DEAR ISF FAMILY,

Message From Founder

Board of Directors

Dr. Hamid Rezapour Salman Ravala Dr. Dalia Fahmy Ismail Mahomed

In 2020, we said goodbye to our amazing Board Chair Kashi Tahir and welcomed our new member M. Salman Ravala. Salman is an attorney, arbitrator, and mediator in New York City and long time supporter of ISF.

Staff

Somayeh NikooeiDirector

Iman ZawahryDirector of Film Grant

Dr. Maha HilalContent Manager

Salma AbdulkaderAdministrative Coordinator

Sohaib SyedIT Coordinator

Hani KharufehDesigner

Meet the Team

About the Islamic Scholarship Fund

Who We AreImagine a world where religion, culture, and race are no longer barriers to equality. ISF is achieving this dream by increasing American Muslim representation in professions that have the highest impact on public policy and public opinion - which is critical to ensuring that different communities obtain equal rights.

Programs

AcademicScholarships

Film Grants CongressionalInternships & Fellowships

Mentorships

Our ImpactISF Alumni are agents of change at the epicenters of public and political influence and at institutions that impact public opinion. They are changing the status quo by telling our stories and fighting unjust policies.

ISF’s alumni have had hundreds of media appearances, published books, articles, policy briefs, produced films and documentaries, defended clients in numerous legal proceedings, established and are running nonprofits, advocated for the rights of marginalized communities, delivered lectures, and so much more.

Through 2019, ISF Recipients have:

• Generated 2500+ Articles• Made 1200+ Media Appearances• Produced 130+ films watched by 3million +viewers • Given 10,200+ Lectures• Obtained 44 Law Degrees• Earned 115 Masters Degrees

Where Our Scholars Are Now

Human Rights Watch United Nations Al Jazeera English CBS News

CBS TV Now This CNN NBC News NPR The Atlantic

The New York Times Tik Tok You Tube Netflix PBS News Hour

ABC News CAIR MPower Change U.S. Government Accountability Office

ACLU U.S. District Courts House of Representatives Local City Governments

Issues Our Scholars Work On• Immigrant Justice• Islamophobia• Human Rights • Social Movements• Storytelling• Immigration Policy• Surveillance

• Policing• Foreign Policy• National Security • Diplomacy• Non-profits• Social Justice

Scholar Statistics

About the Islamic Scholarship Fund

466Applicants

67%Female

33%Male

7% 22% 37% 34%

PhD Law Grad Under Grad

38 Nationalities 107 Universities

128 Majors & Minors 35 U.S. States

Omar Shakir

Omar Shakir who is the Israel and Palestine Director at Human Rights Watch where he continues to fight human rights abuses in Palestine.

Abrar Omeish

Abrar Omeish who won a seat on the Farifax County School Board - making her one of the first Muslim women in public office in Virginia.

Assia Boundaoui

Assia Boundaoui who produced a film called The Feeling of Being Watched, which has gained widespread traction and resulted in a judge ordering a public hearing for the FBI agents who were surveilling the Muslim community in Bridgeview, Illinois.

2019 By The Numbers

Number of Applicants

Number of Scholarships & Grants Awarded

Total Amount Awarded

7,509Total Applicants

395Total Scholarships & Grants

$1,273,980Total Amount Awarded

Featured Scholars

Nijla Mu’min

Nijla Mu’min is an award-winning writer and filmmaker. She was named one of the “25 New Faces of Independent Film” by Filmmaker Magazine in 2017, and she tells stories about black girls and women who find themselves between worlds and identities. (2016 Film Grant Recipient)

Summary Charts

2019 By The Numbers

Revenue Comparison

• Significant donation in 2017 due to endowment funding

• Steady increase in contributions to better serve existing and new programs

Expense Comparison

• Steady increase in expenses to better serve existing and new programs

Expense Allocation Program Services

Message from the Board

African novelist Chinua Achebe reminds us that “until the lion learns how to write, every story will glo-rify the hunter.” But with your help, history books will include the story of many more American Mus-lims in public life, who fought not just for the rights of Muslims, but all marginalized communities.

As we continue building ISF and increasing our capacity, we wanted to briefly share our 2020 goals:

• Award 40 scholarships and increase the amount of each award for greater impact • Award 6-8 film grants to promising Muslim filmmakers• Place an inaugural cohort of five summer interns in Congressional offices for 8 weeks to increase

Muslim presence on the Hill (Postponed due to the pandemic)• Place 2 Congressional Fellows in year-long paid staff positions in Congressional offices to learn

about the policymaking process and to help influence and shift problematic policies towards Mus-lims

• Launch the ISF Mentorship program• Strengthen the ISF Alumni Network • Grow our team to 4-6 staff members

We are excited about our 2020 plan and know that it will help take ISF to the next level to become the largest accelerator organization of its kind in the country with an annual budget of over one million dollars.

We ensure you that despite the current pandemic, we will continue to be an organization that our community, especially our students, can count on. As quarantines continue across the country and community members have been impacted by the pandemic, we want to make sure college students who are pursuing majors and degrees in law, policy, media, and related fields have access to financial support!

ISF is committed to increasing Muslim representation in the fields of media and policy. We hope we can count on your continuous support in order to keep our vibrant community strong in the midst of these difficult times.

We wish you and your family health and safety in these challenging times.

ISF Board of Directors

Thank you for Supporting

www.IslamicScholarshipFund.org