The Muslim Institute is an independent charity and fellowship society, established in 1973, that supports the growth of knowledge, debate, and community empowerment. The Community Empowerment Fund was created in 2023 to resource grassroots work that aligns with our mission. Past grants have supported young people’s residential programmes in Oldham and West London.
Grants of £5,000–£20,000 are available. We favour projects that are practical, achievable, and rooted in the communities they serve.
A registered charity is a non-profit organization officially recognised by the Charity Commission in England and Wales, or the Scottish Charity Regulator, as having exclusively charitable purposes for the public benefit.
A Community Group is an organised group of individuals who come together to address a common need, interest, or experience. They are independent, not-for-profit, and usually rely on volunteer support to carry out activities that benefit the public or a specific demographic. You can be a community of place (geography), a community of interest (having a common focus or mission) or a community of identity (for example, race, gender or religion). You may be organised formally into a Community Interest Company (CIC). A CIC is a special type of limited company designed for social enterprises. They operate primarily to benefit a community rather than for profit.
We encourage groups to apply who may just be starting out on their organisational journey, and have not yet constituted themselves formally as a charity or a CIC. However, you will need to provide evidence to us that you have a track record and/or some experience in the area of work (or a comparable or related area) you want to apply to us to fund. For example, you may be a group of youth workers who want to get together to run a new project for young people, or a group of women who want to provide a particular service for other women where you live and can prove that you have the combined skills/experience within your group to successfully deliver on your project aims.
We encourage individuals who want to launch a new initiative or project to apply for the Community Empowerment Fund. However, you will need to show that you have an understanding or agreement with a local organisation to partner with you. This does not have to mean that they will also fund you, it could be in-kind support, such as free office or admin support, free or discounted use of a space or room to hold meetings or events, or access to equipment you need.
This new research report, commissioned by the Muslim Institute and authored by Humera Khan of the An-Nisa Society is designed to capture the experiences, perspectives and emerging issues affecting Birmingham’s diverse Muslim communities, with particular attention to voices that are often underrepresented in policy discussions and internal
Muslim debates. It is a insightful and valuable underpinning to the work of the Community Empowerment Fund.
Stream 1: Community Wellbeing.
The deadline for applications for Stream 1: Community Wellbeing is midday Wednesday 30th September 2026 (UTC). Successful applicants will be announced at the Muslim Institute Winter Gathering 2026.
Stream 2: Young People and Stream 3: Civil Liberties will open for applications in 2027 & 2028.
Before you apply. What you need to know.
Your project can’t start until you have been notified that your grant application has been successful. We will not fund any expenditure that has taken place before your start time.
Your project end date cannot be more than 12 months after your project start date.
We may contact applicants for a brief conversation before making a final decision.