PILLARS
FUND
2023
ANNUAL
REPORT
Who We Are
Pillars Fund amplifies the leadership, narratives, and talents of Muslims in the United States.
Whether it’s standing up against mass surveillance, racial profiling, voter disenfranchisement, or dangerous cultural stereotypes, we are working together to build a society where Muslims can thrive.
At Pillars, this means supporting the Muslim leaders in our Catalyze Fund, who are addressing, head-on, systemic injustices in the U.S. It means championing Culture Change programs that uplift Muslim artists and shift narratives about Muslims to ones that are dynamic, accurate, and dignified. It means partnering with Muslim donors for Strategic Giving that powers these initiatives and supports Muslim nonprofit and creative leaders. Ultimately, we are putting critical resources into the hands of those building a just, equitable future for us all.
Letter From The
President
This October, I traveled to Palestine for the first time. Kalia and I participated in the Black Jerusalem journey, led by Pillars Board Member and IMAN Executive Director Rami Nashashibi. It was a life-changing experience.
We met people who graciously opened their homes and shared their stories, family legacies, and histories of struggle. We also confronted the realities of living under military occupation, daily police brutality, mass displacement, and concentrated surveillance. At Pillars, we work to end systemic oppression in the U.S., and the parallels we witnessed in Palestine and Israel were unmistakable. This experience has made it abundantly clear to me that our struggles are connected and Pillars’ work is needed now more than ever.
At every turn, I see the need for Muslim leaders to hold our elected officials accountable for their policies and rhetoric, from the school board to the White House. The need for community-based mental health care that addresses our trauma and creates space for healing. The need for advocates to protect us from increased hate and intolerance as Muslims continue to be perceived as suspects. The need for dynamic, honest narratives told by and about our communities. I’m honored and forever grateful that Pillars’ grantee partners, fellows, board members, and trustees are stepping into these roles to advocate for our communities.
In 2023, Pillars was honored to distribute $2 million to Catalyze Fund grantee partners whose organizations and leaders are championing our communities’ health, safety, and well-being. Our first cohort of Pillars Artist Fellows graduated from our program for Muslim directors and screenwriters and are already making monumental moves in Hollywood. We’re excited to announce our next cohort in 2024. We were thrilled to gather our fellows, grantee partners, staff, and supporters for the first time since the pandemic this year. It was inspiring to see Muslims from all over the country, representing diverse backgrounds, come together in Atlanta to connect and learn from one another.
It’s been a challenging year, but I’m confident our people, equipped with the right resources, are ready to take on whatever 2024 brings.
BY THE NUMBERS
CATALYZE FUND GRANT SUMMARY
Pillars provides multi-year grants to encourage organizations' long-term growth.
Pillars distributes grants to advance three priorities.
CATALYZE
FUND
At Pillars, we support a vibrant network of Muslim-focused organizations advancing justice and equity.
We often use the word community to describe our work because it is the most authentic way to explain how deeply our grantee partners are connected to each other. We celebrate, grieve, build, strive, organize, and advocate together. Amid an increase in anti-Muslim discrimination and trauma from ongoing war and violence, this year we’ve seen our grantees draw on these close relationships to hold our elected officials accountable, build community-based mental health care, and protect us from hate and intolerance. We were honored to watch grantee relationships deepen when we gathered the Pillars community in Atlanta, to witness our grantees create beautiful spaces for connection, and to see them move the needle on vital issues.
STORIES OF IMPACT
Pillars brings together grantees for first National Convening in four years.
In September, Pillars hosted a three-day national convening in Atlanta, gathering nearly 100 Muslim community and creative leaders from the Pillars community for the first time since the onset of the pandemic. We organized this convening so our community could feel rooted in a larger movement, equipped to confront the challenges ahead, and energized to work toward a collective future. Between delicious meals, thought-proving sessions, and heartfelt conversations, we witnessed the love, patience, and gratitude present in our community. These were precisely the critical connections we hoped to spark and deepen during our time together, and we’re excited to see what other collaborations will emerge in the future!
Pillars grantees celebrate policy wins, transform our highest courts, and offer spaces for healing.
Our grantee partners are working relentlessly to help those affected by the criminal justice system, shift attitudes on mental health, disrupt anti-refugee policies, and other vital efforts. This year, they celebrated some big wins. Believers Bail Out helped make Illinois the first state to eliminate cash bail. Starting this September, people accused of crimes in the state are no longer at risk of losing their jobs, housing, and custody of their children simply because they can't afford bail. After the Supreme Court ruled to ban affirmative action, The Appellate Project’s work to ensure communities of color are represented on our highest courts is more critical than ever. This year, TAP published a clerkship handbook for aspiring appellate court professionals and mentored 138 law students of color, more than a third of whom are first-generation college graduates. Amid a series of devastating global events, Maristan and its clinic of Muslim mental health professionals provided more than 150 clients with culturally sensitive counseling and hosted virtual healing circles for our communities to grieve in a safe, supportive environment.
Pillars grantees build community to build power.
Nonprofits are continuing to transition back to in-person organizing after years of online work. In 2023, our grantee partners listened to what their communities needed most and curated intentional spaces to gather to meet those needs. Muslim Wellness Foundation brought back their Black Muslim Psychology Conference to focus on healing, wellness, and Black Muslim joy. Reviving the Islamic Sisterhood for Empowerment (RISE) and Malikah both hosted conferences for Muslim women to foster leadership and organizing expertise within their communities. Dream of Detroit’s street fair featured music, dancing, and a block party atmosphere to celebrate its local community. Pillars of the Community planted a garden of abundance where those who had experienced violence could reflect, access fresh fruits and vegetables, and encounter the healing power of nature.
CULTURE
CHANGE
At Pillars, we amplify Muslim voices to create narratives about Muslim communities that are dynamic, honest, and dignified.
Historic strikes in Hollywood set the stage for a year that reinforced our dedication to equity in filmmaking, supporting artists, and creating opportunities for them to tell their stories. This spring, we celebrated the graduation of our inaugural cohort of Pillars Artist Fellows and designed an event to highlight their talents. Many of the fellows are already making big waves in the entertainment industry. In the summer, we celebrated our Muslim Narrative Change Fellows, featuring their brilliant ideas in a multimedia collection. This fall, we were encouraged to see the entertainment industry making progress toward fairer working conditions thanks to dedicated labor activists.
PILLARS ARTIST FELLOWSHIP
Our Pillars Artist Fellowship—presented in partnership with Riz Ahmed’s Left Handed Films and sponsored by Netflix and Amazon Studios—supports emerging Muslim directors and writers who are charting the future of the film and television industries. Our 2022-23 Pillars Artist Fellowship graduates made exciting achievements this year.
fateme ahmadiwriter-directorlondon
Fateme's first feature film, Daughter of Eden, was awarded production financing by the BFI Discovery Production Fund.
zeshawn aliwriter-directorNew York
Zeshawn was selected to be a part of the HBO/Gotham Diversity Development Initiative and is currently in production on his next feature documentary project.
aqsa altafwriter-directorLos Angeles
Aqsa finished writing her feature film Before Hours and is developing a feature script for Heat with Skybound Entertainment.
Nausheen DadabhoydirectorNew York
Nausheen continued cross-country screenings for her documentary, An Act of Worship, and expanded her accompanying impact campaign, hosting talk-backs and workshops related to community mental health.
Imran J. Khanwriter-directorLos Angeles
Imran's debut feature, Mustache, premiered at the 2023 South by Southwest Film Festival, winning the audience award for Narrative Feature Competition.
Karim KhanwriterOxford, U.K.
Karim's award-winning play Brown Boys Swim embarked on a national tour of the U.K.
Myriam Rajawriter-directorlondon
Myriam directed episodes for the final season of the Netflix series Top Boy.
Nadra Widatallawriter-directorLos Angeles
Nadra was a staff writer for Peacock’s comedy sci-fi series Mrs. Davis.
Farida Zahranwriter-directorNew York
Farida's feature script, The Leftover Ladies, was selected for the 2023 Sundance Institute’s Directors and Screenwriters Lab as well as the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival Writers’ Studio.
Ali Imran ZaidiwriterLos Angeles
Ali wrote an episode for SoundTrip, an immersive, interactive podcast that launched as a live performance in an award-winning run at the Hollywood Fringe Festival.
MUSLIM NARRATIVE CHANGE FELLOWSHIP
Muslim Narrative Change (MNC) Fellows are poets, writers, activists, scholars, historians, and artists who deeply understand the power of stories to shape our lives. They use their unique experiences and expertise to develop roadmaps for telling authentic Muslim stories and shape Pillars’ approach to culture change work.
Zaheer AliHutchins Institute For Social Justice
Zaheer executive produced American Muslims: A History Revealed, a documentary series that wrapped filming this year and is scheduled for release by PBS Digital Studios in 2024.
Su’ad Abdul KhabeerUniversity Of Michigan
Su’ad taught as an associate professor of American culture at University of Michigan where she is a core faculty member for the Arab and Muslim American Studies (AMAS) program.
Maytha AlhassenHarvard Divinity School
Maytha executive produced American Muslims and started as a faculty lecturer at Stanford University.
Asad Ali JafriSpaceshift Collective
Asad continued his work with SpaceShift Collective and launched Shamiana, a public art installation on Chicago’s Devon Avenue, as part of the Chicago Architecture Biennial.
Omar OffendumRapper & Spoken Word Artist
Omar took his hip hopera, Little Syria, on the road, bringing custom performances and sold-out shows to Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York.
Hussein RashidIslamicate
Hussein was named the Assistant Dean for Religion and Public Life at Harvard Divinity School, and his co-edited volume, The Bloomsbury Handbook of Muslims and Popular Culture, was released.
STORIES OF IMPACT
The Pillars Artist Fellows are ten artists to watch
We were thrilled to wish a happy graduation to the first-ever cohort of Pillars Artist Fellows. At a gathering in Los Angeles this spring, our director and screenwriter fellows showcased their work to a room of mentors, industry leaders, and community members. Now, our graduates are taking the entertainment industry by storm after a year of mentorship, growth, and community building. Former fellows have already joined prestigious writers rooms, sold their work to major companies, and won awards at competitive festivals. We finished the year by accepting applications for our second cohort of Pillars Artist Fellows. We’re excited to unveil our second class next year!
Pillars celebrates Ramadan with Muslims in Hollywood
This Ramadan, Pillars broke fast with Muslim creatives and entertainment professionals at an iftar co-hosted with the Muslim Business Employee Resource Groups at the Walt Disney Company and Netflix. Filled with delicious food and heartfelt conversations, we were honored to co-create this event with Muslim industry professionals, which set the stage for us to continue building power with Muslim artists throughout the year.
Pillars features Muslim creative minds in multimedia collection
Pillars assembled a collection of essays and meditations that gave our Muslim Narrative Change Fellows the freedom to explore any topic of interest. The result: Khayál: A Multimedia Collection by Muslim Creatives. Page through to learn about the creative inhale with Zaheer Ali, examine Malcolm X’s letters with Maytha Alhassen, dive into philosophy with Hussein Rashid, explore Su’ad Abdul Khabeer’s memories of ’90s Brooklyn, go behind the scenes of Omar Offendum’s hip hopera, Little Syria, and experience Asad Ali Jafri’s comic from the future.
STRATEGIC
GIVING
At Pillars, we partner with Muslim donors to generate resources and collective power in our communities.
Pillars is a bridge: We connect Muslim donors, philanthropic institutions, and Muslim-focused nonprofits doing the hard work to transform society. Pillars trustees, our community of Muslim donors, are the economic engine behind our Catalyze Fund. Trustees give to Pillars because they know this investment is greater than a donation to a single organization; we are building up an entire ecosystem. In 2023, trustee contributions fueled $2 million in direct support to our grantee partners, who are challenging mass surveillance, championing mental health, encouraging voter engagement, and so much more. This year, our trustees and supporters gathered to strategize and expand Pillars’ reach, and our staff continued to build partnerships across the philanthropic space.
STORIES OF IMPACT
Pillars trustees renew their commitment to Muslim leadership
Over Presidents’ Day weekend, Pillars trustee families met in Austin to renew their commitment to supporting Muslim leadership and get energized for an exciting year ahead. Our trustees heard from Pillars staff about future plans and had one-on-one conversations with Pillars grantee partners and fellows who are ensuring that Muslim voices are represented in Washington, D.C., Hollywood board rooms, and local communities across the country. It was inspiring to connect our multi-generational trustee community and to witness young people engaging with the work as emerging leaders themselves. One of our guest speakers shared that they got “goosebumps” seeing a group of Muslim leaders “gather to make the world a better place.” We were thrilled to spark that connection and use it as fuel throughout the year.
Bay Area trustees galvanize friends and philanthropists
This fall, Bay Area trustees and their friends gathered in Silicon Valley to enjoy a delicious meal, have vibrant conversations, and learn how to better harness their resources to effect change. Our guests enjoyed multiple courses crafted by Chef Abeer Najjar and legendary Yemeni coffee curated by Mokhtar Alkhanshali, two outstanding examples of the Muslim talent Pillars seeks to uplift. We brought together people who built something extraordinary in their personal and professional lives and were looking to build on that legacy. We agreed that we aren’t just looking to solve problems; we are actively creating the world we want to live in. We hope our evening was a spark that encourages Muslim philanthropists to connect with one another and inspires them to dive into supporting grassroots work led by courageous Muslim leaders.
Pillars organizes in concert with grantmaker networks
Now, more than ever, being in community with other grantmakers is critical. As Islamophobia and antisemitism are on the rise, funders are showing a growing interest in the relationship between faith, democracy, and giving. This year, Pillars participated in a guide from Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement, which provides a framework for funders to engage with faith communities as partners. Kalia Abiade, our VP of Programs at Pillars, was one of a few people interviewed for the guide. In her reflections, she shared, “If we think about social justice movements, many of our leaders were people of faith, so there is no reason not to center faith in the ways that people are doing this work ... I hope that faith becomes a more celebrated or understood aspect of the way people participate in movement work.”
Pillars in Palestine:
Black Jerusalem Journey
This year, Pillars leadership journeyed to the Holy Land to experience the beauty and resilience of Palestine and its people. Kalia Abiade, Pillars vice president of programs, and Kashif Shaikh, Pillars co-founder and president, took part in the Black Jerusalem journey, an initiative by Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) and Bayan Claremont, which began with awe and appreciation and ended with a harrowing escape from deadly violence. Led by Pillars Board Member and IMAN Executive Director Rami Nashashibi, Black Jerusalem gathered travelers from Abrahamic faiths to tour the Holy Land through the lens of African Palestinians and Black Diaspora communities. Palestinian people graciously hosted us, sharing their family legacies, histories of struggle, and the storytelling traditions that keep their cultures and communities alive.
We were stunned by the extreme dehumanization and relentlessness that we witnessed. As we traveled freely to and from Jerusalem across Palestine, it was not lost on us that many Palestinians cannot do the same. This journey strengthened Pillars’ commitment to building a just society that honors the dignity of all people, facilitates liberation and self-determination, and ensures people can tell their own stories. Our deepest prayer is for an end to the bloodshed and the beginning of a lasting peace that honors the humanity of all people. A lasting resolution that ushers in a future brimming with freedom, justice, and a joyful existence for people across the Holy Land. A flourishing vibrant Palestinian society so that everyone—especially Palestinians—can experience its beauty.
In The News
The work at Pillars Fund is powered by a dedicated, visionary community.
The work at Pillars Fund is powered by a dedicated, visionary community. We are incredibly grateful for our grantee partners, fellows, trustees, staff, board of directors, advisers, institutional funders, corporate sponsors, community reviewers, and organizational partners for making our work possible. You sustain us with your guidance and inspire us with your commitment to a more just, joyful world. Thank you!
Institutional Funders
Corporate Sponsors
OUR TEAM
Pillars’ dedicated team embraces our aspirational mission and powers our work. In 2023, we were excited to welcome four new team members who further expanded our capacity to invest in Muslim leaders.
OUR STAFF
Maryam Abdul-Kareem
Senior Program Manager,
Catalyze Fund
Kalia Abiade
Vice President,
Programs
Bushra Aljaber
Digital Media Associate
Salwa Ansari
Director of Development
Amirah Fauzi
Program Director,
Catalyze Fund
Katie Grimes
Communications Manager
Nadia Z. Ismail
Director of People and Culture
Waliya Lari
Director of Communications
Ali Reza Malik
Senior Creative Producer
Arij Mikati
Managing Director,
Culture Change
Aya Nimer
Program Manager,
Culture Change
Leah Pallant
Operations Associate
Mawish Raza
Program Associate,
Catalyze Fund
Kashif Shaikh
Co-Founder and President
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Shakeeb AlamEast Bridge Capital Mangement
Saleem Abdul-GhafurBill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Deana HaggagAndrew W. Mellon Foundation
Nancy A. KhalilUniversity Of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Noorain KhanFord Foundation
Rami NashashibiInner City Muslim Action Network
Rashid ShabazzCritical Minded
Kashif ShaikhPillars Fund
Sameer ShamsiHoulihan Lokey
