A Continuous Charity, also known as A Continuous Charity Foundation, is a left-of-center organization that distributes funds to Muslim students across the United States. Funds provided to students are interest-free loans, distributed based on what the Foundation characterizes as the “merit, need, community involvement, Islamic awareness, and location,” of the person. ¹

The organization’s executive director, Faizan Syed, is also the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Texas chapter. ²

Background

A Continuous Charity (ACC), also known as A Continuous Charity Foundation, is a left-of-center Muslim organization that distributes funds raised by “local community fundraisers, sponsors, and investments” to Muslim students across the United States. The funds provided to said students are interest-free loans and are distributed based on what it characterizes as the “merit, need, community involvement, Islamic awareness, and location” of the recipient. ³

Those eligible for funding include Muslim students who are beginning higher education, need support to finish a degree, and students who have completed higher education but have “outstanding interest-based loans.” ⁴

ACC has chapters in California, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Virginia. ⁵

Financials

A Continuous Charity receives most of its revenue from contributions, gifts, and grants.

ACC’s total revenue for 2013 amounted to $77,356 with a total of $50,619 in expenses. Of its revenue, ACC received $9,599 from investment income and $67,757 from fundraising. ⁶

ACC received a total of $126,848 in 2014, $119,231 in 2015, $310,431 in 2016, $334,145 in 2017, $607,280 in 2018, $891,926 in 2019, and just under $1.2 million in 2020. Contributions, gifts, and grants made up 98.1 percent and 87.2 percent of ACC’s revenue in 2014 and 2020 respectively, and 100 percent from 2015 until 2019. ⁷

ACC had approximately $30,000 in total functional expenses in 2014, around $65,000 in 2015, just over $17,000 in 2016, slightly less than $75,000 in 2017, just over $160,000 in 2018, just under $160,000 in 2019, and slightly more than $550,000 in 2020. The average percentage of expenses spent on salaries and wages is between approximately 40 percent and 60 percent. ⁸

People

Faizan Syed has been A Continuous Charity’s executive director since January 2013. Prior to his position at ACC, Syed was the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ (CAIR) Missouri chapter from January 2011 until October 2019, when he was named the executive director of CAIR-Texas. ^{9 10}

1. “About Us A Continuous Charity.” Accessed November 7, 2022. https://acceducate.org/about-us/.
2. “Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) – National Headquarters.” Clarion Project. January 17, 2013. Accessed November 7, 2022. https://clarionproject.org/council-islamic-relations-cair/.
3. “About Us A Continuous Charity.” Accessed November 7, 2022. https://acceducate.org/about-us/.
4. “About Us A Continuous Charity.” Accessed November 7, 2022. https://acceducate.org/about-us/.
5. “About Us A Continuous Charity.” Accessed November 7, 2022. https://acceducate.org/about-us/.
6. Suozzo, Andrea. “A Continuous Charity Foundation – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. May 9, 2013. Accessed November 7, 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/455424452.
7. Suozzo, Andrea. “A Continuous Charity Foundation – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. May 9, 2013. Accessed November 7, 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/455424452.
8. Suozzo, Andrea. “A Continuous Charity Foundation – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. May 9, 2013. Accessed November 7, 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/455424452.
9. ^[1] “Faizan Syed.” LinkedIn. Accessed November 7, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/faizan-syed-99b60331/.
10. “Faizan Syed, Executive Director.” Accessed November 7, 2022. https://www.cairdfw.org/faizansyed.