El-Hibri Foundation (EHF) is a Muslim-American advocacy and grantmaking organization. This group was founded in 2001 in honor of Lebanese financier and philanthropist Ibrahim El-Hibri, and is maintained by his family. EHF works primarily in promotion of Muslim inclusion and interfaith dialogue and provides grants to nonprofits that do similar work. It is a partner of the left-leaning think tank Aspen Institute. ^{1 2}

Activities

As part of its interfaith and dialogue efforts, El-Hibri Foundation hosts an annual Interfaith Lecture and Iftar dinner during the month of Ramadan. ³ It is also the host of the “Leadership on the Line” virtual conferences, a series of “off-the-record” webinars featuring leaders of the Muslim-American nonprofit community. It offers a similar series of online talks entitled “Case Studies in Faith-Inspired Leadership.” ⁴

EHF grants an annual series of Peace Awards to individuals and groups that exemplify its values. Each award focuses on one aspect of its outreach and ideals; “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” director Joshua Seftel was awarded the 2022 “Fearless Ally” award for his documentary and filmmaking efforts, including The Secret Life of Muslims and Stranger at the Gate. This award is supported by the Templeton Religion Trust and the Kresge Foundation.⁵

EHF has also announced the creation of an American Muslim Community Leadership Table, which will bring together like-minded individuals and nonprofits to discuss strategy and messaging. ⁶

Retreats and Nonprofit Consultation

In addition to its grantmaking work, EHF provides consultation and strategy assistance to other nonprofit groups. It organizes and hosts curated nonprofit “retreats,” which offer leadership, fundraising, and organizational training seminars to fledgling and struggling organizations. ^{7 8}

Grantees

Muslim Advocacy

El-Hibri Foundation was founded in honor of Lebanese financier and philanthropist Ibrahim El-Hibri, and is maintained by his family in the hopes of fostering Muslim and interfaith dialogue and inclusion. ⁹ EHF’s portfolio of Muslim advocacy organizations includes the Muslim-American voter mobilization group Emgage Foundation, as well as the Muslim Antiracism Collaborative (MuslimARC). It has also provided annual, large-scale funding (as much as $100,000) to Karamah: Muslim Women Lawyers for Rights since 2003. In 2014, it funded a documentary by Persephone Productions highlighting the work of Karamah, a group which focuses on women’s rights in Islamic countries, and promoting the “gender-equitable principles of Islam.” It is also a funder of the Filmmaker’s Collaborative short film project American Muslim: An Untold History, a series documenting the Muslim experience in the United States. ^{10 11}

Interfaith Dialogue and Advocacy

Much of EHF’s funding goes to promote interfaith groups and initiatives. EHF is a supporter of Harvard University’s Pluralism Project, and of the Interfaith Youth Core’s “Better Together” initiative. In 2013, it provided a grant for Clergy Beyond Borders’ series of interfaith dialogue lectures, and the Tannenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding’s “Promising Practices of Islamic Peace Education” project. It is also a regular funder of Unity Productions Foundation’s documentary and filmmaking ventures. Other funded groups include the radio program “Interfaith Voices” (formerly “Faith Matters”), the One World Youth Project, and the digital periodical Interfaith Observer. ¹²

People

Farhan Latif is the president of El-Hibri Foundation. He is also the former CEO of the Muslim advocacy group Institute for Social Policy and Understanding.  He is an advisor on the Council on Foundations’ public policy committee, as well as the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council; he was also awarded a fellowship of the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute. Latif is the co-founder of the nonprofit consultation firm Strategic Inspirations. ^{13 14}

1.  “Background.” El-Hibri Foundation. Accessed July 31, 2023. https://www.elhibrifoundation.org/background
2. “What We Fund.” El-Hibri Foundation. Accessed July 31, 2023.  https://www.elhibrifoundation.org/grants-database
3. “Advancing Inclusion.” El-Hibri Foundation. Accessed July 31, 2023.  https://www.elhibrifoundation.org/advancinginclusion
4.  “Virtual Leadership Series.” El-Hibri Foundation. Accessed July 31, 2023. https://www.elhibrifoundation.org/virtualleadershipseries
5.  “Peace Awards 2022.” El-Hibri Foundation. Accessed July 31, 2023. https://www.elhibrifoundation.org/copy-of-peace-awards-2022
6.   “Organizing Communities.” El-Hibri Foundation. Accessed July 31, 2023. https://www.elhibrifoundation.org/organizingcommunities
7. “Nonprofit Competencies.” El-Hibri Foundation. Accessed July 31, 2023. https://www.elhibrifoundation.org/nonprofitcompetencies
8. “Nonprofit Retreats.” El-Hibri Foundation. Accessed July 31, 2023. https://www.elhibrifoundation.org/copy-of-nonprofit-competencies
9. “Background.” El-Hibri Foundation. Accessed July 31, 2023. https://www.elhibrifoundation.org/background
10. “What We Fund.” El-Hibri Foundation. Accessed July 31, 2023.  https://www.elhibrifoundation.org/grants-database
11. “About Karamah.” Karamah. Accessed July 31, 2023. https://karamah.org/about/#mission-vision
12. “What We Fund.” El-Hibri Foundation. Accessed July 31, 2023.  https://www.elhibrifoundation.org/grants-database
13. “Farhan Latif.” Council on Foundations. Accessed July 31, 2023. https://cof.org/person/farhan-latif
14. “Farhan Latif.” Linkedin. Accessed July 31, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/farhan-latif-2a60873/