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Non-profit

Muslim Advocates

Website:

muslimadvocates.org/
Location:

Washington, DC
Tax ID:

30-0298794
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Budget (2021):

Revenue: $7,073,164
Expenses: $3,358,461
Assets: $6,110,743
Type:

Faith-Based Organization
Founded:

2005
Executive Director:

Omar Farah
Latest 990 Tax Forms:

2022 990 Form

2021 990 Form

2020 990 Form

Contact InfluenceWatch with suggested edits or tips for additional profiles.

Muslim Advocates is a left-of-center nonprofit faith-based organization that was founded in response to the effects of the USA Patriot Act of 2001, which it alleges has “led to widespread surveillance and discrimination.” 1 The organization focuses on left-of-center issues regarding Muslims and Islam. 2

Muslim Advocates has received grants from multiple private grantmaking foundations including the Foundation to Promote Open Society, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the Ford Foundation. 3 4 5

Background

Muslim Advocates is a left-of-center nonprofit religious organization that prioritizes left-of-center issues regarding Muslims and Islam.

The organization was created in 2005 in response to the effects of the USA Patriot Act, which Muslim Advocates holds “led to widespread surveillance and discrimination” against Muslim Americans. 6

Muslim Advocates partnered with the Dulles Justice Coalition, a nonprofit organization that offers legal assistance to those who were detained due to the Trump administration’s executive order that banned travel from certain countries, in November 2017. Muslim Advocates noted that it would “join forces” with Dulles Justice Coalition to “defend individuals and communities who are unjustly targeted.” 7

Funding

Muslim Advocates receives most of its revenue from contributions, gifts, and grants. The organization had approximately $2.3 million in revenue in 2016, which increased to around $5.8 million in 2017, $2.8 million in 2018, and $1.9 million in 2019. 8

The organization’s total functional expenses amounted to around $1.7 million in 2016, which increased to approximately $2.5 million in 2017, $3.5 million in 2018, and $3.2 million in 2019. 9

The Ford Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation that has been a major force in American culture and, because of its size, has given a great deal of money to left-wing and center-left organizations since its founding. The foundation provided Muslim Advocates with three grants; two in 2017 and one in 2020. In total, these three grants amounted to $3.4 million. 10

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation is a left-of-center private grantmaking foundation that focuses on race-based causes. The organization has granted a total of $600,000 to Muslim Advocates since 2016. 11

According to the Open Society Foundations (OSF; formally Open Society Institute), a private grantmaking foundation created and funded by billionaire financier and liberal philanthropist George Soros, two other organizations within the Open Society Network provided grants to Muslim Advocates. 12

The Foundation to Promote Open Society, one of two major grantmaking foundations funded by Soros, and the Open Society Policy Center, a lobbying group of the Open Society Network, both provided grants to Muslim Advocates. The Open Society Policy Center granted a total of $180,000 since 2018, and the Foundation to Promote Open Society has granted a total of $750,000. 13

Atlantic Philanthropies was a left-of-center grantmaking organization that closed in 2020. According to its grant database, Muslim Advocates received a grant of $500,000 in 2009 and a grant that amounted to $900,000 in 2012. 14

The Proteus Fund is a center-left “pass-through” funder and donor-advised fund provider that moves money through a number of “donor collaboratives” (donor-advised funds) funded by major grantmaking foundations. Although there is no information on the amount of money the Proteus Fund provided Muslim Advocates, the fund provided at least two grants to Muslim Advocates, one in 2017 and another in 2020. 15

Muslim Advocates has also received grants from both the Pillars Fund and the Horizons Foundation,  a San Francisco-based grantmaking organization that supports predominately LGBT and left-of-center social causes. Although the Muslim Advocates grants are listed on the websites of both organizations, neither specifies an amount granted. 16 17 18

References

  1. “About Us.” Muslim Advocates. Accessed October 3, 2022. https://muslimadvocates.org/about/.
  2. “About Us.” Muslim Advocates. Accessed October 3, 2022. https://muslimadvocates.org/about/.
  3. “Grants – Muslim Advocates.” Ford Foundation. Accessed October 3, 2022. https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/grants-database/grants-all?minyear=2015&maxyear=2021&page=0&search=%26SearchText%3Dmuslim%20advocates.
  4. “Grants – Muslim Advocates.” Open Society Foundation. Accessed October 3, 2022. https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/grants/past?filter_keyword=muslim+advocates&grant_id=OR2018-42692.
  5. “Grants – Muslim Advocates.” W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Accessed October 3, 2022. https://www.wkkf.org/grants#pp=10&p=1&q=muslim%20advocates.
  6. “About Us.” Muslim Advocates. Accessed October 3, 2022. https://muslimadvocates.org/about/.
  7. “About Us.” Muslim Advocates. Accessed October 3, 2022. https://muslimadvocates.org/about/.
  8. Suozzo, Andrea. “Muslim Advocates – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed October 3, 2022. projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/300298794.
  9. Suozzo, Andrea. “Muslim Advocates – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed October 3, 2022. projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/300298794.
  10. [1] “Grants – Muslim Advocates.” Ford Foundation. Accessed October 3, 2022. https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/grants-database/grants-all?minyear=2015&maxyear=2021&page=0&search=%26SearchText%3Dmuslim%20advocates
  11. “Grants – Muslim Advocates.” W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Accessed October 3, 2022. https://www.wkkf.org/grants#pp=10&p=1&q=muslim%20advocates.
  12. “Grants – Muslim Advocates.” Open Society Foundation. Accessed October 3, 2022. https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/grants/past?filter_keyword=muslim+advocates&grant_id=OR2018-42692.
  13. “Grants – Muslim Advocates.” Open Society Foundation. Accessed October 3, 2022. https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/grants/past?filter_keyword=muslim+advocates&grant_id=OR2018-42692.
  14. “Grants – Muslim Advocates.” The Atlantic Philanthropies. Accessed October 3, 2022. https://www.atlanticphilanthropies.org/grants?q=muslim+advocates&date-range-start=1982&date-range-end=2022&amount-start=0&amount-end=1000000000&qtyresults=50&sort=grant_year_awarded%7CDESC.
  15. “Grants – Muslim Advocates.” Proteus Fund. Accessed October 3, 2022. https://www.proteusfund.org/grants-index/?program_type=Advised%20Funds,Donor%20Collaboratives,Fiscally%20Sponsored%20Projects&program=RISE%20Together%20Fund&search=muslim%20advocates.
  16. “Vision, Mission, and Valu.” Horizons Foundation. Accessed October 3, 2022. https://www.horizonsfoundation.org/vision-mission/.
  17. “Grants – Muslim Advocates.” Horizons Foundation. Accessed October 3, 2022. https://www.horizonsfoundation.org/grants/muslim-advocates/.
  18. “Grants – Muslim Advocates.” Pillars Fund. Accessed October 3, 2022. https://pillarsfund.org/grants/our-portfolio/muslim-advocates/.
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: January 1, 2006

    • Available Filings

    Period Form Type Total revenue Total functional expenses Total assets (EOY) Total liabilities (EOY) Unrelated business income? Total contributions Program service revenue Investment income Comp. of current officers, directors, etc. Form 990
    2021 Dec Form 990 $7,073,164 $3,358,461 $6,110,743 $301,068 N $6,966,659 $90,628 $14,536 $177,396
    2020 Dec Form 990 $2,070,413 $2,691,896 $2,698,918 $270,896 N $2,093,716 $15,000 $3,035 $204,179
    2019 Dec Form 990 $1,696,151 $3,247,063 $3,083,984 $368,492 N $1,786,726 $45,228 $6,192 $204,564 PDF
    2018 Dec Form 990 $2,801,846 $3,464,427 $4,699,905 $429,632 N $2,472,379 $341,041 $6,239 $199,261 PDF
    2017 Dec Form 990 $5,845,750 $2,469,730 $5,118,490 $189,385 N $5,764,110 $0 $1,638 $180,000 PDF
    2016 Dec Form 990 $2,376,533 $1,749,479 $1,673,998 $120,913 N $2,312,730 $2,127 $1,051 $160,431 PDF
    2015 Dec Form 990 $1,669,116 $1,669,345 $1,046,369 $120,338 N $1,710,599 $3,860 $708 $140,520 PDF
    2014 Dec Form 990 $1,513,262 $1,658,663 $1,047,050 $120,790 N $1,548,836 $6,093 $757 $142,136 PDF
    2013 Dec Form 990 $1,474,133 $1,451,019 $1,175,316 $103,655 N $1,497,744 $6,245 $672 $143,754 PDF
    2012 Dec Form 990 $1,243,787 $1,013,603 $1,108,829 $60,282 N $1,256,042 $3,005 $576 $118,458 PDF
    2011 Dec Form 990 $843,079 $817,875 $936,517 $44,052 N $843,024 $0 $55 $109,001 PDF
    2010 Dec Form 990 $476,338 $774,637 $898,758 $31,497 N $478,241 $0 $0 $101,472 PDF

    Additional Filings (PDFs)

    Muslim Advocates

    P.O. Box 34440
    Washington, DC 20043