The Mainstay Foundation

Grant for Mosques & Centres

Capital grants from The Mainstay Foundation, through its Community Network, for mosques, Islamic centres, Hussainiyahs and organisations serving the Ithna Ashari Shia Muslim community in the UK. Funding helps buy a new centre or renovate or rebuild an existing one, and the Foundation will also consider paying off loans taken out for either. Applications are assessed by a Partnership Appraisal Group, then a committee, followed by due diligence and a grant deed.

Apply on the funder’s site

You could get: Amount not specified; no fixed round
Deadline: Rolling; apply any time
Effort: Heavy; budgets, references, often several stages

Who can apply

Mosques, centres and organisations working to uplift and develop the Ithna Ashari Shia Muslim community in the UK, whose work is in line with The Mainstay Foundation's objectives
Organisations must first sign up on the Foundation's portal and be verified
The Foundation's key selection criteria (all essential) are: a fully completed form with a signed declaration; confirmation that neither the applicant nor any director has been convicted under the TMF regulations/grant agreement; a sound current financial situation and recent trading record; existing or willingness to obtain insurance of at least £5,000,000 public liability and £10,000,000 employers' liability; evidence that any subcontractor has the technical competence and at least 3 years' experience of similar projects; and robust procedures for identifying and using sub-contractors
The Foundation considers each case on its merits and at its discretion

What it funds

Support for organisations to uplift and develop the Ithna Ashari Shia communities and help people strengthen their faith through the provision of Islamic centres, Mosques, or Hussainiyah:

Acquiring a new centre (purchasing a new place of worship)
Renovation of an existing centre, or rebuilding an existing mosque or centre
Paying for loans taken to fulfil either of the above

the grant must be in line with The Mainstay Foundation's objectives.

How to apply

Create an account on The Mainstay Foundation's portal (https://erp.mainstay.uk/web/signup)
In the portal select 'Organisation Verification' and submit the verification form; once checks are done you receive a Mainstay Foundation verification number and access to grant application forms
Complete the Centre's Grant Application with supporting evidence of eligibility; Partnership Appraisal Group members (staff and external stakeholders) assess it against the criteria and quality of the proposal
The proposal goes to the committee, which assesses it against the themes and priorities and decides whether to continue
If approved, complete due diligence and compliance; the Foundation contacts successful applicants for further information
Sign a grant deed setting out the terms and conditions; the project then starts with monitoring visits, quarterly progress reports and interim reports
Financial accounts are evaluated before funds are released; submit a final report within three months of the end of the grant

because of the volume of applications, eligible applications may still be turned down, and no individual feedback is given.

Have ready

Supporting evidence of eligibility
Signed declaration on the application form
Evidence of insurance cover (or willingness to obtain it)
Evidence of subcontractors' competence and experience, where used
Financial accounts
Receipts, invoices or payslips for every item of expenditure, with VAT receipts where VAT is charged

quotations are not accepted as evidence of spending; an auditable record of all transactions must be kept. Successful grantees also provide photographs, video and beneficiary case studies with informed consent.

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