Altajir Trust

Charity Number: 1159070

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Quick Stats

  • Registered Charity Number: 1159070
  • Annual Giving: Not publicly disclosed
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
  • Decision Time: Applications reviewed at trustee meetings (March, July, November)
  • Grant Range: Not publicly disclosed (described as “modest grants programme”)
  • Geographic Focus: UK and Arab/Islamic states, with emphasis on Middle East

Contact Details

Address: 167-169 Great Portland Street, 5th Floor, London, W1W 5PF

Phone: 020 7581 3522

Email: enquiries@altajirtrust.uk

Website: www.altajirtrust.org.uk

The Trust welcomes inquiries about the application process via email.

Overview

The Al Tajir Trust was established in 1982 by His Excellency Mohamed Mahdi Al Tajir to build on the success of the 1976 World of Islam Festival. Originally named “the Al Tajir World of Islam Festival Trust,” it was renamed the Al Tajir Trust in 2000 and became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) in 2014. The Trust is financed through charitable donations from His Excellency Mohamed Mahdi Al Tajir and his family. Its mission is to promote knowledge, appreciation, and understanding of the Muslim world through a modest grants programme supporting exhibitions, publications, educational activities, and programmes related to Muslim-Christian relations, Islamic culture and history, and communities in need in the Middle East. The Trust operates throughout England, Wales, and Scotland, as well as in Arab and Islamic states.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The Trust operates a rolling application process for institutional grants. Applications can be submitted at any time and are reviewed at quarterly trustee meetings, typically held in March, July, and November. Urgent applications can exceptionally be given early attention.

Note: The Trust provides grants exclusively to institutions, not individuals. Until 2021, the Trust ran a scholarship programme for students from the Middle East to access taught master's degrees at British universities, but this programme has been discontinued.

Priority Areas

The Trust's current focus is on programmes of grants and partnerships with institutions to advance science, education, religious understanding, and research in Britain or any of the Arab or other Islamic states. Specific funding priorities include:

  • Exhibitions and Cultural Programmes: Exhibitions, electronic media, publications, and other activities to make aspects of Islamic culture and history better known to wider audiences in the UK and Middle East
  • Interfaith Relations: Programmes related to Muslim-Christian relations and religious understanding
  • Educational Assistance: Charitable institutions providing educational assistance to deprived communities in the Levant and wider Middle East
  • Conservation: Conservation of Islamic artefacts and manuscripts in the UK and elsewhere
  • Research and Publications: Publishing books in English and Arabic furthering understanding of the history and religions of the Middle East and the wider Islamic world
  • Healthcare: Support for charitable institutions providing health care to deprived communities

What They Don't Fund

  • Individuals (grants are made exclusively to institutions)
  • Direct scholarship applications (the previous scholarship programme has been discontinued)
  • Projects unrelated to Islamic culture, history, Muslim-Christian relations, or communities in need in the Middle East
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Governance and Leadership

Trustees

  • Professor Charles Tripp (Chairman) - Professor Emeritus of Politics with reference to the Middle East and North Africa at SOAS, Fellow of the British Academy, and specialist in the politics and history of the Near and Middle East, especially Iraq and Islamic political thought
  • Dr Noel Brehony CMG - Trustee
  • Dr Melanie Gibson - Trustee (appointed 2022)
  • Dr Elisabeth Kendall - Trustee

Acting Director: Alistair Muir

The Trust has a gender-balanced board of four trustees. No trustees receive any remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

The Trust invites applications from existing and potential partner institutions through direct contact and through the Trust's website.

Application Method:

  1. Download the application form from www.altajirtrust.org.uk/grants/
  2. Complete the form with all required information
  3. Submit the completed form and any supplementary information as email attachments to: enquiries@altajirtrust.uk

Applications can be submitted at any time on a rolling basis.

Decision Timeline

  • Applications are acknowledged upon receipt with an indication of the timeframe for decision
  • Trustees meet every four months to review grant requests, usually in March, July, and November
  • Urgent applications can exceptionally be given early attention
  • Decision timeframe depends on when application is received relative to the next trustee meeting

Success Rates

Success rates are not publicly disclosed. The Trust describes its grants programme as “modest,” suggesting selective grant-making.

Post-Award Requirements

Successful grant recipients are required to:

  1. Provide feedback on funded activities
  2. Publicly acknowledge the Trust's support

Approved grants are normally made in pounds sterling by transfer to a UK bank account.

Reapplication Policy

Information about reapplication policies for unsuccessful applicants is not publicly available. Applicants are encouraged to contact the Trust directly to discuss this.

Application Success Factors

Based on the Trust's funded projects and stated priorities, successful applications typically demonstrate:

Strong Alignment with Mission: Projects that clearly promote understanding of Islamic culture, history, or Muslim-Christian relations. The Trust has consistently funded major cultural exhibitions (such as “Epic Iran” at the V&A and “Owning the Past” at the Ashmolean Museum) and educational initiatives that bring Islamic culture and history to wider audiences.

Institutional Credibility: The Trust works with established, reputable institutions. Recent grant recipients include the British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, Ashmolean Museum, British Library, University of York, Cardiff University, and the Council for British Research in the Levant. Being an established institution with a track record is important.

Focus on Education and Research: Projects with educational components or research outcomes are strongly favored. Examples include training young Jordanian archaeologists during the Islamic Baydha Project in Petra, supporting the Post-war Recovery and Development Unit at the University of York, and funding online programmes for young refugees in Jordan and Lebanon through Mosaik Education.

Interfaith and Cultural Bridge-Building: Projects that foster Muslim-Christian dialogue or cross-cultural understanding align well with the Trust's mission. The Trust has supported the Oxford Muslim-Christian Summer School and the British Museum's International Summer School for participants from the Middle East.

Conservation and Preservation: The Trust supports conservation of Islamic artefacts and manuscripts, as evidenced by funding for digitization projects at the Kenyon Institute in Jerusalem and manuscript conservation work.

Geographic Focus: Projects based in the UK that promote understanding of Islamic culture, or projects in the Middle East (particularly the Levant) that support communities in need, education, or heritage preservation.

Accessibility: Projects that make Islamic culture and history accessible to the general public through exhibitions, publications, and electronic media.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Institutional applications only: The Trust does not fund individuals; your organization must be an established institution with relevant expertise and track record
  • Alignment is critical: Projects must clearly relate to Islamic culture/history, Muslim-Christian relations, or supporting communities in need in the Middle East
  • Rolling applications with quarterly decisions: You can apply at any time, but plan ahead knowing decisions are made at March, July, and November trustee meetings
  • Partnership approach: The Trust describes its work as “grants and partnerships,” suggesting they value collaborative relationships with institutions rather than one-off funding
  • Public benefit and accessibility: Successful projects often have a strong element of making Islamic culture and history accessible to wider UK or international audiences
  • Educational and research components strengthen applications: Projects combining grants with educational impact, research outcomes, or capacity building have been particularly successful
  • Contact for guidance: The Trust welcomes inquiries about the application process, so consider reaching out to enquiries@altajirtrust.uk with questions before applying

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