Read This First

Download the application for the 2015-16 annual awards program. If you have received a grant from FEF in 2013-14 or 2014-15, use the renewal application. The deadline to mail either application is May 29, 2015.

The annual awards program will in sha Allah distribute approximately $10,000 in grants to new applicants.

The Fadel Educational Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit educational foundation supporting education for non-incarcerated Muslim U.S. citizens and permanent residents. The awards are distributed on a need/merit basis up to $3,500 a year for post-secondary education. Applications become available in February of each year.

Use the pages in the menu bar at the top to access any available application forms, instructions for award recipients and a Frequently Asked Questions document about all facets of the application and disbursement process.

Use these social networking services to have FEF news delivered to your PC or mobile device:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/fadelfoundation
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FadelFoundation
Yahoo! Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fadeleducationalfoundation/ (probably will reserve this exclusively for supporters of the foundation rather than updates for applicants)

We encourage all who deal with the foundation to submit a review at greatnonprofits.org.

The foundation also accepts donations.

Updated February 28, 2015.

2014-15 Awards Announced

The 2014-5 awards for the new applicants and the renewal applicants are now posted. You will need your FEF ID to look up your award. Those receiving awards should immediately read the instructions to applicants to facilitate disbursement.

Many deserving applicants did not receive awards due to lack of funds.

If you have received an award and you decide that you do not want it or need it, please contact FEF so that the award can be distributed to another applicant.

Attention Applicants for 2014-15 Grants

I’ve filed everything I’ve received in the mail. If you never received your FEF ID, contact me. Use your FEF ID to confirm that I consider your new application complete or your renewal application complete. If you don’t find your FEF ID in those documents and you have sent in the materials, contact me.

I expect to announce 2014-15 awards in mid-July 2014.

2013-14 Awards Announced

The 2013-4 awards for the new applicants and the renewal applicants are now posted. You will need your FEF ID to look up your award. Those receiving awards should immediately read the instructions to applicants to facilitate disbursement.

Many deserving applicants did not receive awards due to lack of funds.

If you have received an award and you decide that you do not want it or need it, please contact FEF so that the award can be distributed to another applicant.

Why don’t you want me to send material requiring a signature?

When you send to a PO Box a package require recipient signature, the Post Office places in the PO Box a small piece of paper which must be presented to a clerk who then retrieves the package. Because the foundation receives a lot of mail, it is easy to lose this small piece of paper by not noticing it in between the other envelopes in the box. Furthermore, it forces the secretary to stand in line during business hours to retrieve your package. Also, if nobody checks the PO Box for a period of time, the package may be returned to you. Finally, the Foundation accepts application materials by postmark date, not receipt date. So you’re just wasting your money sending things by Express Mail and Priority Mail and FedEx and Certified Mail, etc.

If you do need to send something through a delivery service, contact FEF first for instructions.

Application Processing Update

As of June 5, I’ve received parts of 89 applications. I believe 40 applications are already complete, and I’ve given them to the evaluation committee. In the tracking spreadsheet for New Applicants for 2013-14, I’ve indicated the completed applications by highlighting them in red.

If your application is highlighted in red but is not complete, let me know. Similarly, if a document which you’ve sent does not appear, let me know.

I don’t track in the spreadsheet anything more than the 1st recommendation letter I receive, the first 2 transcripts I receive, your FAFSA and the completed application form. It does not keep track of standardized test score reports.

Finally, be sure to check this document’s 2nd column for your award when the foundation announces on its web site that awards have been assigned.

Several applicants, despite my clear instructions not to send items which require a signature for receipt, have done so. If you’ve done so and your document does not appear in the spreadsheet, it could be lost at the Post Office. You will need to e-mail me the tracking information for your document.

I’m ABD. May I still receive a grant?

If you are ABD, you must have your advisor write a letter confirming that you are making progress towards completion of your dissertation. The letter should set a date for completion.

If you receive an award, and then later you request a renewal, your advisor must write a similar letter to support your renewal request. If the expected completion date changes, the advisor must explain why in writing.

Return to Main FAQ document

Is this person OK for my recommendation letter?

University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire has some good tips about recommendation letters.

I received this question:

I have only completed one semester of college work. My professors do not know me that well. Is it okay to get a recommendation from a high school teacher who [has] known me for the past 4 years?

Applicants have to figure out things for themselves. The review committee is not going to know who did not write your letter of recommendation. They will only look at the letter of recommendation the foundation receives.  So just get the best one you can get.

If the letter of recommendation only talks about things you did 10 years ago, then the reviewers will probably wonder what you’ve done the last 10 years. But one year is not a huge length of time.

Finally, if you think that a gap in time is a problem, send in two letters of recommendation. Send in both the stronger one from the more distant past and the weaker, more recent one.

Don’t go overboard with this. For traditional age students, i.e. 18-24, transcripts are a much more important indication of your academic ability than recommendation letters.

Return to Main FAQ document