Council On American Islamic Relation

What Council On American Islamic Relation does

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1994 and headquartered in Washington, DC. It is described in the input as America's largest Muslim civil liberties organization, operating through 27 chapters and offices across 23 states. Its core functional activities are civil rights casework, legal advocacy and litigation, discrimination complaint intake, public education, and policy engagement on issues affecting American Muslims. Operational scale is signaled by an annual complaint volume of 8,061 cases in 2023 and 8,683 cases in 2025 — the latter described as the highest ever recorded — and a headcount band of 11-50 employees.

CAIR's "products" are non-commercial in nature and consist of legal intake and referral services, amicus and direct litigation support, policy reports, media statements, and community education programming. Underlying technology is conventional nonprofit infrastructure: a website, publicly available IRS Form 990 filings for financial transparency, and standard casework and donor workflows. No proprietary technology platform, software product, or AI/ML capability is described in the input. Its 9-0 Supreme Court victory in 2024 is the most significant recent legal milestone and serves as both a reputational anchor and a strategic signaling event.

The business model is donation-funded rather than revenue-generating: CAIR is supported by individual contributions, community fundraising, and foundation grants, with no disclosed product pricing, contract structure, or commercial customer base. Financial figures are not publicly stated beyond the availability of Form 990 filings. Geographic revenue concentration is low given the 23-state footprint, but specific donor mix, grantor concentration, and annual operating budget are not disclosed in the input.

Name

Council On American Islamic Relation

Legal name

Council on American-Islamic Relations

Website

https://cair.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CAIR is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1994 and headquartered in Washington, DC, serving as America's largest Muslim civil liberties organization. It operates 27 chapters across 23 states, delivering civil rights casework, legal advocacy, and discrimination complaint intake for American Muslims.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Muslim Civil Rights Advocacy

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB), Digital Rights, Privacy & Free Expression Advocacy (BPAGAFAL)

Keywords

• Civil rights advocacy
• Religious discrimination legal aid
• Muslim community services
• Hate crime response
• Civic engagement programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The overwhelming majority of donations to CAIR come from generous people of different faiths and backgrounds across America. CAIR accepts one-time or recurring monetary donations, stock, crypto, automobile donations, and estate bequests. CAIR also accepts zakat donations.
2. Foundation Grants: CAIR pursues grants from public and private sources in America, such as charitable foundations. The organization has received grants from organizations like the Blue Shield of California Foundation and Levi Strauss Foundation.
3. Membership Dues: CAIR has a supporter portal and membership system for recurring supporters.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization, providing free civil rights legal representation, Know Your Rights education, anti-Islamophobia initiatives, media monitoring, and government affairs lobbying for the American Muslim community. Through 27 chapters and offices nationwide, it delivers legal counsel, civic engagement programs, youth leadership training, and diversity training to schools, employers, and law enforcement. The organization also produces annual civil rights reports and Islamophobia reports that document discrimination incidents since 1996.

Product overview

CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization, founded in 1994 and headquartered on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. The organization operates as a unified grassroots civil rights organization with regional chapters nationwide rather than a traditional platform-plus-modules architecture. CAIR's core offerings consist of civil rights legal services, civic engagement programs, media relations, community empowerment, youth leadership training, and public education initiatives. The organization provides practical resources including Know Your Rights guides in multiple languages, annual civil rights reports, Islamophobia reports, and an action alerts system for grassroots mobilization. CAIR also offers government affairs lobbying, an incident reporting system for civil rights complaints, and interfaith outreach programs. With 27 chapters and offices across the country, CAIR works to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims through media relations, government relations, education, and advocacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Civil Rights & Civil Liberties Services Legal advocacy, counseling, and representation for Muslims and others who have experienced religious discrimination, defamation, or hate crimes. Works to protect and defend the constitutional rights of American Muslims.
• Civic Engagement Programs Voter registration drives, grassroots organizing, leadership training, and policy advocacy to amplify American Muslim community voices in political and civic processes.
• Countering Islamophobia Initiatives Public education campaigns, community outreach, and legal action to challenge discriminatory practices and rhetoric against Muslims.
• Media Relations Services Communications services that work with local and national media to ensure accurate portrayal of Islam and Muslims, monitoring media and challenging negative stereotypes.
• Community Empowerment Resources Know Your Rights workshops, media training sessions, and educational resources that equip American Muslims with tools to navigate legal challenges and advocate for their rights.
• Youth Leadership Training Mentoring programs for young Muslim activists providing leadership development, civic engagement opportunities, and hands-on advocacy training.
• Public Education on Islam Educational initiatives including distribution of Quran translations, interfaith forums, and partnerships with schools and law enforcement to present accurate information about Islam.
• Government Affairs Lobbying Lobbying efforts on issues related to Islam and Muslims, monitoring legislation and government activities, testifying before Congress, and bringing community concerns to federal and state governments.

Quantifiable outcome

• Achieved 9-0 unanimous Supreme Court victory against FBI watchlist abuses in 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FBI Washington Field OfficecoreOthers · 1 October 2006The FBI Washington Field Office praised CAIR's dedication in representing the heart of the Muslim American community through a congratulatory letter. FBI officials have stated CAIR is not a terrorist organization and have worked with CAIR chapters on community outreach and investigations.
• Various Law Enforcement AgenciescoreOthersCAIR works with law enforcement at federal, state, and local levels. FBI officials including the Los Angeles County Sheriff and Special Agents in multiple cities have praised CAIR's community outreach work and have stated the organization supports legitimate counterterrorism efforts. CAIR conducts training for law enforcement agencies on Islamic practices and civil rights.
• Other Civil Rights OrganizationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAIR works with other civil rights groups including NAACP, ACLU, and various interfaith organizations to advocate for justice and human rights. CAIR's core principles state it is a natural ally of groups that advocate justice and human rights.
• U.S. Secretary of State John F. KerrycoreOthersIn a personal letter to CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad, U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry wrote that the U.S. government clearly does not consider CAIR to be a terrorist organization and that officials raised CAIR's inclusion on the UAE terror list with UAE officials on multiple occasions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• National Urban League: Historic civil rights and direct-service organization with affiliates in 90+ cities. Comparable to CAIR in scope, federal policy advocacy, employment-discrimination focus, and the combination of legal services with community empowerment programming.
• Anti-Defamation League (ADL): One of the foremost U.S. civil rights organizations focused on antisemitism and broader hate. Comparable to CAIR in its authoritative hate-incident tracking (similar to CAIR's annual reports), 30+ chapter network, legal advocacy, and federal lobbying, though serving a different faith community.
• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): National nonpartisan civil liberties organization litigating constitutional cases including First Amendment, religious liberty, and anti-discrimination. CAIR explicitly partners with ACLU and operates overlapping legal strategies; ACLU's federal appellate and Supreme Court practice directly parallels CAIR's recent SCOTUS work.
• NAACP: America's largest and oldest civil rights organization. Comparable to CAIR in scale, federal/state advocacy, legal defense, and branch-network-driven community service — though focused on African American communities rather than Muslim Americans.

Direct peers

• Japanese American Citizens League (JACL): Asian American civil rights organization addressing discrimination, civil liberties, and immigration. Comparable to CAIR in mission, post-9/11-style civil liberties defense (Japanese American incarceration parallels), and federal advocacy for a minority community facing profiling.
• Muslim Advocates: National Muslim civil rights organization that litigates, advocates, and educates on issues affecting American Muslims. Closely comparable to CAIR in mission, target community, and legal advocacy focus, though smaller in scope and without CAIR's 27-chapter footprint.
• Bend the Arc Jewish Action: Progressive Jewish advocacy organization focused on civil rights, immigration, and pluralism. Comparable to CAIR in advocacy-style mission, interfaith coalition work, and government affairs targeting religious discrimination and minority rights.
• League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC): Largest and oldest Hispanic civil rights organization in the U.S. with a national council and chapter network. Comparable to CAIR in grassroots chapter structure, federal/state advocacy, voter mobilization, and litigation on behalf of a religious-ethnic minority community.
• Simon Wiesenthal Center: Jewish human rights organization focused on combating antisemitism, hate, and terrorism. Closely comparable to CAIR in advocacy, education, government affairs, and museum/outreach programming; both serve as authoritative voices for their respective faith communities in U.S. civil rights discourse.
• Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC): American Muslim public affairs and advocacy organization working on policy, media engagement, and interfaith relations. Directly comparable to CAIR on civic engagement, government affairs, and counter-Islamophobia work, with overlapping staff networks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CAIRNational
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CAIRtv
• Facebookfacebook.com/CAIRNational
• Instagraminstagram.com/cair_national
• TikToktiktok.com/@cairnational

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Subsidiaries32 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Council On American Islamic Relation