Pillars Fund

What Pillars Fund does

Pillars Fund is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization founded in 2010 and headquartered in Chicago that operates as a philanthropic grantmaker and fellowship provider focused on amplifying Muslim leadership, narratives, and talents. Its core products are three programs: (1) Pillars Artist Fellowship, a $40,000 unrestricted award plus one-on-one mentorship, workshops, and multi-day retreats in NYC, London, and LA for emerging Muslim screenwriters and directors, launched in 2021; (2) Pillars Bylines, a $35,000 unrestricted award plus professional development, editing support, and three in-person retreats in Atlanta, Puerto Rico, and San Francisco for early-career Muslim freelance culture journalists, launched in 2026; and (3) Storytelling Grants, by-invitation funding for community-led organizations and creative leaders building narrative and cultural power for social change. Underlying delivery relies on Submittable for application intake, Squarespace for web, and email/Instagram/earned-media (including Variety) for outreach and applicant education, with no proprietary technology platform.

The business model is grantmaking and fellowships: Pillars Fund receives capital from institutional donors and corporate partners — Netflix and Amazon MGM Studios provided seed investments for the Artist Fellowship, and additional support comes from Ford Foundation and other institutional donors — and disburses it as unrestricted cash awards, programming, and retreats to fellows selected through competitive application cycles. Pricing is fixed at the award level ($35K–$40K), with eligibility restricted by geography (U.S. residency for Bylines; U.S. or U.K. for Artist Fellowship) and career stage. The go-to-market is community-led: outreach through newsletter, Instagram, virtual information sessions (including UK-tailored sessions), and earned media; applications are submitted through Submittable within fixed windows. Customer segments are early-to-mid-career Muslim freelance journalists, emerging Muslim filmmakers, and community-led organizations. Since founding, Pillars Fund has invested more than $15 million in civic and creative leadership in and alongside Muslim communities in the United States.

Name

Pillars Fund

Website

https://pillarsfund.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Pillars Fund is a U.S. nonprofit founded in 2010 that runs unrestricted fellowship and grant programs — Pillars Artist Fellowship, Pillars Bylines, and Storytelling Grants — to amplify Muslim storytellers, journalists, and community-led organizations, supported by institutional partners including Netflix, Amazon MGM Studios, and Ford Foundation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Media Fellowships

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Nonprofit fellowships
• Journalism fellowships
• Filmmaker grants
• Cultural advocacy
• Storytelling funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Fellowship and Grant Programs: Pillars Fund operates as a philanthropic organization that provides unrestricted cash awards to fellowship recipients. The fund supports Muslim journalists and filmmakers through programs including Pillars Bylines ($35,000 award) and Pillars Artist Fellowship ($40,000 award). Funding comes from institutional donors and major entertainment industry partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Pillars Fund is a nonprofit that runs unrestricted cash-award fellowship and grant programs for Muslim storytellers and community-led organizations. Its core offerings are the Pillars Bylines journalism fellowship ($35,000), the Pillars Artist Fellowship for screenwriters and directors ($40,000), and invitation-only Storytelling Grants for organizations building narrative and cultural power. Programming pairs the financial award with mentorship, professional-development workshops, industry connections, and multi-day in-person retreats.

Product overview

Pillars Fund is a nonprofit organization that offers a portfolio of fellowship programs and grants focused on amplifying Muslim leadership, narratives, and talents. The core offerings include: (1) Pillars Bylines — a journalism fellowship providing $35,000 and professional development for early-career Muslim freelance journalists; (2) Pillars Artist Fellowship — a filmmaker fellowship providing $40,000, mentorship, and industry connections for screenwriters and directors; (3) Storytelling Grants — by-invitation grants for community-led organizations building narrative power; and (4) Media Labs & Fellowships — broader opportunities for journalists and content creators. Together, these programs advance the organization's mission to transform society through authentic Muslim storytelling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pillars Bylines: A fellowship for early-career freelance Muslim journalists focused on culture, offering $35,000 unrestricted award, workshops, and professional development.
• Pillars Artist Fellowship
• Storytelling Grants

Products and services

• Pillars Bylines A fellowship supporting early-to-mid-career Muslim freelance and "permalance" journalists focused on culture reporting (arts, music, food, religion, language, identity) across print, audio, video, photography, and criticism. Provides a $35,000 unrestricted award, workshops and peer learning in craft, pitching, audience engagement, and ethics, professional development with editing and pitching support, exclusive industry connections, and three fully funded in-person retreats in Atlanta, Puerto Rico, and San Francisco. Open to U.S. residents (citizenship not required) with 3-5 years of professional journalism experience.
• Pillars Artist Fellowship A fellowship for emerging Muslim screenwriters and directors committed to working in and alongside Muslim communities. Provides a $40,000 unrestricted award, one-on-one mentorship with industry leaders, professional development through expert-led workshops, and multi-day retreats in NYC, London, and LA. Program runs September 2026 through June 2027 for the referenced cohort; open to applicants based in the U.S. or U.K.
• Storytelling Grants Grants awarded to community-led organizations and creative leaders who are building narrative and cultural power for social change in Muslim communities. Available by invitation only.

Quantifiable outcome

• $15 million invested in civic and creative leadership in Muslim communities since founding

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Left Handed Films (Riz Ahmed)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Left Handed Films, founded by actor Riz Ahmed, partnered with Pillars Fund to launch the Pillars Artist Fellowship in 2021. This strategic partnership was built on shared vision for authentic Muslim representation in film and television. Riz Ahmed serves as a key advocate and supporter of the fellowship program.
• USC Annenberg Inclusion InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Published multi-year research partnership with USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative and Ford Foundation highlighting the consequences of lack of authentic Muslim representation in film and television. This research informed the development of the Pillars Artist Fellowship.
• Ford FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Co-published research with USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative documenting the consequences of lack of authentic Muslim representation in film and television. Research informed the Pillars Artist Fellowship program design.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Knight Foundation: Major US foundation funding journalism, media innovation, and the arts. Comparable as a funder of journalism fellowships and media narrative change, though much larger scale and broader focus than Pillars.
• Open Society Foundations: Global private foundation supporting civil society, media, and marginalized communities, including Muslim communities. Comparable grantmaking mission but operates at significantly larger scale and across many more geographies and issue areas.
• MacArthur Foundation: One of the largest US private foundations, with broad grantmaking in media, culture, and equity. Comparable as a large-scale private foundation but operates at materially greater scale and broader thematic scope than Pillars.

Direct peers

• Center for Arab American Philanthropy (CAAP): Community-focused grantmaking organization serving Arab American communities, with cultural and narrative-change programming. Comparable as a community-rooted grantmaking entity with overlapping demographics, though Pillars is specifically Muslim-centered rather than Arab American.
• Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC): US-based Muslim advocacy and civic engagement organization with media and storytelling programs. Comparable as a Muslim-focused US nonprofit, with overlapping community and narrative objectives.
• Muslim Advocates: US-based nonprofit advancing civil rights and policy advocacy for Muslim communities. Comparable as a Muslim-focused nonprofit operating in the US, though Pillars is more centered on narrative/cultural power while Muslim Advocates is policy/legal-focused.
• Doris Duke Foundation: Private foundation that supports performing artists and journalists through fellowship and grant programs. Directly comparable in operating artist and journalist fellowships with unrestricted funding.
• Sundance Institute: Runs filmmaker fellowship and lab programs supporting emerging screenwriters and directors, with mentorship and industry access. Closely comparable to the Pillars Artist Fellowship in structure and value proposition for underrepresented filmmakers.
• Ford Foundation: Major US private foundation that co-publishes research with Pillars on Muslim representation and funds a wide range of social justice and creative initiatives. Directly comparable as a private grantmaking institution working at the intersection of media, equity, and inclusion.

Emerging players

• IFP (Independent Filmmaker Project): Provides filmmaker labs, fellowships, and industry programming for independent and emerging filmmakers. Comparable fellowship/lab structure for filmmakers, though IFP serves a broader population rather than focusing on Muslim representation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/pillarsfund
• Xx.com/pillars_fund
• Facebookfacebook.com/pillarsfund
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pillars-fund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Pillars Fund