UC Berkeley MSA

What UC Berkeley MSA does

UC Berkeley Muslim Student Association (MSA) is an independent, non-profit student organization serving Muslim students at the University of California, Berkeley. It operates as the central hub for religious services, community programming, spiritual education, and student support, delivering weekly Friday prayers (Jummah), Ilm classes, community socials, professional development workshops, political awareness events, and charitable initiatives. The MSA serves over 400 students through five active committees (Community Service, Political Action, Youth and Admit, Graduate, Da'wah) and coordinates institutional accommodations including Ramadan/Eid academic adjustments, halal dining options across all campus dining commons, and adjusted recreation facility hours.

The organization holds dedicated or recurring access to prayer and event spaces across campus, including the Eshleman Hall meditation room, Hearst Memorial Gym, Moffitt Library, Berkeley Law, Sutardja Dai Hall, Davis Hall, and the Haas School of Business. It operates an ecosystem of affiliated sister organizations (Cal AMPD, Muslim Mental Health Initiative, Faces of Afro Muslims, Ahlul Bayt Student Association, Muslims of Haas, Muslim Tech Collaborative, Threads Magazine) that address professional development, mental health, sub-communal identity, and media. The MSA also partners with the UC Berkeley Basic Needs Center, Dining Services, Recreation and Wellbeing, and Berkeley Masjid to provide housing, food security, and pastoral support.

The MSA has no proprietary technology platform; its digital footprint consists of a Squarespace website, Instagram, Facebook (including five private groups), Twitter/X, and a Slack channel for jobs. The revenue model is donation- and sponsorship-based, with monthly operational costs of approximately $3,000 and a $6,000 Ramadan fundraising goal. Publicly listed sponsorship tiers range from $10–$40/month recurring support to one-time event sponsorships of $5,000–$15,000. The organization is independently governed by an MSA Board and explicitly disclaims affiliation with the University of California in terms of operational responsibility.

Name

UC Berkeley MSA

Legal name

Berkeley Muslim Student Association

Website

https://berkeleymsa.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The UC Berkeley Muslim Student Association (MSA) is an independent non-profit student organization serving over 400 Muslim students at UC Berkeley with religious services, Ilm classes, community programming, and basic-needs support, funded primarily through donations and event sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Community and Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (81311), Religious Organizations (8131), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Campus Spiritual & Religious Life (EDALAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Islamic Colleges & Sharia/Fiqh Institutes (EDAHAKAI)

Keywords

• Student community services
• Religious student services
• Islamic education programs
• Campus religious services
• Community engagement programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The MSA raises funds through donations from community members, with a stated goal of $6,000 for Ramadan. The organization also partners with external charitable causes (Uyghur Human Rights Project, Eating Rights by MU'EED) to direct a portion of donations to humanitarian causes. Regular monthly costs to sustain services are approximately $3,000.
2. Sponsorship and Support: The MSA accepts sponsorships for specific programs and events, including committee sponsorship ($30/month), career fair support ($5,000), college application workshop support, professional development workshop sponsorship, and political awareness campaign support ($10,000).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Berkeley Muslim Student Association is a non-profit student organization that provides religious services (weekly Friday prayers, daily prayers in dedicated on-campus spaces), Islamic education (Ilm classes), community-building events (socials, dinners, political speaker events), housing assistance (Muslim roommate matching), referrals to basic needs resources (financial, food, housing), and professional development connections through sister organizations like Cal AMPD.

Product overview

UC Berkeley MSA is a student organization, not a technology product company. It does not offer software products, platforms, or services in the traditional sense. The organization provides community services including weekly Friday prayers (Jummah), Islamic educational classes (Ilm Classes), committee-based community engagement (Community Service, Political Action, Youth and Admit, Graduate, Da'wah), housing assistance, basic needs resources, and professional development networking opportunities through partnerships with Handshake and AMPD.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Friday Prayer Services (Jummah) Weekly congregational Friday prayer services for Muslim students at UC Berkeley, held at Hearst Memorial Gym. Open to all Muslim students and community members.
• Ilm Classes (Islamic Education) Educational classes on Islamic topics, including recorded sessions, notes, and materials. Designed for Muslim students seeking spiritual and religious education during their university years.
• Housing Assistance Program Housing assistance service helping Muslim students find Muslim roommates through dedicated Facebook groups (Brothers Housing Group, Sisters Housing Group). Helps students navigate Berkeley's rental market and student housing cooperatives.
• Basic Needs Resource Coordination Coordination and referral service helping students access financial, food, housing, and health resources including UC Berkeley Basic Needs Center, CalFresh eligibility, Tang Center medical services, and emergency housing assistance.
• MSA Committees Program Committee-based community engagement program with five active committees (Community Service, Political Action, Youth and Admit, Graduate, Da'wah) distributing leadership throughout the community and hosting events from professional development to charitable service.
• Eid and Ramadan Accommodations Program Annual religious accommodations program coordinating with UC Berkeley Dining Services (halal-certified meals at Café 3, Crossroads, Clark Kerr, and Foothill), Recreation and Wellbeing (adjusted facility hours 10am-11pm at Memorial Stadium Fitness Center), and academic accommodations through the Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• The Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP)minorOthersDuring Ramadan, the MSA partners with UHRP to donate a portion of proceeds. UHRP promotes the rights of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslim people in East Turkistan through research-based advocacy, publishing reports in English and Chinese to defend civil, political, social, cultural, and economic rights.
• Eating Rights by MU'EEDminorOthersDuring Ramadan, the MSA partners with Eating Rights (E.R.) project of Mu'eed, founded by Amelah El-Amin, to facilitate distribution of nutritious halal hot meals to unhoused individuals in the Oakland and Alameda County area. The organization prepares meals in a commercial kitchen and delivers to curbside communities, homeless encampments, and elderly/disabled residents.
• Association for Muslim Professional Development (Cal AMPD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCal AMPD is one of the MSA's sister organizations dedicated to preparing Muslim students for professional fields. AMPD facilitates awareness and provides access to professional internships and vocations through networking, informational workshops, and mentorship programs. The MSA refers students to AMPD for professional development support.
• Muslim Mental Health Initiative (MMHI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMMHI is dedicated to Muslim mental wellness at Cal, hosting educational events every other week and providing regular hours by appointment or drop-in with Muslim mental health professionals available in person or by phone. The MSA refers students to MMHI and maintains information about this resource on its website.
• Faces of Afro Muslims (FAM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAM is dedicated to highlighting the Black Muslim experience at Cal, hosting events including film screenings and collaborative Ilm talks. Listed as a sister organization working within the MSA ecosystem.
• Threads MagazineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThreads is Cal's Muslim publication that publishes once per semester and maintains an online publication, displaying the variety of Muslim experiences through articles, poetry, and photography.
• Ahlul Bayt Student Association (ABSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerABSA (previously Thaqalayn Islamic Society of Berkeley) is a space for Muslim students to learn more about Shia Islam through community and spiritual growth events, including Dua Kumayl on Thursdays, monthly socials, and trips to SABA Islamic Center.
• Muslim Tech Collaborative (MTC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMTC is UC Berkeley's organization for Muslim students to engage in the tech sector, including client software projects, educational initiatives, professional development resources and networking, entrepreneurial ventures, and mentorship.
• Muslims of Haas (MOH)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOH fosters a supportive community for Muslim students at the Haas School of Business, providing a platform for members to connect, engage in meaningful discussions, and seek mentorship from experienced professionals.
• UC Berkeley Basic Needs CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe UC Berkeley Basic Needs Center provides resources for financial, food, and housing insecurity. The MSA references this university resource extensively and helps connect students to short-term housing assistance (one month's rent for emergency needs), CalFresh eligibility information, and other basic needs support.
• UC Berkeley Dining ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUC Berkeley Dining Services provides Ramadan accommodations including halal-certified meals, to-go containers for fasting students, and specialty Ramadan meals featuring halal proteins. All dining commons (Café 3, Crossroads, Clark Kerr, and Foothill) participate in Ramadan programming.
• UC Berkeley Recreation and WellbeingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecWell offers adjusted facility hours at Memorial Stadium Fitness Center during Ramadan (10am-11pm weekdays) to support students' fasting schedules, along with virtual fitness options.
• Berkeley MasjidcoreOthersLocated at 2716 Derby St, Berkeley, the Islamic Center of Berkeley (Berkeley Masjid) provides the main off-campus prayer space for students, accessible by the 51B bus from campus. Offers weekly iftar on Thursdays and is referenced as students' 'home away from home.'

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Berkeley Catholic Student Association: The Cal Catholic community serves as a peer faith-based student organization on the same UC Berkeley campus, providing mass, religious education, retreats, and community programming using a structurally similar model of committees, on-campus spaces, and student volunteer leadership.
• UC Davis Muslim Student Association: UC Davis MSA is a fellow UC-system peer organization serving a comparable Muslim student population with Friday prayers, community socials, and educational programming on a Northern California public university campus.
• Stanford Muslim Student Association: Stanford MSA serves Muslim students at a peer private research university with similar programming: Jummah prayers, Islamic education, social events, and professional development — making it directly comparable in scope and target audience.
• Hillel at UC Berkeley: Hillel at UC Berkeley is the most direct on-campus peer — a faith-affiliated student organization providing religious services, community programming, holiday accommodations, and cultural engagement for Jewish students, operating an analogous model on the same campus.
• Muslim Students Association of New York University (NYU MSA): NYU MSA is a direct peer Muslim student organization at a major urban private research university with a similar mix of religious services, professional development, social events, and cultural programming for a comparable Muslim student demographic.
• USC Muslim Student Association: USC MSA is a direct peer — a Muslim student organization at a major private research university in the same metropolitan region providing religious services, professional development, and community programming for Muslim students.
• UCLA Muslim Student Association: The UCLA MSA is the most directly comparable peer — a Muslim student association at a UC public research university of similar scale, providing Friday prayers, Islamic education, community programming, and interfaith engagement for the campus Muslim community.

Broad incumbents

• InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at UC Berkeley: InterVarsity is a broad incumbent faith-based student organization operating across hundreds of campuses including UC Berkeley, offering Bible studies, small groups, and community events using a comparable volunteer-driven campus model, though at a much larger organizational scale.
• ISOC (Islamic Society of) Universities Network: The Islamic Society of North America's campus network (formerly MSA National) is the broad umbrella and historical parent network for hundreds of university MSAs including Berkeley MSA, providing organizational infrastructure, conventions, and identity at a much larger scale.

Regional players

• Berkeley Masjid (Islamic Center of Berkeley): Berkeley Masjid is a regional player providing off-campus prayer space and weekly iftar for UC Berkeley's Muslim community — referenced by the MSA itself as a 'home away from home' — and serves overlapping congregants in the same Berkeley geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CALMSA
• Facebookfacebook.com/CalMSA
• Instagraminstagram.com/calmsa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cal-msa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UC Berkeley MSA