islamicity foundation

What islamicity foundation does

Islamicity Foundation is a Maryland-incorporated 501(c)(3) non-profit established in 2018 that produces the Islamicity Indices, a benchmarking system measuring how closely countries adhere to Islamic teachings across four dimensions: Economic, Legal/Governance, Human/Political Rights, and International Relations. The methodology applies approximately 48 quantitative proxies to 152-153 countries, with focused coverage of 39-40 Muslim-majority nations and longitudinal data extending from 2000 to the present. The foundation has been led by 5 original founders, of whom 3 remain active as of 2025, and maintains a Country Partners Network spanning 12+ local partner organizations.

The foundation's product suite includes the headline Islamicity Indices ranking, annual and country-level reports, downloadable datasets, peer-reviewed publications, and methodology documentation. The Malaysian government serves as the flagship institutional adopter, and additional collaborators include the Islamic Development Bank, INCEIF, and academic affiliates such as Dr. Abbas Mirakhor. In 2025, the foundation signaled strategic restructuring: it reduced the index update cadence from annual to less frequent, announced plans for an endowment raise, and initiated discussions with a world-class university for expanded research capacity.

The organization operates on a donation-based non-profit model with no commercial pricing layer, no disclosed revenue figures, and no audited financials in the public record. Its value proposition is concentrated in sovereign-level policy benchmarking and academic research rather than commercial use cases, which structurally limits monetization pathways but reinforces its brand credibility among Muslim-majority governments and institutions.

Name

islamicity foundation

Legal name

Islamicity Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://islamicity-index.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Islamicity Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that publishes the Islamicity Indices, a quantitative benchmark measuring 152-153 countries' adherence to Islamic teachings across four dimensions, serving Muslim-majority governments and academic researchers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: As a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, the foundation relies primarily on donations. They accept donations via PayPal, credit card, and checks made out to 'Islamicity Foundation, Inc.' Donations are tax-deductible to the extent provided by law.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Islamicity Foundation develops and publishes the Islamicity Indices, a benchmarking framework that scores 152–153 countries on a 0–10 scale across four dimensions (Economic, Legal and Governance, Human and Political Rights, and International Relations) plus an Overall index, using approximately 48 underlying proxies grounded in Quran-based criteria. It delivers these indices along with annual reports, country-level reports, and foundation publications free of charge to governments, researchers, and the public through its website.

Product overview

The Islamicity Foundation offers the Islamicity Indices as its core product—a benchmarking system that measures how well countries reflect Islamic teachings and institutions across five dimensions (Economic, Legal and Governance, Human and Political Rights, International Relations, and Overall Islamicity). The offering consists of the main Indices product, annual reports with country-specific analyses, downloadable data files (PDF/Excel), country reports for individual nations, and published academic works documenting the methodology. The indices are available from 2015 to 2024, with updates transitioning to less frequent intervals beginning in 2025. Users can access the indices through the website, download historical data, read annual reports, and reference country-specific analyses and methodological documentation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Islamicity Indices
• Islamicity Indices Annual Reports
• Country Reports
• Islamicity Foundation Publications (Books and Papers)

Quantifiable outcome

• 152-153 countries indexed annually with Overall, Economic, Legal/Governance, Human Rights, and International Relations scores
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Malaysia GovernmentflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMalaysia adopted its own Islamicity index in January 2015 following the foundation's methodology, as announced by the Prime Minister. This represents the most significant government adoption of the Islamicity Indices approach.
• Islamic Development Bank (IDB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganized two conferences focusing on developing a Shariah-based index of socio-economic development in 2014, recognizing the Islamicity Indices as a significant contribution to Islamic economics research.
• Country Partners NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of 12+ country partners representing the foundation in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bosnia, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, Singapore, Tunisia, and Turkey. These partners publicize the program and monitor developments in their respective countries.
• INCEIF (International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple country partners hold PhDs from INCEIF and the organization is referenced in the foundation's academic work on Islamic finance and development.
• Dr. Abbas Mirakhor (Former IMF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Mirakhor's works on development in Islam and ideal Islamic economic system provided the foundation for the Islamicity Indices project. His academic leadership established the theoretical framework.
• Potential World-Class University PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation plans to potentially partner with a world-class university in the future to increase visibility, facilitate fundraising, and develop seminars on Islam, development, and Islamicity Indices.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Heritage Foundation: U.S.-based think tank publishing the Index of Economic Freedom, a widely cited country-ranking methodology across 180+ economies. Closely comparable to Islamicity Foundation in approach (composite indices aggregating multiple proxies) but focused on free-market economic dimensions rather than Islamic-teaching adherence.
• Fraser Institute: Canadian think tank producing the Economic Freedom of the World report, an annual cross-country ranking using ~42 variables. Operates a similar benchmark methodology, multi-decade dataset, and policy-reform framing that directly parallels Islamicity Foundation's approach.
• Freedom House: Publishes Freedom in the World and other democracy/governance indices covering 200+ countries with multi-decade history. Direct methodological peer to Islamicity Foundation given its composite-index architecture and reform-advocacy positioning.
• Transparency International: Publisher of the Corruption Perceptions Index, a globally cited country-ranking tool. Comparable to Islamicity Foundation in its annual benchmarking cadence, NGO structure, advocacy mission, and policy-reform orientation.
• Bertelsmann Stiftung (BTI): German foundation producing the Bertelsmann Transformation Index ranking governance and development in 130+ countries. Comparable as a foundation-led multi-dimensional governance benchmarking product targeting transition and reform contexts.
• World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators: World Bank initiative aggregating governance data across 200+ countries using multiple proxies. Comparable methodology (multi-dimensional composite scoring) and similar reform-advocacy purpose tied to institutional quality measurement.

Direct peers

• International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT): U.S.-based non-profit advancing Islamic scholarship and reform, publishing books, hosting conferences, and engaging scholars. Closely comparable as a faith-rooted research and advocacy non-profit producing publications to influence Muslim-world discourse.
• Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI): Research arm of the Islamic Development Bank Group conducting studies on Islamic economics and finance. Comparable as an Islamic-economics research entity that has already partnered with Islamicity Foundation via IDB-organized conferences on Shariah-based indices.
• INCEIF University: Malaysia-based university specializing in Islamic finance education and research. Multiple Islamicity Foundation country partners hold INCEIF PhDs and INCEIF is referenced in the foundation's academic work, making it a direct peer in Islamic finance scholarship.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Islamicityindex
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCM8s7oY7K4GNr5Kia9atRdw
• Facebookfacebook.com/islamicityindex
• Instagraminstagram.com/islamicityfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 islamicity foundation