Funding to Build Bridges Between Muslim and non-Muslim Communities

In moments when respect for cultural diversity feels even more urgent, a national grantmaking program called Building Bridges, by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art (DDFIA), works to foster understanding and engagement between Muslim and non-Muslim communities.

A part of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, since 2007, Building Bridges has supported endeavors that engage U.S.-based Muslims and non-Muslims in arts experiences to increase understanding and advance relationships between communities, explains the program's website. In light of discrimination and perceptions of these communities that remain narrow, the program aims "to address these realities by supporting programs that catalyze a social transformation within the communities they work."

An article published in AramcoWorld takes a close look at four Building Bridges-supported programs and their distinct approaches, each focused on Arab and Islamic cultures:

Each of the projects that Building Bridges supported drew non-Muslims and Muslims alike, and, in different ways, each offered multiple experiences. I saw art engage people mentally and emotionally, then deliver information, foster camaraderie, engender trust, stimulate curiosity and bolster identity. As time went on, it became like watching a cloth being woven, threads—sometimes similar, sometimes wildly different—crisscrossing to create ever-varying designs.

The program looks to establish sustained engagement through its design. “One-shot events, one-shot activities, one-shot experiences tend not to be sufficient,” says cultural historian Jack Tchen of the Department of Social and Cultural Analysis at New York University. He continues, “Effective educational cultural programs are ‘always about a process,’ and it is important that funders ‘acknowledge the time and labor, and care that’s needed.’” Zeyba Rahman, senior program officer for Building Bridges, notes sustained activity created measurable impact and is an important element to “move the needle for people.”

Click here to read the piece by AramcoWorld on this program.

Image: Doris Duke Foundation