Research
Research focus and approach
The Rooted in Faith project examines how Islamic charities organise, govern, and sustain their work, and how they understand and evidence the impact they create in the communities they serve.Four pillars of enquiry
The project is organised around four interconnected themes. Together, these pillars address gaps in existing research on charities, stakeholders, and faith‑based organisations.
1. Stakeholder relationships
Islamic charities often operate within dense networks of donors, beneficiaries, volunteers, and community leaders. These relationships are frequently overlapping and long‑term, challenging conventional distinctions between stakeholder roles. This strand of the research explores how such relationships are built, maintained, and governed.
2. Impact measurement
Many forms of impact generated by Islamic charities — including spiritual welfare, trust, dignity, and social cohesion — resist standard metrics. This pillar examines how organisations currently understand and communicate their impact, and what alternative frameworks may be more appropriate.
3. Growth and sustainability
While some Islamic charities grow into large, professionalised organisations, others remain small and fragile despite sustained demand. This strand investigates the organisational, relational, and resource factors associated with growth, resilience, and long‑term sustainability.
4. Community impact
Beyond service delivery, Islamic charities often shape community identity, belonging, and resilience. This pillar explores these broader forms of impact and considers how they can be understood by funders, regulators, and policymakers.
What the project asks
The pilot study is guided by three core research questions, designed to be answerable within the scope of the current project while laying the groundwork for future research.
How do Islamic charities in the UK understand, measure, and communicate their impact on the communities they serve?
What distinctive stakeholder relationships characterise Islamic charitable organisations, and how do these relationships shape strategy and governance?
What organisational factors are associated with sustainable growth and deep community embeddedness among Islamic charities?
How the research is conducted
The project adopts a qualitative, interpretive approach designed to capture the lived experiences of Islamic charity leaders and practitioners. Methods include in‑depth interviews, organisational observations, and participatory workshops.
The current phase focuses on organisations operating in the UK and is funded as a pilot study. The emphasis is on generating rich, theory‑informed insights rather than statistical generalisation, with a view to extending the research comparatively in future phases.