The Imam Development Fund has been set up to provide grants to existing and aspiring Imams and Scholars to upskill and gain qualifications which will help them to better serve their communities and congregations in the UK.
This fund has been developed in response to the need for enhanced leadership and a lack of investment in Imams and Scholars. In this time of uncertainty and desperation for so many, the role of Imams has never been more important. So NZF has allocated £100,000 from the Education Fund to build this crucial capacity in Muslim communities across the UK.
If you are an aspiring or existing Imam, now is the time to invest in yourself and fill gaps in your skills and knowledge.
If you feel you could serve your community better by learning and developing new skills, you may be eligible for Zakat through NZF. You can apply to the Imam Development Fund for a grant to do any vocational or academic course which will help you to serve your congregation and community better. But, in case you need some inspiration, below are some courses which we have found and are starting in early 2021.
FAQs
What can I get help with?
You can apply to the Imam Development Fund for a grant to do any vocational or academic course which will help you to serve your congregation and community better.
This could be a public speaking course to help you with your speeches and sermons, a mediation and coaching course to help you serve your congregants, or some leadership training to help lead your community. The options are endless but if you’d like some inspiration, we’ve put together some recommended courses at the bottom of this page.
Can I apply?
To apply, you must be a Muslim based in the UK and be able to demonstrate that you are unable to afford the costs of the course you are applying for. To confirm that you can get help, we will look at how much money you have, your monthly income and expenses.
Through your application, you will need to demonstrate that you are actively working to serve your community and that you have identified education or training that will increase your effectiveness in serving Islam and Muslims in the UK. You may apply for courses in any subject area.
You may apply for a grant to do a course abroad in Islamic studies subjects only.
How much funding can I get?
The amount of help we can give you depends on your financial circumstances and the course you would like to do.
The maximum we can give you is £10,000 per year. The average grant is £3,000. This includes the cost of any learning resources you may need.
How can I get more information?
For more information on applying to the Imam Development Fund, please contact Rukhsana Butt (Grants Officer – Education Fund) at [email protected]
Course Suggestions
Keen to develop your skills but not sure where to start? Here’s a list of suggested courses to help you narrow down your options. Please note, these are just suggestions. If you’d prefer to find a different accredited course instead, that’s totally up to you.
Leadership
Emerging Leader Online 2021
Clore Social Leadership
The Emerging Leader Programme Online 2021 is a highly subsidised 6-month online leadership development journey designed for those with 3-6 years’ experience leading teams, projects, volunteers, and/or departments.
Taking place online between March and October 2021, the programme will offer access to a wealth of leadership development interventions designed to help participants build the skills, knowledge, and networks needed to lead social change effectively.
Oxford Executive Leadership Programme
Oxford Uni/Said Business School
This programme helps leaders from multiple sectors to answer this complex question, and empowers them to drive change within their organisations. By examining personal motivation and purpose, and aligning with the purpose of the organisation, participants will be equipped to successfully navigate the challenges and dynamics of leadership.
Community Leadership
Training & Capacity Building
Citizens UK
The training consists of a 3-day residential course, followed by a 50 hour practical placement in your community, and then participation in a half-day Regional Learning Network event in your region. This course is recommended for those who want to:
– deepen their understanding of community organising and what it means to be part of a Citizens alliance;
– develop core community organising leadership skills such as 1-2-1 relational meetings, – —- storytelling, power analysis, campaign strategy, action-planning and negotiation skills; equip themselves to lead change in their community.
Online Leadership Programme
Happy
Would you like to be the type of manager that people want to work for, who enables a highly productive team in a positive and supportive work environment? In this four-day live online learning programme over four months, you will gain personal insight and develop practical leadership and management skills to create a high performing team. You will develop your coaching skills and how to put your people at the heart of what you do.
The Common Purpose
Senior Leaders Programme
Common Purpose
In these uniquely challenging times, the demand for effective leadership – in our organizations and in society – has never been greater. We face problems that are complex and interconnected – problems that can only be solved by leaders who see the bigger picture and adapt to an ever-changing context. That’s why, at Common Purpose, we have distilled our 30 years of our unique leadership development experience into these two powerful online programmes for senior and emerging leaders. We believe that now, more than ever, we need to support and develop leaders who can cross boundaries, solve complex problems and produce change.
Mediation and Coaching
Interpersonal
Mediation Practitioner Certificate
UK Mediation
Become an accredited mediator with UK Mediation training course.
Train to be a mediator with a five-day Interpersonal Mediation Practitioner’s Certificate (IMPC), the market leading 40-hour professional mediation qualification.
The IMPC qualifies you to be able to resolve any and all types of interpersonal conflict. This includes workplace disputes, family and neighbourhood fall-outs, medical disputes and consumer and business conflicts.
Accredited Diploma In Transformational Coaching
Animas Coaching
If you’re looking to train as a coach, whether to become a life coach, executive coach, or internal coach then our Accredited Diploma in Transformational Coaching is the right course for you. Over a number of months, you will progress from a coaching novice to become a highly-effective coach, able to work with a range of coaching approaches across the spectrum of coaching contexts. The course is delivered through five modules of live virtual training. The virtual experience replicates the live classroom training experience in all ways with trainer-led presentations, break-out sessions, interactive group conversations, Q&A, detailed walkthroughs of models, coaching practice and more.
Youth Work
Youth Work Qualifications
RM Training
Train to be a youth worker through a course with the RM Training Centre.
Youth work Level 2 framework is designed to meet the needs of any Youth Organisation of any size across all sectors for example; charities, councils and schools.
The Level 3 Certificate in Youth Work Practice is suitable if you need minimal support and is the minimum qualification required for those wishing to work as a JNC qualified Youth Support Worker.
This is for employees who deliver operational youth work and who undertake duties on their own initiative or who carry supervisory responsibility for small projects, such as one night a week clubs. Workers with these responsibilities will receive leadership and operational guidance from professionally qualified youth workers.
need2succeed
need2succeed provides vocational training for employees and volunteers in a number of vocational areas, but mainly within the education, community development and business management sectors.
They have a range of youth work courses available between level 1-3, including:
– Level 1 Certificate in Exploring Youth Work
– Level 2 Youth Work Practice
– Level 3 Youth Work Practice
These courses have been developed by industry experts including the National Youth Agency and the ETS of England and Wales to prepare individuals to upskill in the area of youth work.
If you’re a course provider and would like to be included in the list of recommended courses, please get in touch with Rukhsana Butt (Grants Officer – Education Fund)