Aziz Foundation Call for Application 2024-2025: (Deadline Ongoing)

The scholarships are aimed at those who wish to advance in their careers and bring positive change to their communities and beyond. We invite applications from people who are dedicated to:

• Effective Advocacy and Enhancing Public Perception – facilitating better representation and contribution of Muslims to civil society to combat Islamophobia and positively transform perceptions of British Muslims
• Community Service and Social Development – raising the aspirations and standards within British Muslim communities

This scholarships are only open to those who qualify for Home Fees status in the UK, and applications from international students will therefore not be considered.

Subject Areas

Moreover, scholarships will only be awarded to British Muslims with relevant experience and committed to progression in the following areas: 

• Media & Journalism – Candidates who wish to champion diversity in the media to ensure fairer and more accurate reporting
• Technology – Disrupters and innovators who use tech to offer novel and transformational solutions to society’s most pressing challenges
• Sustainability/Environment – Candidates who wish to be at the forefront of the fight to save our planet and ensure a safer future for generations to come
• Law – Candidates who hold high aspirations to excel in the legal profession and especially those who wish to become judges (excluding conversion courses)
• Policy – Candidates with a passion for influencing public policy (excluding Health Policy) in the UK, to ensure that it is equitable and responsive to the needs of British Muslim communities
• Arts & Culture – Creatives who can influence public discourses especially around Muslims and Islam through a variety of mediums
• Sports – Candidates who are enthusiastic about sporting excellence and can make key contributions, through administration and management, to the industry
• Grantmaking and Philanthropy – Candidates who currently or intend to work in the third sector, for Trusts and Foundations, to inform grantmaking and philanthropic efforts

We shall not be accepting applications for science, health policy, or mathematics courses.

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN. 

About Aziz Foundation

Our guiding philosophy and key principle of operation is to support British Muslims to bring positive change to their communities and beyond. Our Story So Far The Aziz Foundation was set up as a family foundation in 2015 by Asif Aziz to bring together his various philanthropic work, including being a Board Member of Mosaic, founded by HM King Charles III in 2007, and supporting many community projects. The Foundation’s work began as a dynamic mix of scholarship…

Aziz Foundation Scholarships Program

Aim and Benefits of Aziz Foundation Scholarships Program

• The aim is to support emerging leaders who have a high level of commitment to the community and who are able to demonstrate that they can lead and inspire in their respective field.

Benefits:

• The Scholarships Programme offers 100% tuition fee Masters scholarships to support British Muslims to study at UK universities.

Aziz Foundation Scholarships Program Courses

• Art
• Grantmaking and Philanthropy
• Law
• Media & Journalism
• Policy
• Sport
• Sustainability / Environment

Requirements for Aziz Foundation Scholarships Program Qualification

Applicants should meet all of the following requirements:

• Be eligible for Home fees status
• Be active within a Muslim community and demonstrate intimate knowledge of issues affecting British Muslim communities
• Demonstrate long-term commitment to community/societal development within Britain
• Show how the course will increase their effectiveness in one of the following areas relating to British Muslims:

1. Effective Advocacy and Enhance Public Perception – facilitating better representation and contribution of Muslims to civil society to combat Islamophobia and positively transform perceptions of British Muslims
2. Community Service and Social Development – raising the aspirations and standards within British Muslim communities

Additional sub-criteria

In addition to the above, candidates are also expected to have:

• Excellent understanding of their chosen industry and how to progress within it, with relevant, prior experience and/or achievements in the field
• Knowledge of how the course will enable them to generate social impact

Means Testing and Zakat Eligibility

The Aziz Foundation prioritises scholarships for candidates who can demonstrate that they cannot afford all or part of the tuition fees for their proposed Masters course.

These scholarships are being given as Zakat. Therefore, applicants will have to self-assess to determine their Zakat eligibility (please use the Islamic Relief and/or NZF Zakat calculator(s) as an indicator. If you do not owe any Zakat, you will be eligible).

You will have to demonstrate that you would not be able to self-fund your course. The Foundation will apply the following test, using information you supply, social indicators and available data, to determine your financial means:

•  A list of the secondary school(s) you attended, which acts as an important social indicator
• The amount of your student debt
• Information relating to your financial circumstances on the application form, including caring responsibilities, dependents and existing commitments
• Whether you are the first in your family to enter Higher Education
• We shall utilise existing government data, such as the the Department for Levelling Up’s Index for Multiple Deprivation (IMD) and Office for Students’ (OfS) place-generated data and social indices (e.g. POLAR, TUNDRA, Adult HE 2011,Uni Connect Areas), which provides information on general trends on access to Higher Education and participation rates by postcode, indicating rates of social mobility and deprivation

The assessment will include some or all of the means testing criteria above, variously weighted, and will contribute to the panel’s final decision on the candidate.

Eligible Universities and Course

43 institutions have so far joined the Aziz Foundation Preferred Partner scheme and fulfilled the conditions of admittance.

Scholarships will be offered only to candidates studying Masters degrees at the institutions listed below. For institutions where selected courses are not specified, all courses in the eligible subject areas are on offer.

• Aberystwyth University
• Aston University
• Birkbeck, University of London
• Bournemouth University (see list of eligible courses)
• Brunel University London (see list of eligible courses)
• City, University of London – Department of Journalism & Bayes, Centre for Charity Effectiveness philanthropy courses)
• Coventry University (see list of eligible courses)
• De Montfort University
• Eden Project Learning (Cornwall College Group)
• Glasgow Caledonian University (see list of eligible courses)
• Goldsmiths, University of London (excluding: MRes, MPhils)
• Jesus College, University of Oxford
• Keele University
• King’s College London
• Kingston University London
• The University of Law
• London South Bank University (see list of eligible courses)
• Manchester Metropolitan University (see list of eligible courses. You must be an offer holder prior to award for this scheme)
• Markfield Institute of Higher Education (MA Islam and Sustainable Development only)
• Murray Edwards College, University of Cambridge
• Northumbria University
• SOAS, University of London (excluding Intensive Language courses)
• University of Birmingham
• UCL – IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society
• UCL – Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences
• University of Bradford
• University of Essex
• University of Exeter
• University of Hertfordshire (see list of eligible courses)
• University of Greenwich
• University of Liverpool
• The University of Manchester: School of Arts, Languages & Cultures (see list of eligible courses)
• University of Nottingham (excluding: MRes, MPhil and MBAs)
• University of St Andrews (excluding: MRes, MPhil, MFAs)
• University of Salford (see list of eligible courses)
• The University of Sheffield (see list of ineligible courses)
• University of Stirling
• University of Sunderland (see list of eligible courses)
• University of Sussex (excluding: Online courses, Institute of Development Studies courses)
• University of Warwick
• University of Westminster
• University of Winchester
• University of York
• Wolfson College, University of Cambridge

Interview date, Process and Venue for Aziz Foundation Scholarships Program

If your application is shortlisted you will be invited to attend an interview.

The interview will be 30-45 minutes exploring questions around:

• challenges facing British Muslims;
• vision and hopes for change;
• personal qualities needed to succeed;
• financial barriers faced

Key dates

The assessment and awards process will be carried out over two cycles in 2024:

Applications for 2024/25 will open in January

The earliest start for courses we can consider is June 2024.

If your course starts between June -August 2024, you must apply during cycle 1. Otherwise we will not be able to consider your application.

For courses starting from September 2024, you may apply in either cycle.

You may apply only once in any given year (either in cycle 1 or cycle 2 but not both).

Application Deadline

28 March, 2024

How to Apply

Interested and qualified? Go to Aziz Foundation on azizfoundation.scholarshipsplatform.com to applyApplications are submitted online. The application form includes questions about previous education, work experience, financial means, a statement of no more than 1,000 words about how you meet the Foundation’s criteria, and the names of two referees.

For more details visit: OFFICIAL LINK.