Sterling Charitable Gift Fund
Sterling Charitable Gift Fund is a public charity based in Herndon, Virginia, formed in 1999. It distributes contributions to qualified charitable organizations and individuals, including support for humanitarian work, social organizations, educational institutions, and disadvantaged individuals.
Sterling Charitable Gift Fund at a glance
In short: Sterling Charitable Gift Fund gave $1.2M across 31 grants in 2024 (avg $40K), mostly in Virginia. 43% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,225,160
- -12.1% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 31
- +10.7% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $39,521
- -20.6% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $15,000
- Total assets
- $23,974,393
- +14.5% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 43% first-time grantees (13 of 30, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Virginia (67% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Sterling Charitable Gift Fund
- Contact
Mailing address: 459 Herndon Parkway 22, Herndon, VA 20170
Phone: (703) 471-6060
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Sterling Charitable Gift Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Center of Islam in the Contemporary World - Cicw ($440K). Together the top 10 received $975K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($47,500), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
142 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 99 grants of 142 (70%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, Virginia recipients received 67% of grant dollars, followed by Illinois (12%), Maryland (6%), New York (5%), and Tennessee (3%). The listed grants also included recipients in other states.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 31 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Sterling Charitable Gift Fund open to new grantees?
43%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 13 of 30 grantees (43%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $23K; repeat grants $55K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $15K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $770K (2021) to $2.7M (2022). In 2024 it made 31 grants totaling $1.2M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Center of Islam in the Contemporary World - Cicw Herndon, VA | Program Assistance - Educational Services | $440,000 |
| Shenandoah University Winchester, VA | Program Assistance - Community Educational | $100,000 |
| Universal School Bridgeview, IL | Program Assistance - Educational /Community Certer | $87,500 |
| Shenandoah University Washingtion, VA | Program Assistance - Barzinji Institute of International Collaboration | $81,300 |
| All Dulles Area Muslim Society Sterling, VA | Program assistance - community /social servicesprogram assistance - community services | $74,750 |
| Syrian Form USA Willowbrook, IL | Program Assistance - Humanitarian Work Refugees | $50,000 |
| Huron University College Foundation USA Buffalo, NY | Program Assistance - Educational/Scholarships Services | $49,700 |
| 1 individual scholarship Recipients not named | — | $47,500 |
| The Maqasid Institute Nashville, TN | Program Assistance - Community Educational Services | $42,500 |
| Mozaic Sterling, VA | Program Assistance - Social/Community Services | $17,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $23,974,393 | $3,627,309 | $1,847,979 | $1,225,160 | 31 | $563,478 |
| 2023 | $20,935,708 | $1,469,307 | $1,652,570 | $1,394,439 | 28 | $510,304 |
| 2022 | $19,440,977 | $3,346,358 | $2,888,541 | $2,652,894 | 35 | $1,003,005 |
| 2021 | $20,961,268 | $7,071,380 | $1,049,570 | $770,000 | 17 | $1,046,560 |
| 2020 | $13,381,756 | $1,872,493 | $1,428,444 | $1,000,895 | 31 | $259,762 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The fund’s stated mission is “to receive and distribute contributions to qualified charitable organizations and individuals.” Its filing describes assistance to exempt organizations for humanitarian work in the United States, financial assistance and program support for social organizations and educational institutions, and tuition, financial, and medical assistance to disadvantaged individuals.
Its 2024 grants included support for education, community and social services, refugee humanitarian work, and scholarships. For example, Shenandoah University describes its mission as educating and inspiring critical, reflective thinkers and ethical, compassionate citizens. MOZAIC describes its work as cultivating grassroots and empowering refugees, women, and children. These are the grantees’ descriptions, not statements of the fund’s own mission.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the fund reported 31 grants totaling $1,225,160. Grants ranged from $6,000 to $440,000, with a median grant of $15,000.
The largest listed grant was $440,000 to the Center of Islam in the Contemporary World for educational services. Other notable grants included $100,000 to Shenandoah University for community education; $87,500 to Universal School for educational and community programming; $81,300 to Shenandoah University for the Barzinji Institute of International Collaboration; and $74,750 to the All Dulles Area Muslim Society for community and social services. Other listed recipients included Syrian Form USA ($50,000 for humanitarian work with refugees), Huron University College Foundation USA ($49,700 for educational and scholarship services), and George Mason University Foundation ($47,500 for scholarships and educational services).
The filing states that the fund’s two governing-body members do not formally meet. They have informal discussions about donations and grants, make unanimous decisions, and embody those decisions in disbursements.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists M Yaqub Mirza, PhD, as president and trustee, and Firas Barzinji as vice president and compliance officer.
Sterling Charitable Gift Fund is led by M. Yaqub Mirza PhD, President & Trustee on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
M. Yaqub Mirza PhD
President & Trustee
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Firas Barzinji
Vice President & Compliance
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
$322K (2023) → $0 (2024)
Former officers (2)
- Former: Asma Mirza (2020–2022) — Trustee
- Former: Muhammad Ashraf (2020–2022) — Secretary & Trustee
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2023 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2023 filing was $322K, to Firas Barzinji (Vice President/Compliance).
Frequently asked questions about Sterling Charitable Gift Fund
How much does Sterling Charitable Gift Fund give each year?
Sterling Charitable Gift Fund gave $1.2M across 31 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $1.4M across 28 grants.
What is Sterling Charitable Gift Fund's typical grant size?
Sterling Charitable Gift Fund's median grant in 2024 was $15,000, and its average grant was $39,521, across 31 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Sterling Charitable Gift Fund that year got $23K on average.
Where does Sterling Charitable Gift Fund give grants?
Sterling Charitable Gift Fund gives mostly in Virginia: 67% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest states were Illinois (12%) and Maryland (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Sterling, VA (4 grants), Herndon, VA (2 grants), Bridgeview, IL (2 grants) and Baltimore, MD (2 grants).
Does Sterling Charitable Gift Fund give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 31 grants with a stated purpose on Sterling Charitable Gift Fund's 2024 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Program Assistance - Community/Educational Services" (5 grants), "Program Assistance - Social Services" (3 grants) and "Program Assistance - Educational Services" (3 grants).
Who are Sterling Charitable Gift Fund's largest grantees?
Sterling Charitable Gift Fund's largest 2024 grantees include Center of Islam in the Contemporary World - Cicw ($440,000), Shenandoah University ($181,300 across 2 grants) and Universal School ($87,500), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. It also paid 1 individual scholarship ($47,500), which are not listed by name. Together they received 58% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Sterling Charitable Gift Fund?
Sterling Charitable Gift Fund reported $24.0M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $3.6M.
What does Sterling Charitable Gift Fund fund?
The fund’s stated mission is “to receive and distribute contributions to qualified charitable organizations and individuals.” See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Sterling Charitable Gift Fund?
Sterling Charitable Gift Fund has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Sterling Charitable Gift Fund's EIN?
Sterling Charitable Gift Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 54-1978669. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 17, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Sterling Charitable Gift Fund's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Sterling Charitable Gift Fund funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/sterling-charitable-gift-fund-morg_a3ee5f94f84e41ecb77e8eb8eb66cbc1
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_541978669_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Sterling Charitable Gift Fund funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/sterling-charitable-gift-fund-morg_a3ee5f94f84e41ecb77e8eb8eb66cbc1},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Sterling Charitable Gift Fund's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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