Racialized minorities, trust, and crisis: Muslim‐American nonprofits, their leadership and government relations during COVID‐19

Abstract

The COVID‐19 pandemic disproportionately affects already‐vulnerable minorities, highlighting the need for strong, trusting relationships between governments and minority nonprofits for everyone's benefit. The current scholarship suggests minority members often lack trust in government. This study contributes to the field by examining trust levels Muslim‐American nonprofits have for federal, state, and local government. Nearly two‐thirds (65%) of Muslim nonprofit leaders believe that they may be discriminated against in the award of CARES Act funding, but on racial rather than religious ones. Moreover, partisanship affects trust levels. Muslim nonprofits in Republican “red” states show less trust in government compared with those in Democratic “blue” states. This study finds evidence that past relationships with the government strengthen trust. Past awards of government grants correlated positively with higher trust at both federal and local levels.

Muslim philanthropy: living beyond a Western definition

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Did 9/11 Affect Donations to Islamic Charities in the United States?

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Operational challenges in a US nonprofit network amid COVID‐19: Lessons from a food network in Virginia

“…All of the challenges experienced during COVID‐19, like other large‐scale crises, demand robust governance and leadership particularly when they are happening in turbulent social environments characterized by globalization, new technology, political divides, and mediatized communication (Ansell et al, 2021 ; Ansell & Trondal, 2018 ; Noor et al, 2021 ). More specifically, nonprofits are required to have adaptive and flexible leadership structures to strategically adjust operations and programs, adopt new technology and tap into various capacities, reexamine their crisis leadership teams and communication strategies, and revisit their budgets to improve the likelihood of their survival.…”