Interfaith Dialogue
Bridges between neighbors
We bring Jewish, Muslim, and Jain communities into honest relationship, sustaining trust through even the hardest global moments.
Learn more →We tell the stories the world overlooks, build understanding where it is hardest, and help communities flourish.
The East-West Foundation strengthens overlooked communities through interfaith understanding, early childhood education, heritage preservation, and environmental care.
Who we are
Born in Slidell. Built for a pluralist future.
The East-West Foundation began in Slidell, Louisiana, in 2015, after a fire destroyed Slidell's Masjid al-Islam. Out of that loss came a resolve not only to rebuild the building, but to rebuild the future — by investing in religious pluralism and interfaith engagement so that no community would have to stand alone.
What started as a local act of repair grew into something larger. Our work expanded to Miami and then around the world, guided by a single framework — covenantal pluralism: the conviction that people of different faiths can be bound to one another in mutual respect and shared responsibility while remaining fully themselves. Today that vision animates everything we do, across interfaith dialogue, early childhood education, heritage preservation, and environmental care.
Our work
Four areas of focus, one foundation.
Each program meets a specific need in a specific community — and each is open to your support.
Early Childhood Education
A foundation for every child
The first open-source Swahili–English early-childhood curriculum, built with families and Fulbright support, free to every educator.
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Heritage Preservation
Stories worth keeping
We led the effort to place Masjid al-Ansar on the National Register and are preserving the voices of the pioneers who built this community.
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Environment & Food
Green where it's needed most
The Brownsville Community Garden and an Indigenous environmental-education curriculum bring nutrition, biodiversity, and gathering space to the neighborhood.
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Featured · Heritage
A first mosque, now a protected landmark.
Masjid al-Ansar is the first mosque in Florida to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places — a milestone we worked to achieve. As climate change and development reshape Miami's social geography, we are preserving the building and the testimony of the pioneers who founded this community, so their story endures for the generations to come.
Read the story →By the numbers
2015Founded in Slidell, Louisiana, to rebuild after the Masjid al-Islam fire
1stMosque in Florida on the National Register of Historic Places
1984The Swahili early-learning program began at Children's College
ActiveCutting-edge research on covenantal pluralism and the American Muslim experience
Transparency matters. The East-West Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 81-4133381), verified through Candid (GuideStar). Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law and go directly to the programs serving the communities we love.
Support the work
Your gift does the quiet, lasting work.
We keep our footprint small so more reaches the ground — sustaining interfaith gatherings, free learning materials, oral histories and landmark preservation, and a neighborhood garden. One gift supports all four.
Donate now
Partner with us
Secure giving via Zeffy · 501(c)(3) nonprofit · Gifts are tax-deductible
Stay connected
Follow the work, join the table.
Read the newsletter
Essays and dispatches on interfaith life, education, and heritage from our team.
Interfaiths on Substack →Watch & listen
Conversations, lectures, and community stories on our YouTube channel.
YouTube channel →Come to an event
Join an interfaith gathering or attend an upcoming program with neighbors.
See events →