Adam Wa Mishmish & Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation: How to find the right fund for the right startup!

Having a sponsor that believes in your vision is everything!

Back in 2016, when the idea for Adam Wa Mishmish was first conceived, we were dreaming big! We wanted to be the first original educational early years children’s cartoon. Creating our own characters, original songs, compositions and animations. We believed that we as Arabs don’t need to keep translating or appropriating existing western brands and songs. We have the talent and know how, and we wanted to do it right. The problem with that? Funds! That’s the problem most startups face when they have their big bright ideas. But money doesn’t guarantee success. What does, is the right mix of founders who are passionate about what they do, and who offer a unique perspective. What they need are partners who believe in them. 

In 2016, we launched our YouTube channel and first, yet not most watched episode , “Arabic Letters”, which now has 1.2million views. We wanted to see if we were the only ones finding it difficult to make our child interested in the Arabic language. It turns out we weren’t! We were able to crowdfund over $20,000 from Arabs across the world facing the same problem, and kickstarting our very first season of Adam Wa Mishmish. But at that point, we wanted to build a bigger library of content, exceeding one season, to guarantee the success of our channel, and provide the largest amount of content to satisfy children all over the world. 

This is when we applied for a grant from one of our most important partners, The Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation. Not only did they believe in our mission, but they have funded us 3 times to date, the latest fund being a prize we won for their innovation award. So why did they fund us 3 times? And what have we achieved with those funds?

When a foundation offers you grant money, they want to see that you have achieved impact and hit important milestones. And that’s exactly what we did! We built a repertoire of 48 episodes from their grants, launching the Adam Wa Mishmish brand, and reaching parents and children all over the world. Today we have 80+ episodes in our library, with more being created every month. We are watched in over 5o countries, and have reached 27million+ views, and have over 112 thousand subscribers, with more joining us every day. 

With our second grant, we created a play called “Adam Wa Mishmish in the Garden of Letters”. When we debuted the play back in the summer of 2019, we sold out our first show, and had to follow up with 6 more to satisfy demand. This year, we performed this play at the Abu Dhabi cultural Foundation in the UAE to a sold out audience. The very same songs we created with our funds created 3 other plays we now have in our repertoire. We performed these songs in over 52 shows at  EXPO2020. 

Not only are we one of the only original Arabic shows in the Middle East, but we are thriving and self sustaining. We see the joy we bring to Arab families across the world, and the impact our work is making in their lives. We are proud to say Adam Wa Mishmish is used in preschools, kindergartens, primary schools, language centers, and even in centers for adults learning Arabic as a second language.

To make the impact even larger, with the help of the third grant we received from the Abdul Hameed Shoman foundation for the innovation award, we have now built a “Learn Arabic with Adam Wa Mishmish” platform. A platform filled with thousands of resources that can help both parents and teachers teach their children Arabic. The platform includes flashcards, stories, printables, songs, animated videos, crafts and soon GAMES! Very soon, we’ll be offering an option to book a teacher in your area, providing jobs for teachers, as well as a local place for parents to send their children once a week to immerse their kids in the Arabic language through fun and play. 

All this is simply to say, thank you to the Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation and the grants team who believed in us and supported us. We definitely would not have been able to build the library we have and the reputation we have without you. 

If you are looking for grants to start your business, here are some tips!

1. Make sure your goals and that of the foundation you are applying for align. 
2. Make sure you have a way to be able to measure your impact on the community. 
3. You have to have an impactful cause that contributes to your community and society. 
4. Make sure to have a plan. Funds don’t last forever. How will you self-sustain once the money runs out?

Good luck! We wish you success and we hope you cross paths with amazing foundations such as the Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation.