First cohort of grantee partners

Doria Feminist Fund is thrilled to announce our first cohort of grantee partners. In October 2021, Doria launched our first open call for proposals, a historic moment in feminist philanthropy and in the MENA feminist movement space. The launch of Doria’s call for applications also marks the first feminist fund providing direct grants to activists, led by and tailored for feminist activists, from the MENA region.

We received over 150 applications from feminist activists all over the region working on a diverse range of issues. Applicants submitted proposals for Core Flexible grants, Project Grants, and Knowledge Production grants for up to $5,000. From all over the MENA region, Doria received applications that were creative, resilient, and that show cased the incredible diversity and innovation of feminist activists in the region.

All Doria grantees were selected through a feminist review process by a grants committee made up of feminist activists from across the MENA region, who reviewed each application carefully, and selected each application based on Doria’s eligibility criteria, strength of the application, and alignment with Doria’s strategic objectives.

Join us in welcoming our grantees to the Doria Feminist Fund community! Doria grantees are offered grants for a period of one year, in which they will be closely accompanied by the Doria team for capacity building support, feminist mentorship, and opportunities for strengthening and growth of their projects. We are excited to begin this journey together!

Our first cohort of grantee partners are radical, creative, unapologetic, and breaking barriers. We’re proud to announce Doria’s 2022 Grantee Cohort:

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Asdaa, Lebanon & Egypt

With a knowledge production grant from Doria, Asdaa will produce an advocacy video highlighting the narratives of survivors of gender-based violence. Asdaa will conduct workshops intersecting dance, movement, music, and psychology to work with participants and weave together their narratives in their own voices.

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No2ta, Region-wide

With a knowledge production grant from Doria, No2ta will design and introduce a feminist multimedia website with the aim of disseminating innovative and exclusive feminist multimedia content focusing on underrepresented issues that women and girls in the region are facing in the form of investigative reports, videos, articles, and real life stories.

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Ettijah Rap Group for Girls, Palestine

With a project grant from Doria, Ettijah Rap Group for Girls aims to support and empower refugee girls in Palestine to participate in community activities and advocacy in their context through the medium of art, music, and rap.

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Queer Mutual Aid, Lebanon

With a project grant from Doria, Queer Mutual Aid will provide support to the queer community, and especially trans refugee individuals, who are facing emergency situations. The group hopes to build a support network based on solidarity, mutual aid, and community building through feminist and queer practices and politics.

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Wini Omer, Sudan

With a knowledge production grant from Doria, Wini will draft a book detailing the experiences and stories of women’s involvement in the revolution in Sudan. The book will be based on salon discussions, highlighting women’s experiences in the context of major political and social change in Sudan.

Rawan Kahwaji, Syria

With a knowledge production grant from Doria, Rawan will produce a weekly podcast covering the realities of the feminist movement in Syria. The podcast will shed light on important issues that activists in Syria are facing from an intersectional perspective, and provide important context about the Syrian revolution and role of women and activists.

Tulkarem Women Community Center, Palestine

With a core flexible grant from Doria, Tulkarem Women Community Center will launch a community center that will serve women in Palestine. Acting as an incubator and safe organizing space for women, Tulkarem center will provide services for women’s capacity development, psycho-social support, and more.

Kayan, Palestine

With a project grant from Doria, Kayan aims to empower female and male youth by linking them with grassroots women in their communities, thus creating an intergenerational space to empower the young women and enable them to cultivate their own activism which shall contribute to a future generation of women change-makers.

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