“Amina has a way of bringing people together, building common ground, connecting us and making us stronger. She is very talented in building well thought through strategies, and in executing them from start to finish.”

Amina Doherty’s career embodies a deep commitment to driving transformative change and fostering collaboration across sectors. Her work is rooted in a dedication to equity and innovation, demonstrated through initiatives that empower communities, amplify underrepresented voices, and build sustainable systems.

The Black Feminist Fund: Founding and Funding Multi-Million Dollar Initiatives

Philanthropy

For generations, Black feminists have been at the forefront of transformative social change, yet organisations advocating for Black women’s health, rights, and liberation have remained vastly underfunded. In response, alongside Hakima Abbas and Tynesha McHarris, Amina Doherty co-founded the Black Feminist Fund (BFF) with the goal of mobilising $100 million to support Black feminists tackling the world’s most pressing issues.

  • Amina played a crucial role in securing an initial $15 million in seed funding from the Ford Foundation, and through her leadership in donor advocacy, she expanded BFF’s funding base with key partners. As Chair of the BFF Board, she continues to work alongside global Black feminist leaders to guide the fund’s strategy and outreach, ensuring Black feminist movements have the resources necessary for lasting impact.

The Equality Fund: Building Sustainable Systems and Processes

Organisational Building

In 2013, The MATCH International Centre re-envisioned its mission to focus on women’s rights and launched the MATCH International Women’s Fund, now known as the Equality Fund. The organisation recognized the need to shift power and resources to grassroots women’s organisations globally, aiming to significantly increase funding for women’s empowerment. Under Amina’s leadership, the fund provided 75 grants to 32 partners across 26 countries, driving grassroots innovations in women’s rights and expanding the reach of critical support for women and girls worldwide.

  • Amina played a key role in the fund’s launch, collaborating with stakeholders to refine the grant-making criteria and develop an operational plan. She led the creation of the fund’s communications and branding strategy, overseeing promotional efforts and media outreach. Amina also established the grants committee, guided the decision-making process, and helped train the incoming General Coordinator. Additionally, she built new strategic partnerships with organisations like Ashoka Global and the Global Fund for Women, while developing effective grant-making processes that drew on best practices from other women’s funds.

Women’s Voice and Leadership - Caribbean: Fostering Grassroots Leadership

Movement Building

The Women’s Voice and Leadership - Caribbean project was a $4.8 million initiative funded by the Government of Canada and implemented by the Equality Fund and Astraea Foundation for Justice. It aimed to strengthen the capacity, leadership, and sustainability of grassroots women’s rights and LBTIQ+ organisations in the Caribbean region. Amina coordinated a participatory grantmaking process, resulting in the selection of 30 multi-year grants, and led an advisory group of feminist leaders from diverse Caribbean social movements.

  • Through her efforts, grassroots organisations benefited from valuable connections, enhanced collaboration, and knowledge-sharing, while Amina worked to build solidarity and collective power across the region’s movements.

AWID/African Women’s Development Fund/Global Fund For Women: Art as Activism

Creative Direction

The integration of art and feminist theory can inspire transformative change. At AWID, Amina partnered with the multidisciplinary creative studio, Intelligent Mischief, to develop organisational principles that helped integrate creative approaches, such as “worldbuilding,” into feminist future-making. This innovative work culminated in the curation of the art program at the 2016 AWID Forum. Amina also supported the first African Women Writers Program at the African Women’s Development Fund, bringing together 22 African women writers for a creative non-fiction workshop aimed at fostering compelling narratives about social justice issues.

  • Additionally, as a Board member of the Global Fund for Women, Amina contributed strategic leadership to several initiatives, including the merger with the International Museum of Women and the creation of GFW’s Creativity and Innovation Committee. She also supported the development of GFW’s Artist Changemaker Program, which funds artists using art to build a more equitable world. Through these efforts, Amina has worked to amplify the voices of feminist artists and activists, ensuring that art becomes a powerful tool for resistance and social transformation.