Join us in welcoming our grantees to the Doria Feminist Fund community!
Doria launched the call for proposals for its fourth grantmaking cycle. The only feminist fund that provides direct grants to activists, led by and tailored for feminist activists, from the MENA region.
We’re proud to announce Doria’s 2024 Grantee Cohort:
Project A, Lebanon
The proposed research on GBV against elderly women in Lebanon is crucial for the MENA feminist movement as it addresses a significant gap in existing knowledge, focusing on the intersectionality of gender and age. By providing insights into the unique challenges faced by older women, the study promotes inclusive advocacy, empowering women of all ages. Overall, this project enhances the feminist movement's understanding and response to the diverse experiences of women, fostering a more comprehensive and inclusive approach to gender equality in the MENA region.
Haltek, Lebanon
HalTek, a non-profit organization, leverages technology to offer practical solutions and innovative ideas that tackle challenges faced by individuals with diverse abilities. Their primary focus is on enhancing health and education facilities, promoting gender equality for women with disabilities, and fostering inclusive communities for disability justice. Their vision strives for a society where individuals of all abilities have access to health and education facilities. They aim to provide women with disabilities equal opportunities and foster inclusive communities for disability justice.
Group A, Yemen
Raising awareness and education about deaf women's issues and rights, and providing support and assistance to deaf women in various aspects of their lives. They are working to develop innovative educational programs aimed at enhancing the skills of deaf women in areas such as sign language and effective communication, advocating for rights, and promoting legislation and policies that protect their rights and ensure their participation in the society. They are also providing legal support and counseling for deaf women facing legal challenges.
Group B, Palestine
Palestinian Jewelry Brand established in March 2021; dedicated to empowering women by advocating for their sexual health and rights. They are passionate about creating beautiful and meaningful jewelry pieces that serve as symbols of this mission. Each piece is designed with the intention of sparking conversation and promoting awareness about important women's health issues. They believe that by wearing their jewelry, women can feel confident, proud, and empowered, while also making a statement about the importance of reproductive rights and access to healthcare.
Group D, Jordan
Group E is a non-profit organization that empowers females; girls and women, through football. They work to shift the mindset and the stereotypes and cultural norms that assume that football is a male-dominated game only. The approach is to transform the schools’ yards into a well-equipped sports venue at girls' public schools across Jordan while providing safe space and proper football training to the ongoing generation.
Group C, Syria
They are raising awareness, educating, and empowering young women and girls in the MENA region about digital blackmail, highlighting its dangers, the legal framework for protection and action, and the available support systems. They are working on a three-episode social media show (reels style) designed to explain blackmailing and provide actionable advice on how to fight back and a Booklet offering detailed guidance on the legal avenues and support mechanisms available for victims of digital blackmail in the MENA region.
Kurdish Feminist Collective, Iraq
A feminist group and collective that aims to form an important collective focusing on the rights of Kurdish women as part of a stateless nation. The team aims to expand the feminist struggle by emphasizing the language, culture, politics and social rights of Kurdish women living in this geography. The are raising awareness of women's rights in a social, cultural and political context by bringing together their individual work in feminist ethnography and biography.
Baddi Bisklet, Syria
A women's team that are seeking to promote a cycling culture among women and girls in the North and East of Syria. Their goal is to fight societal traditions that consider cycling by women as flawed and unacceptable. They believe in the importance of empowering women and motivating them to acquire bicycle skills as a means of mobility and independence. ‘’Darb Al Horriya – درب الحرية’’ – Freedom Path is a project aiming to encourage women to exercise and cycle as a means of achieving personal and environmental empowerment and combating violence against women.
Yemen Peace Window, Yemen
The platform Yemen Peace Window, started as a cultural idea to enhance the role of women in the cultural aspect, but due to the high severity of massive violations against women, they decided to advocate for the most vulnerable women and girls. Using digital aspects and technology is one of their priorities, they are helping in spreading the WeRise application, which helps children and adults to understand the feminist concepts in a simplified and smooth manner. They are conducting a training on digital security and advocacy for protection from blackmailing and educating girls about their rights.
Recover, Lebanon
With a current focus on mental health, members of Recover came together to establish a youth-led initiative whose mission is to address health disparities and inequity prevalent in the region, through a feminist intersectional lens, especially due to discrimination based on factors such as sexuality and gender. They acknowledge that mental health is impacted by structural factors and is inherently socio-ecological in nature – thus, their aim is to intervene not only at the individual level, but also at the community, organizational, systemic, and policy level.
Psychologia Group, Iraq:
They are conducting a study to explore factors associated with GBV, including individual, relationship, societal, and community-level factors. They are examining how experiencing GBV influences the mental health of the victims. The study will also aim to explore the mediating role of social support on the association between GBV and mental health problems.
Synergy Association for Victims, Syria:
Synergy Association for Victims is a non-governmental, non-profit association, aimed at seeking justice for the victims of conflict in Syria, through empowering them to represent themselves, claim their rights, actively participate in accountability efforts, and achieve justice. Synergy was founded on March 11, 2021, by a group of Syrian victims, and it adopts the community-based approach to organize the victims and survivors, enhance their capabilities, and engage them in shaping plans and policies, as well as implementing activities in order to reveal the truth, accountably, and accomplish justice.
Jin w Jinga, Iraq:
They are working on a documentary film, "Dust," that aims to shed light on the effects of climate change on women’s health, with a specific focus on breast and uterine cancer as well as pregnancy-related issues. By examining how environmental factors account for these health problems, they are seeking to raise awareness about the role of environmental pollutants in the development of these women’s health issues. Moreover, they are planning to share the case studies and stories of courageous women who have endured these challenges and highlight the societal obstacles they face.
Jeem, Lebanon:
Jeem are working on producing and publishing two serialized podcasts, on the themes of Queer Courage in Times of War, and Feminist and Queer Erotica bel Arabi. The two podcasts are a pilot phase of a Queer Feminist Serialized Podcast Channel, which Jeem intends to launch in 2025. Jeem intends to look through an intersectional feminist lens, to amplify marginalized voices that are often overlooked, especially in light of the anti-feminist backlash, authoritarian regimes, wars and conflicts that are taking place in many countries in the region.
Group D, Turkey:
They are working on a documentary miniseries that challenges the conventional molds, offering an unfiltered view of the lived experiences of these individuals. The documentary's central tenet is the artful use of storytelling and creativity as forms of protest and self-expression. Through art, painting, dance, and dialogue, the project emphasizes that the power of artistic expression knows no boundaries. It underscores that everyone, regardless of their background, has the right to wield art as a means of conveying their stories and asserting their identity.
Sustainable Stitch, Lebanon:
A group of women activists who have come together to support and uplift GBV survivors and individuals from the LGBTQ community. Their primary focus is on providing them with training in sewing and upcycling, equipping them with valuable skills that can lead to economic independence and personal empowerment. Having successfully conducted the training program, they are now actively working on designing projects that showcase the creativity and craftsmanship of their participants.
Green Dream, Iraq:
The knowledge product, titled "#Science4AIDS Awareness Initiative," is an animation video that is part of the Green Dream's initiative to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS. With a focus on education and advocacy, the video aims to disseminate important information about HIV, its transmission, prevention, and destigmatize misconceptions surrounding the virus. The creative expression of the animation is designed to engage a wide audience, making complex scientific information accessible and engaging.
Group E, Yemen:
The role of Group E is to rehabilitate, educate and empower women, to have an actual presence in the cultural and intellectual scene through activities on rehabilitation and discussion in intellectual spaces as well as qualitative training in the fields of story and novel writing and the creation of audiovisual content that aims to shed a light on the suffering of women and their lack of presence in many sectors of society.
Masbough/a, Lebanon:
Masbough/a began in 2021 as a small collective practicing and reviving methods of textile dyeing from around our regions and preserving stories around plants, land and the intersections through hands-on workshops, writing and storytelling.
Group F, Algeria:
Group F is a budding feminist organization aiming to create a collective space for feminist initiatives that challenge societal sexism and work towards a fairer, less violent world for women. The organization focuses on supporting other feminist groups in Algeria by providing legal and psychological assistance, as well as organizing self-care and well-being spaces for feminist activists and women human rights defenders.
Group G, Egypt:
Group G is an initiative, established in 2017. It empowers girls and women to write about their challenges, particularly violence and rights violations. They provide a platform for expressing their experiences through reports, articles, videos, and infographics, addressing unspoken issues without restriction. In the upcoming period, they are training a new generation of girls in journalism and feminist content production through theoretical workshops and practical exposure.
In December 2023, Doria launched the call for proposals for its third grantmaking cycle. The only feminist fund that provides direct grants to activists, led by and tailored for feminist activists, from the MENA region.
We’re proud to announce Doria’s 2024 Grantee Cohort:
Group A, Lebanon
Group A, is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing support and empowering teenage girls who are incarcerated in prisons across Beirut. Their mission is to elevate the lives of these girls by providing them with access to education, sports facilities, food banks, and healthcare support, with the ultimate goal of reducing recidivism rates and improving their chances of reintegration into society.
Group B, Lebanon
“Transcending the future, our narrative, our story” is a knowledge product in the form of a manifesto that navigates envisioning the future of the trans community from a trans lens. This knowledge product challenges the assumption of stagnation and lack of imagined future within the trans community through highlighting the community’s creativity and mobilizing in reclaiming the agency and narrative to shape our futures both individually and collectively.
Project A, Palestine
Building on the rich plethora of documentation of the Palestinian experience, The Palestine Before documentary knowledge product captures the voices, experiences and histories of the last generation of Palestinians, specifically Palestinian women who witnessed the promise of liberation that was sweeping the world at the time. Through intergenerational conversations, the film aims to empower communities to have important and emotional conversations about displacement, belonging, and sense of home. These family stories are compiled to document the collective struggle and resistance of the Palestinian people - teasing out nuances, similarities and differences of experience.
Group C, Egypt
A cultural experience in the Minya Governorate, Mallawi Center, and the village of Al-Barsha, established in 2014as an independent cultural team aiming for social change against misconceptions, spreading artistic awareness, and maintaining a close relationship with the audience. It also seeks to preserve folk heritage and dialect by presenting traditional songs in street performances, influencing rural communities by spreading the arts, convincing them of artistic talents, providing opportunities for talents, and showcasing them in the artistic scene beyond the village.
Group D, Jordan
Group E is a non-profit organization that empowers females; girls and women, through football. They work to shift the mindset and the stereotypes and cultural norms that assume that football is a male-dominated game only. The approach is to transform the schools’ yards into a well-equipped sports venue at girls' public schools across Jordan while providing safe space and proper football training to the ongoing generation.
Group E, Syria
They will produce two episodes with a queer feminist illustrated content within the program "Mujandara" worked on by the Seen for Sexual and Gender Justice.
The first episode aims to shed light on the reality of trans individuals in Syria from an intersectional queer feminist perspective. The episode discusses various aspects of persecution and marginalization faced by trans individuals inside Syria, emphasizing the need to change the approach of civil society organizations and feminist organizations working within Syria to achieve a broader inclusivity in their programs for the trans community.
The second episode will focus on genderqueerness and the legal and social reality of queer individuals in Syria. The episode will discuss historical perspectives and the historical presence of gender queer individuals in the West Asia and North Africa region. From a contemporary scientific and legal perspective, the episodes aim to dismantle stigmatizing concepts resulting from performative discourse throughout history about genderqueer individuals.
Group F, Lebanon
As a sexual and reproductive health counselor, a sex educator, and a gender, sex, and relationship diversity therapist who works mostly with women, trans, and gender diverse individuals, their focus as a therapist will be to intersect all these through their work so that people have space to get intersectional psychotherapy that understands and validates their intersectional identities and experiences, with a holistic understanding of the pressures that one goes through in our societies and communities. Their service is based on my personal work and experience.
Group G, Sudan
Group G: is a voluntary, non-governmental women's youth initiative that works to raising awareness and building the capabilities of girls between the ages of 12-30 years. They are a new group of girls whose families came from conflict areas from South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Darfur.
Their mothers’ work is unorganized and informal in sector such as tea, food sellers and street vendors. In light of the political and economic fluctuations in Sudan, the renewal of conflicts, and the lack of awareness of the basic rights of the segment of young girls and adults, they are girls and sisters engaging and serving these grassroots groups in order to ensure the continuity of the feminist struggle towards Rights.
Salamat Algeria, Algeria
The "Salamat" group in Algeria aims to increase public awareness, especially among women, about digital safety and capacity-building for women, youth, civil society, and activists in particular. Therefore, through close collaboration with local partners, the "Public Health" program adopts an approach to address risks and online violence, especially gender-based digital violence. The activities include media campaign, training and awareness sessions, digital clinics, technical support, as well as psychological and social support.
Sarah Kaddoura (Haki Nasawi), MENA region
"Haki Nasawi" is a video channel focus on knowledge production around feminist theory, movements and socio-economic issues of women and impoverished/marginalized communities. Videos focus on creating accessible and engaging material that deconstructs and critically discusses questions around the patriarchy, women's oppression and feminist movement building. It builds on the accumulated knowledge production and organizing of the region, and uses theoretical frameworks, history and past/present debates in accessible Arabic language.
Projet B, Egypt:
This project will contribute to 3 knowledge products:
1- A situation analysis on the impacts and experiences of being part of the LGBTQ+ community and working in civic and political rights in the MENA region.
2- A research paper on the impact of climate change on the accessibility of women in the MENA region to sexual and reproductive health services, including safe.
3- Create a monthly podcast managed by RAWSA to shed light on the experiences and stories of women rights' defenders, including climate and LGBTQ+ activists in the region. The podcast will highlight their challenges, achievements, and/or goals.
Haven for Artists, Lebanon
Haven for Artists (H4A) is a cultural feminist non-profit organization based in Beirut, Lebanon. Working at the intersection of art and activism, Haven provides a physical and digital platform that supports, connects and equips marginalized artists and activists. Haven focuses on collaborations and community led programs, offering free workshops and cultural events that center knowledge production rooted in intersectional feminist thinking and decolonial practices. Haven combines creative and humanitarian methods to facilitate a safe space for the exchange of knowledge, tools, and skills in-order to create a more just world.
Oumayma Jabnouni, Tunisia
Through this grant, their activities are aiming to enhance the skills of activists, advocates, feminist, queer and environmentalists in Integral Security including digital security, physical security, psychological resilience, and mental health and legal-knowledge.
Trans Dynamics, Morocco
Trans Dynamics (TD) is an unregistered, grassroots, not-for-profit organization by and for transgender, gender diverse, and intersex individuals. Trans Dynamics was created in 2018 to mobilize transgender, gender diverse, and intersex individuals in Morocco in leading their own struggle against all forms of violence and structural oppression based on gender identity and gender expression and it is the first and only trans-specific organization based in Morocco.
Al Manar Society for Culture and Creativity, Palestine
Al Manar Society works for Improving the lives of refugee women and marginalized groups to have education, health awareness and empowerment and increasing awareness within camps and marginalized areas in Palestine specifically the city of Bethlehem.
Project C, Lebanon
The project is to equip a women's studio in Baalbek with equipment for filming and audio recording. Additionally, they will provide a safe space for women in Baalbek to discuss, meet and consult on feminist issues and providing them with communication technologies and fast internet to facilitate communication and cooperation.
Group H, Palestine
Group H is a new initiative aimed at empowering and uplifting an overlooked population in Palestinian communities - educated women, ages 22 –32. Group H is offering a 36-month leadership and economic empowerment project to meet the social, civic, and religious needs of university-educated women from Palestinian cities, villages, and refugee camps, and providing them with a platform for interfaith citizenship, professional development, peer support, and leadership training.
In August 2022, Doria launched the call for proposals for its second grantmaking cycle. The only feminist fund that provides direct grants to activists, led by and tailored for feminist activists, from the MENA region.
We’re proud to announce Doria’s 2023 Grantee Cohort:
Tanit, Tunisia
Tanit Feminist Association was founded in 2015 in the city of Meknassi in the governorate of Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia. Its mission is to support in creating a decentralized feminist movement, resist all forms of violence against women and support the victims and survivors of violence.
Jeyetik, Lebanon
It was founded in 2020 in the city of Beirut by a group of Lebanese girls who came together to make a change. Today it distributes free pads and raise awareness to over +200 Lebanese girls. In addition to implementing independent projects focusing on abused women shelters, migrant workers and Syrian refugees.
Group B, Morocco
Group B is a feminist Collective focuses on individual freedom and gender inequalities. It advocates for a legal framework change that subverts the current inequalities and discrimination. They will conduct a survey that sheds light on the sexual life of young Moroccan girls aged between 15 and 24 years old, from different localities, rural and urban areas in the country.
Group C, Lebanon
It’s mission is empowering women by placing them on the path of social leadership. They support transgender women and refugee queers through workshops and sessions in mental health, drama therapy…
Group D, Lebanon
The project aims to develop a feminist library in the Bekaa Region (Baalbak-Hermel), in addition to a series of workshops and a feminist online zine that is necessary for women in Lebanon, whether Lebanese, refugees, domestic workers or queer.
Kayan Foundation for Peace and Development, Yemen
Kayan's activity started as an initiative in 2012 in Yemen through a group of young girls. It’s mission is to empower women to become transformative leaders at a local and national level, protecting and promoting women's human and civil rights in Yemen, and breaking down social and institutional barriers to gender equality.
Group E, Yemen
Based in Yemen, this group’s mission is to enhance the safety, security and psychological care of women and girls, LGBTQI+ people, vulnerable groups by defending their rights and amplifying their voices.
Asrar Benjouia (Individual), Tunisia
She is a feminist and human rights defender. She will develop an initiative to create a safe space for women to express cases of harassment, violence and electronic blackmail to which they have been subjected to in the presence of a psychologist.
Individual, Tunisia
She is an artist engraver, painter, video performer of Tunisian origin and a cultural mediator at the Terra Rossa Lab collective. She has participated in film festivals in France, Lisbon and Tunisia. She will conduct an anthropological artistic research on immigrant women.
Group F, Tunisia
Group F was founded in 2017 in Tunisia by a group of transgender folks. It’s mission is to amplify and connect voices that promote social and environmental justice, challenge power imbalances, and provide capacity support to transient and Transgender women, in addition to improving research on health care, especially on HIV/AIDS.
Budour Alabid (Individual), Iraq
Will develop a RAW Cast Podcast where A series of video & Audio podcasts are presented on social media and on the podcast platform. This podcast will act as a platform for Iraqi women to share their stories.
Jeyetna, Lebanon
Jeyetna is an intersectional feminist collective fighting for menstrual rights and equity in Lebanon. Jeyetna strives to bring a substantial change by breaking the persistent taboo about periods. They are a group of 10 women and trans folks who tackle Period Poverty in a holistic way through product distribution, awareness, and education.
Group G, Syria
The group includes 175 women all over the world. The main objective of the project is to strengthen the capacity of marginalized women in Gaziantep, prevent, mitigate, and change stereotypes of women role and build their capacity.
Group H, Palestine
It began as an idea to create an alternative space for local women artists to work and collaborate, but also to have access to relevant resources, an open recording studio, music production equipment and workshops. The groundwork was laid between 2018 to 2019 to fill a gap that was missing in the local music scene in Palestine, for young artists and women in particular.
Group I, Algeria
Group I’s Project was born on January 1, 2020, it consists of making an inventory of feminicides in Algeria, making them visible, analyzing them, as well as proposing preventive measures. There is also a section on information and awareness on this issue in society. The fund will help the Group in publishing a study report on the feminicides in Algeria.
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’re proud to announce Doria’s 2022 Grantee Cohort:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
