Doria Feminist Fund

What Doria Feminist Fund does

Doria Feminist Fund (DFF) is a MENA-based non-profit feminist fund launched on March 8, 2021, by Egyptian activist Mozn Hassan and seeded by the dedication of the 2016 Right Livelihood Award jointly received by Hassan and Nazra for Feminist Studies. DFF is the first feminist fund originating from and tailored to the Middle East and North Africa region, providing flexible, long-term grantmaking alongside a holistic accompaniment program to feminist groups and organizations — including unregistered and emerging collectives that lack access to conventional funding resources.

DFF operates five core programs: Core Funding for emerging groups (up to $10,000), Project Funds, Knowledge Production Funds, Emergency Response Grants, and an Accompaniment Programme offering managerial coaching, digital security training, and convening spaces. Grants are distributed through annual open calls accepting applications in Arabic, English, and French. By Cycle 5 in 2025, DFF had received 596 applications from 19 countries and disbursed $1.46M across 78 grants in 13 countries, with allocation spread across Core Grants (42%), Project Support (35%), Recognition grants (11%), Knowledge Production (8%), and Emergency Response (4%). DFF is a member of the Prospera INWF network alongside Global Fund for Women, Mama Cash, FRIDA, Urgent Action Fund, Equality Fund, Astraea Foundation, and Mediterranean Women's Fund.

The organization is governed by a volunteer board chaired by Lina Abou-Habib (Director of the Asfari Institute at AUB), with day-to-day operations handled by a small team of feminist consultants (1–10 employees total). Beyond grantmaking, DFF produces knowledge products including the Collective Care Collaborative Advocacy Toolkit, a Psychosocial Support Manual, and combined Lebanon-Syria climate change impact research. The fund's business model is donor-funded philanthropy: it mobilizes resources from international women's funds and re-grants to feminist movements, with no commercial revenue, pricing model, or technology product.

Name

Doria Feminist Fund

Legal name

Doria Feminist Fund

Website

https://doriafeministfund.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Doria Feminist Fund is a MENA-based non-profit feminist fund launched in 2021 that provides flexible grantmaking and accompaniment programs to feminist groups and organizations across the Middle East and North Africa, with a focus on emerging and unregistered collectives that lack access to conventional funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Feminist Philanthropy and Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN), Trust Funds & Multi-Donor Pooled Funds (BPADAOAE)

Keywords

• Feminist grantmaking
• Women's rights funding
• Philanthropic grantmaking
• MENA grant programs
• Feminist collective support

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Disbursements: DFF mobilizes financial resources from a wide range of funders and distributes grants to feminist groups and organizations across the MENA region. The fund provides flexible, long-term support through various grant types including Core Funding, Project Funds, Knowledge Production Funds, and Emergency Response Grants.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Doria Feminist Fund provides flexible, multi-year financial grants to feminist groups, collectives, and activists across the MENA region. Its grantmaking is delivered through five structured programmes — Core Funding, Project Funds, Knowledge Production Funds, Emergency Response Grants, and an Accompaniment Programme — alongside an annual recognition award, "To Want and To Dare."

Product overview

Doria Feminist Fund operates as a feminist grantmaking organization offering five distinct funding programs: Core Funding for Emerging Groups, Project Funds, Knowledge Production Funds, Emergency Response Grants, and an Accompaniment Programme. The fund provides flexible, long-term financial support and capacity building tailored for feminist activists and groups across the MENA region, with a focus on new and emerging organizations that lack access to conventional funding resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Core Funding programme Flexible, multi-year core (unrestricted) grants provided to MENA-based feminist groups and collectives to support their organisational sustainability and movement building.
• Project Funds Grants that support specific, time-bound projects led by feminist organizations in the MENA region.
• Knowledge Production Funds Grants funding the production of feminist research, analysis, publications, and other knowledge outputs relevant to women's rights in the MENA region.
• Emergency Response Grant Rapid-response grant funding available to feminist groups and activists facing urgent threats, security incidents, or acute operational needs.
• Accompaniment Programme Non-financial accompaniment offering capacity-building, mentoring, and movement-level support to feminist grantees beyond direct grant disbursement.
• To Want and To Dare Award An annual recognition award presented by Doria Feminist Fund to acknowledge contributors to MENA feminist movements.

Quantifiable outcome

• 596 applications received from 19 countries in 2025 cycle
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Women Have WingscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 January 2022Collaboration on the annual 'To Want and To Dare' awards ceremony. Women Have Wings partnered with DFF to hold the first celebration for this annual award event honoring feminist activists in the MENA region.
• Nazra for Feminist StudiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnected through founder Mozn Hassan who is also the founder of Nazra for Feminist Studies. Nazra received the Right Livelihood Award in 2016, and the decision was made to dedicate the totality of this award to the creation of DFF.
• Prospera INWF (International Women's Fund)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDFF is a member of Prospera INWF, a network of women's funds that resourcing feminist movements in the MENA region including Palestine, Israel, and neighboring countries. Prospera INWF members have supported 349 groups amounting to $7.6M USD in the region.
• Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship (AUB)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnected through Board Chair Lina Abou-Habib who serves as Director of the Asfari Institute at American University of Beirut.
• Collective for Research and Training for Development - Action (CRTD.A)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnected through Board Chair Lina Abou-Habib who serves as Chair of CRTD.A and previously served as Director.
• Gender at WorkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard member Lina Abou-Habib serves as Board Member for Gender at Work.
• Women's Fund AsiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnected through Board Member Kishani Cader who serves as Director of Finance, Compliance and Operations at Women's Fund Asia.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Prospera International Network of Women's Funds: Network of women's funds resourcing feminist movements in MENA (including Palestine, Israel, and neighboring countries); DFF is a member fund. Directly comparable mission and beneficiary base, with shared funding infrastructure.
• Global Fund for Women: One of the world's largest feminist grantmakers; co-funder of DFF through Prospera INWF. Highly comparable business model (grantmaking + accompaniment), with overlapping LBTQ+ and MENA grantees and shared donor ecosystem.
• Mama Cash: International women's fund supporting feminist, women's, and trans* groups worldwide. Co-funds DFF via Prospera INWF; comparable model of unrestricted core grants plus capacity-building accompaniment.
• Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism: Rapid-response feminist grantmaker offering emergency grants to activists facing security threats — directly overlapping with DFF's Emergency Response grant line and serving a similar cohort of WHRDs globally.
• Equality Fund: Global fund advancing gender equality through movement grantmaking. Connected to DFF via Prospera INWF and via DFF board member Remie Abi-Farrage (former Equality Fund Senior Program Officer).
• FRIDA - The Young Feminist Fund: Funds young feminist organizing globally via flexible core grants; one of the Prospera INWF co-funders of DFF. Highly comparable open-call model and target cohort (emerging feminist groups, including in MENA).
• Astraea Foundation: Philanthropy foundation supporting LGBTQI+ and feminist movements globally — direct overlap with DFF's LBTQ+ grantee portfolio and one of DFF's Prospera INWF co-funders.
• Mediterranean Women's Fund: Regional women's fund supporting feminist movements across the Mediterranean basin — directly comparable geographic scope, grantmaking model, and Prospera INWF membership.

Broad incumbents

• Open Society Foundations: Large incumbent human rights funder that operates wide regional programs across MENA on women's and LGBTQ+ rights — overlaps DFF's mission but as part of a much broader portfolio; represents both a major potential co-funder and an alternative channel for MENA feminist funding.

Regional players

• Women's Fund Asia: Regional women's fund covering South and Southeast Asia with an operational model (core grants, accompaniment, knowledge) closely mirroring DFF's; has governance overlap via DFF board member Kishani Cader (Director of Finance, Compliance and Operations).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DoriaFund
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCNSvLSWnrnRwWqVGY6L2Uxg
• Facebookfacebook.com/doriafeministfund
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/doria-feminist-fund
• Instagraminstagram.com/doriafeministfund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Doria Feminist Fund