Toronto, ON — June 2026 — The Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW) is happy to announce a new one-year national capacity-building project focused on developing an intersectional feminist AI strategy for Canadian Muslim women and building an effective leadership & mentorship pilot program to advance leadership opportunities for diverse Muslim women.
Funded by Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) through the Canadian Women’s Foundation, the project aims at strengthening CCMW’s capacity in response to emerging AI challenges and leadership opportunities impacting Muslim and racialized women across Canada.
This funding comes at a critical time when women’s rights organizations throughout Canada are addressing urgent needs, while advancing long-term systems change. A total of 34 organizations across Canada were selected to receive grant funding and the funded projects would help strengthen organizational sustainability, expand their impact, and adapt to a changing sector. Collectively, the projects will help shift laws, policies, and systems, advancing meaningful, long-term progress toward gender equality in Canada.
Priority was given to national, rights-based organizations working to advance gender equality through systems change—particularly those facing barriers to sustained funding.
CCMW’s AI For Good Project
As artificial intelligence continues to shape workplaces, education, communication, and everyday life, CCMW recognizes the urgent need to ensure Muslim and racialized women are well prepared and included in conversations about AI, its potential risks and harms.
Through this project, CCMW will develop an intersectional feminist AI Strategy that reflects Muslim and racialized women’s understanding of AI and serves as an actionable roadmap for the future.
With the quick-paced advancement of AI in many operational systems, the strategy will explore the impact it has on the everyday lives of Muslim and racialized women, exploring key issues including: integrated biases in AI systems and training data, ethical and equitable AI development, AI-related harms and misinformation, opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship using AI and building awareness, advocacy & policy engagement around AI.
A strategy consultation forum will be held in Toronto November 6 & 7 to engage Muslim women and CCMW allies to inform the development of the intersectional feminist AI strategy with plans to roll out the strategy to AI companies and policymakers working on AI safety and ethics in 2027.
Supporting the project is Dr. Wendy Cukier, founder, Diversity Institute at TMU and a leading voice on inclusive innovation and responsible AI. With 30+ years in technology and a PhD in Information Systems, Dr. Cukier’s research focuses on AI readiness, governance, digital inclusion, and equitable workforce participation — informing national AI skills frameworks and related policies across Canada.
CCMW’s Leadership & Mentorship Program
CCMW is also launching a pilot Leadership & Mentorship Program aimed at building sustainable leadership pathways and advancing opportunities for Muslim and racialized women within the organization and beyond.
Based on CCMW’s 2024 ASPIRE Study findings and recommendations, the program will focus on leadership development, mentorship, networking, sponsorship and succession planning for CCMW staff, board members, and chapter leaders.
Grounded in a reciprocal mentorship model, the initiative will centre both lived experience and professional expertise while fostering meaningful community connections and long-term organizational sustainability.
With virtual information sessions through the summer/fall, the program will offer experiential in-person learning workshops at the November 6-7 Toronto consultation forum with plans to launch a mentorship and leadership cohort in January 2027.
CCMW’s Leadership & Mentorship program will be steered by Dr. Golnaz Golnaraghi, founder, Accelerate Her Future, a leading career accelerator focused on advancing leadership and representation for Indigenous, Black, and racialized women.
Dr. Golnaraghi is an award-winning social entrepreneur, leadership educator, and equity and inclusion expert, with over 30 years of experience across corporate leadership, academia, and social innovation, who has developed transformational leadership and mentorship programs that bridge learning with real-world impact.
Together, these initiatives represent an important step toward strengthening diversity, equity, inclusion, innovation, and leadership opportunities for Muslim and racialized women across Canada.
For more information or to engage with CCMW’s capacity-building project, please visit our website www.ccmw.com or email capacitybuilding@ccmw.com
