April 2026 – March 2027
Funded by Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) through the Canadian Women’s Foundation
Muslim and racialized women have told CCMW, through years of community engagement and CCMW’s own ASPIRE research, what stands between them and full leadership, employment, and economic participation – barriers that are structural, and often invisible to those who don’t face them. This project is CCMW’s response.
Funded as part of a national initiative supporting 34 organizations across Canada, this project strengthens CCMW’s ability to build leadership capacity, adapt to a changing sector, and ensure Muslim and racialized women are aware of and actively part of the AI and digital transformation reshaping workplaces and institutions.
The National Capacity Building Project focuses on leadership development, ethical innovation, and long-term organizational sustainability, and is broken down into three main parts: AI for Good, Leadership and Mentorship Development, and Governance & Sustainability.
About the Project
The National Capacity Building Project brings together three key areas of work:
- Developing an intersectional feminist approach to artificial intelligence
- Expanding leadership and mentorship opportunities for Muslim and racialized women
- Strengthening governance systems
PROJECT FOCUS AREA 1
AI for Good: Ethical and Inclusive Technology
CCMW is developing a feminist, intersectional AI strategy to better understand how artificial intelligence affects Muslim and racialized women—and how it can be used safely, ethically, and effectively.
PROJECT CONSULTANT
Dr. Wendy Cukier – Founder and Academic Director, Diversity Institute, Toronto Metropolitan University
Dr. Wendy Cukier is the Founder and Academic Director of the Diversity Institute at Toronto Metropolitan University, where she leads cross-sector research on inclusive innovation, workforce development, and responsible technology adoption.
Her work focuses on AI governance and adoption, including AI readiness, skills development, digital inclusion, and the ethical deployment of AI systems. She has published widely on barriers to AI adoption—such as the “AI Paradox”—and has contributed to national AI skills frameworks and strategies to strengthen AI literacy and innovation capacity across Canada.
Members of Dr. Cukier’s team also serve on our Advisory Committee.
PROJECT FOCUS AREA 2
Leadership & Mentorship Development
Muslim and racialized women told CCMW, through the ASPIRE Study, that mentorship alone hasn’t been enough to move their careers forward — what’s often missing is sponsorship: real access to networks, opportunities, and decision-making spaces. In response, CCMW is launching a 1-year Leadership & Mentorship Pilot Program, developed in partnership with Dr. Golnaz Golnaraghi of Accelerate Her Future. Built on a reciprocal model, the program brings mentorship, sponsorship, and peer community together to support Muslim and racialized women’s leadership advancement, while building a lasting network of mentors, sponsors, and advocates for the community.
PROJECT CONSULTANT
Dr. Golnaz Golnaraghi – Founder of Accelerate Her Future
Dr. Golnaz Golnaraghi is an award-winning social impact leader and Founder of Accelerate Her Future, one of Canada’s leading career accelerators supporting Indigenous, Black, and racialized women in business and STEM. With experience spanning corporate leadership, academia, and social impact, she brings a multidisciplinary approach to mentorship, sponsorship, and leadership development.
Members of Dr. Golnaraghi’s team also serve on our Advisory Committee.
3. Governance & Sustainability
CCMW is reviewing and strengthening its governance policies and fundraising strategies to ensure long-term organizational sustainability and impact.
Meet the Advisory Committee Guiding the Project
Our advisory committee brings together leaders, researchers, educators, and community advocates from across Canada – including members of our consultants’ teams and independent experts in gender equity, AI, and women’s rights.
AI for good
Samar leads partnership and research engagement at the Diversity Institute, bringing seven years of expertise in equity-focused evaluation, policy, and systems change — grounded in her lived experience as a Black Muslim immigrant woman.
AI for good
Dr. Elmi leads multi-stakeholder research at the intersection of technology, equity, and economic inclusion, with a PhD in Information Systems and deep expertise in digital inclusion and AI governance.
Mentorship
Natasha leads facilitation of AHF's Fellowship Circle mentorship program, having connected over 300 racialized women with 180 mentors across seven cohorts — achieving a 97% Net Promoter Score in 2025.
Project Volunteer
Naba Siddiqui is the Technical Founder of Poket, a last-mile intelligence platform used in 30+ countries to power data collection for climate, agriculture, and humanitarian programs. With 10+ years in digital transformation, she also consults on Cybersecurity and AI in Canada's public and finance sectors.
Project Volunteer
Zeeniya Waseem is a researcher and advocate working at the intersection of gender, religion, and development, with experience at Musawah, Plan International Canada, and the UNHCR. She most recently served as a Research and Learning Fellow with YCI's HerStart Program in Zanzibar and holds an Honours BA from the University of Toronto.
Independent
An Associate Professor of News, Social Media, and Public Communication at SFU's School of Communication, Dr. Al-Rawi founded and directs the Disinformation Project, with research spanning misinformation, global communication, and social media dynamics across Canada and the Middle East.
Independent
A Research and Evaluation Associate at MediaSmarts and Research Associate at Carleton University's CHORUS lab, Khadija holds an MCS from Carleton and brings deep expertise in online privacy, security, and the spread of antagonistic content online — including the privacy implications of AI for disadvantaged and vulnerable communities.
Independent
A multidisciplinary researcher with a BSc in Computer Science from UBC and an MA in Russian Affairs from the University of Toronto, Nafeesa has worked across six countries with Digital Public Square, bridging public opinion, online communities, and international policy at the intersection of digital culture and politics.
Independent
A strategic leader with 15+ years in infrastructure, energy, and capital programs, Anam brings engineering expertise, sustainability leadership, and a track record of uniting diverse partners to drive measurable community impact.
Independent
A Policy Analyst at Memorial University's EDI office, Shazia brings over a decade of feminist and human rights advocacy spanning Pakistan and Canada, including legislative reform work and gender-based violence programming.
Independent
A licensed Quebec lawyer currently with the Department of Justice, Asiyah's lived experience as a visibly Muslim woman in Quebec drives her commitment to legal equity and rights protection for Muslim women in Canada.
Independent
A senior executive with nearly two decades across Canada's public sector and top consulting firms, Ishma founded an EDI Centre of Excellence and brings governance expertise, public policy insight, and lived experience to the design of AI strategy for racialized women.
Independent
With 15+ years of global experience across the World Bank, OECD, and APEC, Marwa leads research on inclusive economic growth and has authored policy papers on gender equity and the economic potential of underrepresented groups.
Independent
An Associate Professor in Engineering at TMU and Director of the NSERC CREATE program on Responsible AI, Dr. Ensan's research focuses on trustworthy AI in high-stakes settings including biomedical applications.
Independent
Waeza S. Afzal is a Toronto-based public policy professional with over a decade of experience advancing governance, equity, and stakeholder engagement across the public, regulatory, and non-profit sectors.
Learn more about this project
Questions or Interested in Getting Involved?
If you would like to learn more about CCMW’s National Capacity Building Project, please contact us at capacitybuilding@ccmw.com
