Hakima Abbas is the co-founder and co-Executive Director of the Black Feminist Fund, a global feminist fund dedicated to significantly increasing the resources available to Black feminist movements in the Americas, the Middle East, Africa and Europe.

Hakima is an African feminist who has been active in social movements for two decades. Trained in international affairs, her work as a policy analyst, popular educator, advocate and strategist has focused on strengthening and supporting movements for transformation. She is the previous co-Executive Director of AWID, a global feminist movement support and membership organization, and the former Executive Director of Fahamu, a pan-African movement support organization.

Hakima is the author and co-editor of various articles and publications. She was on the editorial collective of The Feminist Wire and is a member of the Jang! collective that provides popular education tools, platforms and accompaniment to activists working for radical transformation. She has served as a board member to a range of organizations including Greenpeace Africa, the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation Eastern Africa and the African Sex Workers Alliance, and in advisory roles to several donor initiatives. Hakima was a member of the Civil Society Advisory Committee of the Generation Equality Forum, a member of the advisory group of the UN High-Level Taskforce on Financing for Gender Equality and of the strategic planning advisory group of the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women

Leanne (she/her) is a Senior Policy Analyst in Human Rights and Inclusion with Global Affairs Canada and lead coordinator of Canada’s LGBTQ2I International Assistance Program. Her professional background includes 15 years providing policy and programming expertise in human rights, gender equality, human rights and social inclusion with a range of international development partners from government donors, to multilateral institutions, to international NGOs, to community-based organizations. Her geographical experience includes work in Ethiopia, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Myanmar, Haiti, and Senegal. A long-time human rights advocate, Leanne is passionate about working alongside marginalized communities to support their protection, empowerment, equity and healing justice. She is the proud mom of two Haitian street dogs and a rescue pug, and is currently based in Morocco.

Matthew (Matty) joined as Director of the Global Philanthropy Project in 2015, leading the efforts of an organization internationally recognized as the primary thought leader and go-to partner for philanthropic and development coordination of global LGBTI work. Founder and Principal of the Paris-based Lafayette Practice, Hart has previously served as Senior Strategist for Europe for Funders Concerned about AIDS and National Director for Public Engagement at Solutions for Progress, a US-based social enterprise.

Hart also serves as the President of the Board of Directors of the Calamus Foundation (DE), and has previously served as a member of the Mediterranean Women’s Fund, The Civil Marriage Collaborative, a board member of Funders for LGBTQ Issues, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, Philadelphia’s Sustainable Business Network, and The Leeway Foundation; and the community funding board of Bread & Roses Fund. A Jonathan Lax Academic Fellow. Hart helped found the Susan Treadwell Memorial Fund and Fellowships at Ariadne. Hart received degrees in Urban Studies and Cultural Anthropology from Temple University.

Ezra Berkley Nepon is the Senior Program Officer for Knowledge and Learning at Global Philanthropy Project and joined GPP in 2015. Ezra coordinates GPP’s research development, is the primary author of the Global Resources Report, and supports GPP’s communications and development.

Ezra previously served as Director of Grassroots Fundraising for Sylvia Rivera Law Project, and Development Coordinator for the William Way LGBT Community Center, and co-authored reports including “Who Decides: How Participatory Grantmaking Benefits Donors, Communities, and Movements” with The Lafayette Practice. They are the author of two books – most recently, Dazzle Camouflage: Spectacular Theatrical Strategies for Resistance and Resilience, and a recipient of the 2014 Leeway Foundation Transformation Award. Currently, Ezra is a board member of the Leeway Foundation, and an active member of Jewish Voice for Peace. Ezra received an M.A. Degree from Goddard College in Transformative Language Arts.

Jabu is South African, he was born in 1971 at peak of Apartheid and state oppression against black south Africans. Jabu proudly identifies as an African trans man. In 2012 he founded an organization called Iranti, an LBQ, T and I led organization. Jabu stepped down in 2022 as founding director. Jabu holds a masters degree in the arts from New York University. He is the Senior Program Officer, at AJWS overseeing an institutional strengthening program for Trans and Intersex organizations.

Dave Scamell is GPP’s Senior Consulting Advisor for Government Relations and Field Engagement, and has been working with GPP since 2018. Dave oversees GPP’s engagement with the world’s leading government and multilateral donors, providing them with the resources and tools necessary to increase the amount and quality of their global LGBTI funding provided through development assistance programming. He also plays a leading role in GPP’s work identifying and highlighting key issues impacting the global LGBTI funding landscape and providing donor governments, philanthropic foundations and civil society with the evidence needed to address such issues.

Dave has more than 20 years’ experience in human rights and public health advocacy, policy, programming and philanthropy, having worked with civil society organizations to advance the rights of marginalized communities in 27 countries across the world. He has held management and strategic leadership roles in leading non-government organizations, private foundations, and global networks in New York and Sydney, with strong experience and a passion for working with multiple stakeholders—advocates, service providers, donors, policymakers, thought-leaders—to achieve impactful social change. Dave holds a Master in International Human Rights Law (with honors) from the University of Essex and a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts (Politics and International Relations) from the University of New South Wales.