Proteus Fund is proud to announce that Rana Elmir will serve as its next Vice President of Programs (VPP). In this role, she will lead Proteus’ four donor collaboratives: Piper Fund, RISE Together Fund (RTF), the Rights, Faith & Democracy Collaborative (RFDC), and the Solidarity Collaborative. She will also oversee its other programmatic efforts and supports for grantee partners, including the Grantee Safety and Security Fund (GSSF), one of the first funds in philanthropy dedicated to addressing the urgent safety and security and health and wellness needs of frontline movement organizations.
“On behalf of myself and the rest of Proteus Fund’s senior team, we are thrilled to have Rana’s experience and vision in helping to write our next chapter,” said President and CEO Amar Singh. “With her long history of impactful social change activism and deep understanding of the roles philanthropy can play in advancing inclusive, representative democracy, I am fully confident that Rana will guide our programs toward even greater impact.”
Rana joined Proteus Fund in 2022 as the program director for RISE Together Fund and RISE Together Action Fund. Through grantmaking, capacity building, funder organizing and partnerships, Rana and the RTF team support Black, African, Middle Eastern, Muslim and South Asian (BAMEMSA) movements to build a just, inclusive and multiracial democracy where these communities can live freely, lead fully and participate joyously.
Under Rana’s leadership, RTF developed its first strategic plan and doubled its overall budget and grantmaking. During that time, RTF also pledged and implemented multi-year grants to provide much-needed stability to grantees during a time of retrenchment and increased scrutiny. The donor collaborative also hired its first capacity building officer dedicated to ensuring grantees have the infrastructure, tools and support to meet their transformational missions.
“We are so excited that Rana Elmir is being named the vice president of programs at Proteus Fund,” said Program Officer Andrew Brower of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, a donor partner of both RTF and the Solidarity Collaborative. “Rana has been a fantastic partner for the foundation, both as a thought-leader and action-oriented director in supporting communities and the amazing leaders we see throughout the field. Rana skillfully uses data and excellent storytelling to elevate the true experiences of people and communities so donors may invest in meaningful work and understand the impacts so we may learn and apply that in future investments. A true strength of Proteus Fund is its people, and I am grateful Rana will remain a key part of the team serving in this executive role.”
“The Center for Constitutional Rights is very happy to learn that Rana has been selected as Proteus Fund’s next Vice President of Programs,” said Vince Warren, executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, a grantee of RTF and Piper Fund. “Rana’s stellar leadership at the Rise Together Fund has made an extraordinary impact for justice organizations confronting the challenges of the current political moment. She leads with great wisdom, caring and humility and exemplifies Proteus Fund’s invaluable support and partnership model. At a time of great change and upheaval in our politics and the world, it’s deeply reassuring that Proteus Fund continues to model what unwavering commitment to justice looks like. Rana is the ideal selection as we all move forward.”
Prior to joining RTF, Rana spent nearly 16 years as a member of the ACLU of Michigan’s senior leadership as communications director, then deputy director, and finally interim executive director. She played a significant role in managing the organization’s growth and impact with a team of 35 full-time staff. Her experience in nonprofit management and communications, as well as her work on some of the most pressing social justice issues—including the rights of BAMEMSA communities and immigrants, LGBTQ equality, reproductive justice, and racial justice—makes her an ideal fit for this leadership role at Proteus Fund. Her lived experiences as a Muslim immigrant who left Lebanon with her family during the civil war continue to shape her activism and vision for philanthropy.
“I’m grateful to step into this role and build upon the remarkable work of our donor collaboratives,” said Elmir. “At Proteus Fund, I’ve had a front row seat to what’s possible when philanthropy and movement leaders work hand in hand toward a just and inclusive multiracial democracy where all communities have the power to shape our shared future. I’m honored to deepen this work and to imagine, alongside visionary and courageous Proteus colleagues, grantees and donor partners, a world rooted in dignity and collective change.”
Rana Elmir will continue to serve as RTF’s director through the end of the year, ensuring continued momentum for the donor collaborative’s vital work to support BAMEMSA-led movement organizations. She will assume her new role in January. A search for RTF’s next director will be launched in the coming weeks.