Journalism Futures Fund

Asmaa Malik is professor of journalism at Toronto Metropolitan University. Her research and teaching interests focus on equity and innovation in journalism and collaborative approaches to graduate supervision.

She is the co-recipient of Google News Initiative funding to develop an AI-powered tool that assesses news sourcing and is working on a SSHRC-funded project to study the experiences of Muslim journalists in Canadian newsrooms. She has held several editorial leadership roles at the Montreal Gazette and Toronto Star and her work has also appeared in The Washington Post, The Walrus and The Conversation.

Fabrice Vil regularly speaks out on a variety of social and philosophical issues, notably as an author, columnist for La Presse, lecturer, and workshop facilitator.

He occasionally collaborates with Radio-Canada and has lent his voice to Ados et armés and Briser le code, two documentaries exploring the issues of gun violence and racial and intercultural issues in Quebec. After contributing to three collective publications on education, racism, and identity issues within Generation Z, Fabrice wrote his first book, Bon gason! Konpliman! Egare!, which explores topics such as the quest for success and self-discovery. Fabrice is a certified integral development coach, a lawyer by training, and a former basketball coach.

In 2011, he founded Pour 3 Points, an organization that transforms sports coaches to help them play the role of life coaches for young athletes in disadvantaged communities. It is in this capacity that he has developed his knowledge of philanthropy, the social sector, and organizational governance.

Francine Compton (Anishinaabe, Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation) is a journalist with over 25 years experience and is currently the associate director of the Indigenous Journalists Association (IJA), (formerly the Native American Journalists Association). Her work focuses on upholding Indigenous journalism standards and practices internationally while communicating IJA’s mission to the public.

Francine worked at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) as an assignment producer in the CBC’s Indigenous Unit before joining the IJA staff. She spent over 20 years of her career working for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) and was the executive producer of APTN News when she left to join the CBC.

Kaila Jefferd-Moore is a Haida and Canadian journalist, radio/podcast enthusiast, and media consultant living in Somba K’e within Denendeh and Treaty 11 Territory. Kaila grew up in Inuuvik and graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism (Honours) from the University of King’s College. It was here she began freelance reporting and worked as Editor-in-Chief for The Dalhousie Gazette. Stints and bylines include local and national outlets such as Inuvik Drum (NNSL), CBC North, Maisonneuve, The Coast, THIS Magazine, Up Here, IndigiNews and more.

She is the Project Director and co-catalyzer of the Northern Journalism Training Initiative, which provides media skills training opportunities in the North.

Professor Young is a certified coach, educator, researcher and co-founder of The Conversation Canada, a national not-for-profit journalism outlet. She is a student of the curriculum of life, committed to actions that support future generations. Her professional life includes experience as a journalist in Canada and the United States, and administrator (Director, Associate Dean), professor and leadership coach at the University of British Columbia.

She has co-authored two books, including Reckoning: Journalism’s Limits and Possibilities (Oxford University Press, 2020) with Professor Candis Callison. Their book is on the recommended journalism reading list curated by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University. She is completing a co-led seven-year $2.5-million competitive research grant on journalism innovation in 2026. The grant provides research funding for The Conversation Canada, and supports a wide range of projects led by scholars in three countries that examine explanatory journalism and its relationship to policy, Indigenous journalism, audiences, technology and the business of media.

She is married with one daughter.

Narinder has been recognized as one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 and a BMW Foundation Responsible Leader. Her work spans sectors and silos, bringing depth and rigour to drive social impact across North America and the Global South. She is the President of the Sonor Foundation and Founder of New Power Lab. Narinder has built, designed, and scaled social ventures globally.

In partnership with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), she designed and led LEAP | Pecaut Centre for Social Impact, a venture philanthropy fund. With the University of Toronto and CAMH, she was the founding Executive Director and architect of Rise, a microfund for entrepreneurs with mental health and addiction challenges.

She also built a boutique impact investing fund with a gender and equity lens. Narinder has worked in microfinance and impact investing across West Africa, and lectures at Ryerson and the University of Toronto. She serves on multiple boards and advises several ventures.

Niamh Leonard is a lawyer and leads the Euphrosine Foundation, a time-bound philanthropic foundation working to strengthen and expand the spaces—legal, digital, and cultural—where democratic deliberation happens and those in power are held to account.

Her career spans law, governance, and philanthropy, with roles at the McConnell Foundation, Apathy is Boring, Transparency International Canada, Trudel Johnston & Lespérance, and the Constitutional Court of South Africa. In recognition of her commitment to equality, she was awarded the Rosalie Silberman Abella Prize by the Royal Society of Canada.

Niamh is drawn to questions of public governance, collective decision-making, and how diverse societies govern themselves across difference. She believes in a world where everyone has a meaningful say in the conditions in which they live—and the freedom to lead joyful lives.

Sadia Zaman brings a wealth of media, arts, and not-for-profit experience to her role as CEO, Inspirit Foundation. Under her leadership, the Foundation has cemented its reputation as a bold and catalytic organization in carrying out its mission of racial, social and economic justice.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Sadia held senior leadership roles at the Royal Ontario Museum, CBC, and Women in Film and Television-Toronto. Sadia began her career as a journalist, creating hundreds of hours of original, critically acclaimed content. She has won dozens of awards for her journalism and has been honoured for her leadership.

Tamer Ibrahim is Program Manager, Projects and Partnerships at the McConnell Foundation. For the past 12 years, he’s worked in philanthropy, using capital as a tool for positive change, especially for equity-deserving communities. That focus has guided his work at the Laidlaw Foundation, Definity Foundation, and Foundation for Black Communities.

Tamer’s also been an advisor to several funding programs, including Tamarack Institute’s Community Climate Transitions program, the MLSE Foundation’s Community Action Grant, and the Northern Manitoba Food, Culture and Community Collaborative. He was also part of the steering committee for Imagine Canada’s Funding Reform Working Group, helping push for more equitable funding practices across the sector.