maisha quint

From a young age, maisha (she/her) has been hungry for total transformation. As a Black woman, she has experienced and witnessed how insidious systems of oppression are a part of all our daily lives, and this fact has guided her commitment to building power and self-determination in marginalized communities. maisha’s political journey began around her family’s kitchen table, where she was encouraged to question the world and what could be done to change it.

Ending the criminalization of Black and Brown communities, terminating police brutality, and moving society from punishment to healing, are the core tenets of the portfolio maisha oversees as a senior program officer. In partnership with grassroots organizations led by communities of color and aligned funders, she is working to collaboratively reshape criminal justice funding.

 maisha has a BA in African American Studies from Barnard College, Columbia University and an MFA in Poetry from Mills College. Most recently, she was a multicultural fellow at the San Francisco Foundation. maisha’s previous roles have included programs director at EastSide Arts Alliance, advancing intersectional approaches to cultural strategy and place-based equity, and communications director and family advocacy coordinator for Prisoners with Children, helping families advocate for policies on behalf of their incarcerated loved ones. maisha is on the steering committee for Funders for Justice, the core team of Freedom Funders, an advisor to the Center for Political Education, a board member for Causa Justa: Just Cause and an alumna of Justice Funders’ Harmony Initiative.