Surina Khan

Background

Born in Pakistan, Surina Khan later immigrated to the United States. She attended Tulane University but later withdrew for financial reasons. She developed a career in research and leadership roles, eventually earning a Professional Coach certification to supplement her field experience. ^{5  4}

Career

Surina Khan’s career began in New England within left-of-center activism. As a research analyst at Political Research Associates, she documented the influence of right-wing movements on democratic institutions. She later worked as the executive director at the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission, now known as OutRight Action International. In the philanthropic world, she managed global grantmaking as the director of the Democracy Rights and Justice Program at the Ford Foundation before joining the Women’s Foundation California. Khan is also a writer whose commentaries have appeared in The Washington Post, The Nation, HuffPost, and The Guardian. She has worked as the board chair of the Mertz Gilmore Foundation and on the boards of Voices for Progress and the Alliance for Justice. She has held board positions at organizations such as Funders for Reproductive Equity, Funders for LGBTQ Issues, CalNonprofits, La Cocina, and the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice. ^{3  4  6  7}

Women’s Foundation California

Surina Khan was the chief executive officer of the Women’s Foundation California, a left-of-center grantmaking organization, from 2014 to 2024. The foundation operates as a nonprofit that trains and funds community leaders to influence state policy through a “gender justice” lens. ⁸

Her tenure included the expansion of the Solis Policy Institute, which provides activists with tools to navigate the legislative process. This initiative has contributed to the passage of over 50 laws in California. ⁹ Coalition partners in their legislative efforts include Stronger California and the Future of Abortion Council. ^{10  11  12  13}

Activism

Surina Khan’s political advocacy includes a long history of promoting LGBT-related issues globally, specifically seeking to ban so-called “conversion therapy” and pushing for legal recognition of various “genders.” She advocates for a guaranteed basic income and higher taxes. She co-founded the Culture Change Fund to use media and storytelling for “narrative change” and to dismantle stereotypes. ¹⁴

During her tenure at Political Research Associates, she produced evidence-based research on the “theocratic right,” arguing that right-of-center religious movements were systematically undermining democratic institutions and marginalized groups. Drawing from her Pakistani-American identity, she has advocated for policies that protect illegal immigrants from deportation and ensuring their access to state-funded health care and legal representation. ^{6  12  13}