Amal Karim

Program Officer Amal Karim oversees a portfolio of strategically responsive grants intended to meet emerging needs and fund innovative solutions in the field of higher education.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Amal was a senior program officer with the Constellation Fund, where she led an education grants portfolio as part of the Fund’s mission to fight poverty in the Twin Cities through outcomes-driven philanthropy. Amal began her career as a middle school teacher on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, where she led her students to significant growth in reading levels. She has also worked in national education policy through Educators for Excellence and supported a $400 million water and sanitation infrastructure project in Zambia through the Millennium Challenge Corporation.

Amal was a Fulbright Scholar to Malaysia where she researched teaching practices of Teach for Malaysia Fellows in underserved classrooms. In 2022, she was recognized as an Aspen Ideas Festival Fellow and was a member of the 2024 Minnesota Young American Leaders program. She currently serves on the Hennepin County Library Board and is a co-chair for the Twin Cities chapter of Asian –American/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP).

Amal holds a Master of Public Affairs from the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and a Bachelor of Arts in politics from Pomona College.

Why are you working at ECMC Foundation and committed to working toward improving higher education for underserved learners?

I am proud to work at ECMC Foundation because I believe that a reimagined higher education system can help learners achieve lives of fulfillment and self-determination. Postsecondary opportunities can unlock family-sustaining careers that drive economic mobility, but also open doors for holistic individual growth, community strength and democratic engagement.