Ashoka Diaspora Networks brings together visionary leaders with lived global experience to build bridges, cultivate ideas, and change systems. We offer a global ecosystem in which diaspora leaders, groups, and organizations can connect, lead, and co-create lasting social impact.
Diaspora communities are uniquely positioned to tackle complex challenges because they live at the intersection of diverse systems. By drawing from multiple cultural, social, and economic contexts, diaspora leaders can see problems differently and act boldly to solve them.
Ashoka believes in unlocking this perspective to reimagine how we collaborate across borders – and how we build a world where everyone is a changemaker.
Our Pillars for Driving Diaspora-Led Impact Across Borders
Connection & Bridge Building
We connect diaspora leaders with each other and with changemaking happening in their home countries. These connections act as bridges for the transfer of ideas and resources.
Knowledge Sharing & Co-creation
We share the 40+ years of insights, experiences, and best practices from Ashoka's global network with our diaspora leaders. We help them leverage this collective knowledge to co-create innovative approaches to challenges in our ever changing world.
Framework Change
We highlight the perspectives and contributions of diaspora leaders while fostering trust, connection, and shared purpose. Our goal is to support narratives that recognize the value of diaspora leadership in building a more interconnected world.
Funding & Growth
We’re building funding pathways for diaspora learders to support changemakers in both countries of origin and residence. This includes unlocking funding, thought partnership , and other opportunities that channel resources towards impact.
Across the world, diaspora communities are engines of growth and creativity. From driving industries and innovation to supporting families through remittances, their impact reaches far beyond borders.
Programs & Partnerships
Diaspora Advocacy for Policy Influence Program
Diaspora Advocacy for Policy Influence is a policy advocacy program that empowers African diaspora students in the U.S. to become changemakers and policy influencers for Africa’s development. Developed by Ashoka, The Diaspora Academy, and NAFSA, and funded by the Gates Foundation, the program features interactive online modules, expert-led workshops, and a hands-on capstone project. Participants gain practical skills in systems thinking, advocacy, and leadership, while connecting with a vibrant network of peers and mentors.
The Matching African-Japanese Entrepreneurs Program (MAJEP), a partnership between Ashoka and ADNJ, empowers a new generation of changemakers from Africa and Japan. The program connects social entrepreneurs to exchange skills, collaborate on joint projects, and foster cross-cultural understanding. By combining strong networks, expert mentorship, and multi-industry workshops, MAJEP strengthens business and social ties while driving innovation and sustainable development across both regions.
The Diaspora Ashoka Huddle is an event that brings together Ashoka Fellows in India and Thought Partners from the Indian diaspora in business and philanthropy to review scaling plans, refine ideas, and address challenges. With a unique, hands-on format, the Huddle fosters one-on-one conversations where participants apply their expertise to social causes and engage directly with social entrepreneurs addressing major issues in India. Emphasizing learning, collaboration, and network-building, the Huddle is an excellent opportunity for those passionate about technology and large-scale social impact to make meaningful contributions.
The Kwanda Initiative is a development fund and platform that funds African changemakers by pooling resources from the diaspora to support and scale solutions to long-term challenges across Africa. In partnership with Ashoka, Kwanda provides grants to social entrepreneurs and young changemakers working in areas like education, health, climate, and equity. In 2025, grants supported impactful projects of young changemakers in Nigeria, including clean water access, climate education, mental health, and support for street-connected children. The initiative emphasizes community-driven change, capacity building, and sharing stories of impact to inspire broader engagement and sustainable development.
The Hispanic Star Awards is an initiative by the We Are All Human Foundation and Ashoka. The program recognizes and celebrates outstanding Latino and Hispanic individuals who are making significant contributions to shaping the United States. By building a network of changemakers, it fosters empowerment, visibility, and inclusivity, highlighting the impact of Latinos across diverse fields and promoting their vital role in American progress.
Building a Network of African Diaspora Leaders in Spain is a pioneering initiative launched by Africa 2.0 Spain and Ashoka, with support from the European Union Global Diaspora Facility (EUDiF). The program brought together African diaspora leaders from across Spain to foster collaboration, leadership, and social innovation, while strengthening ties with social entrepreneurs on the African continent. Through leadership training, community-building retreats, and a mentoring exchange with Ashoka Social Entrepreneurs, the program empowered leaders to drive positive change in both Spain and Africa.
Partnering with Ashoka Diaspora Networks and the NAfSA to support the DAPI Program has been an incredibly meaningful and rewarding experience. Together, we are strengthening the civic engagement efforts of diasporas and affirming their critical role in shaping national and global agendas.
Semhar Araia
CEO at The Diaspora Academy (TDA)
Ashoka's network is not just funding solutions; it is amplifying bold ideas, providing critical support, and ensuring that changemakers have the tools and the environment to create lasting impact. I support this work because it is delivering tangible impact where it is needed most.
Amit Bhargava
Strategy Advisor at Aggreko
Working with the Ashoka Diaspora team on the DAPI program has been an energizing affirmation of what we’ve long known—the young African diaspora is not only passionate about creating change, but they are also equipped and eager to lead it.
Kenneth Kungania
Executive Director at the National African Student Association (NAfSA)
Ashoka has played a pivotal role in raising awareness about the vital contributions of diasporas worldwide. In a time when immigrants often face stigma, Ashoka not only highlights the positive impact they make but also empowers them with the tools and resources needed to drive lasting change.
Ana Saldarriaga
COO at We Are All Human Foundation
Ashoka carefully invests in those who dare to reimagine the world - not just as it is, but as it should be. It is not about charity, it is about rewriting the rules so equity & justice are not an exception, but the very foundations on which we stand.
Sonal Kapoor
Founder and Director at Protsahan India Foundation
Connect, Contribute, Co-Lead
Are you a diaspora leader or entrepreneur who wants to give back?
Are you interested in mentoring or investing in social entrepreneurs and changemakers?
Are you interested in connecting with trusted partners to deepen your impact across borders?
Over the years, I’ve worked with both grassroots groups and global networks — and what inspires me most is the power of connection across any kind of border created by people. Diaspora communities embody this spirit of connection — they hold deep ties to multiple places, cultures, and perspectives. That’s why Ashoka, and organizations like it, need a Diaspora lense in their work, to tap into their drive to bridge divides and foster global solidarity.
Diaspora to me means people on the move, anywhere, anytime while keeping their identity and contributing to change in a way that is meaningful to them.
Discover articles, trainings, engagement journeys, podcasts, videos, events, and other resources shared by Ashoka, its partners, and the media.
Venezuelan Network of Diaspora Changemakers - Red Venezolana de Diaspora Agentes de Cambio
Ashoka launched the Venezuelan Network of Diaspora Changemakers, a series of engagement opportunities focused on the diaspora community committed to developing new skills and connections, while supporting the social entrepreneurship ecosystem in Venezuela.
Ashoka’s Facilitation of the ADSEN Retreat in Madrid
In late September 2023, the Ashoka Diaspora team successfully facilitated the ‘Leaders Lead On-Demand” African Descendant Social Entrepreneurship Outbound Exchange (ADSEN)- an initiative supporting the International Decade for People of African Descent.
EUDiF - Matching Spain’s first network of African diaspora leaders with social entrepreneurs in Africa
The European Union Global Diaspora Facility is supporting a partnership between Africa 2.0 Spain and Ashoka: the creation of the first network of African diaspora leaders in Spain and match them with social entrepreneurs in Africa, in order to drive growth and impact on the continent and in Spain.
El País/Spain - Un cambio de perspectiva en favor de la diáspora afrodescendiente
Las organizaciones África 2.0 y Ashoka formarán a 14 líderes de origen africano de distintos sectores para reforzar la conversación entre el Sur de origen y el Norte de acogida.
GET WISER Webinar: Diaspora Networks - A new ally for Ashoka's Everyone a Changemaker movement
The GET WISER Summit celebrates women responsible for impactful systems change around the world. This Get Wiser webinar shared insights on the role of diasporas in the "Everyone a Changemaker" movement, led by Ashoka.
Ashoka's Diaspora Networks establishes a space to learn, co-create, and drive change between Ashoka's community and Diaspora leaders and their networks, organisations, families both at home and in their countries of origin.
Webinar de Colaboración entre Emprendedores Sociales de América Latina y la Diáspora
Webinar de Colaboración entre Emprendedores Sociales en América Latina y la Diáspora, con una introducción de los aliados y responsables por la organización del webinar, Ashoka y la OIM - Organizacion Internacional para la Migracion.
Ashoka envisions a world where everyone is a changemaker. A world where everyone can embrace their agency, live with dignity, has the skills to solve problems, and creates positive change for the common good.
What is a Diaspora?
Diasporans are migrants and their descendants who maintain a relationship to their country of origin (Safran, 1991).”
Diaspora means “to scatter” in Greek, but today we use the term to describe a community of people who live outside their shared country of origin or ancestry but maintain active connections with it. A diaspora includes both emigrants and their descendants. While some people lose their attachment to their ancestral homeland, others maintain a strong connection to a place that their ancestors may have left generations ago.
What is a Diaspora Leader and how does Ashoka engage with them?
Diaspora Leaders are influential individuals who possess extensive networks and deep connections within their diaspora communities. They are recognized as thought leaders or key influencers, shaping conversations and driving collective action. With their entrepreneurial mindset and collaborative spirit, these leaders are uniquely positioned to co-create and champion change towards an Everyone a Changemaker World.
Why partner with Ashoka?
Partnering with Ashoka provides diaspora communities with a reliable and impactful way to engage with and give back to their country of origin. Through Ashoka, you can directly contribute to Ashoka Fellows and changemakers working on transformative solutions and help create meaningful change.
Ashoka
