CAAP Welcomes New Director Abir Ali

Abir is a nationally recognized leader who works at the intersection of design, culture, advocacy and philanthropy. Formally trained as an architect, she brings two decades of experience in building initiatives that combine community and creativity at defining moments. Through her social practice, Abir Ali &, she has imagined and launched transformational grantmaking programs in partnership with private and community foundations. During the pandemic, she designed a visionary storytelling platform, Generator Z, for teens to reimagine their lives outside of school during immense uncertainty. During Detroit’s bankruptcy, she supported neighborhood entrepreneurs to dream of their futures through NEIdeas: Rewarding Ideas for Business Growth. From $500-thousand to $5-million in grants, Abir has brought to life opportunities that directly value individuals – and the nonprofits that support them.

Born, raised, and residing in Detroit, her work also extends across the city’s landscape – activating the historic Fisher Building as an inclusive artist studio space and influencing a $500-million real estate portfolio across dozens of housing and commercial developments. Through a lens of architecture and art, she positions projects to consider social and cultural returns alongside financial expectations. Through her board work with Women of Banglatown, Abir is collaboratively developing the organization’s neighborhood homebase to include safe and culturally relevant spaces for immigrant and first-generation girls and young women.

Abir is passionate about arts, culture and craft in Detroit, serving on the boards of the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, InsideOut Literary Arts and Signal-Return, among others. She is also an established furniture designer and an emerging olive oil sommelier.