Biography
Afshan Paarlberg is an assistant research scholar with the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. She serves as the project director for The Ihsan Standard— a community-engaged research and legal project of the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative. She is also pursuing her Ph.D. in philanthropic studies. Afshan’s mixed-methods research, publications, and practice focus on access to legal justice for marginalized communities, including immigrants and refugees.
Afshan holds a J.D. from The University of Houston Law Center. She also has a B.A. with Honors in Middle Eastern Studies and a B.B.A. in Finance, both from The University of Texas at Austin. In 2020, she was an inaugural Fellow with the Zakat Foundation Institute, obtaining a graduate certificate in Muslim philanthropic and humanitarian studies. Before joining the school, her legal career focused on immigration law, nonprofit governance-risk-compliance, and access to justice initiatives—practices that are crucial to informing her scholarship.
Afshan serves as the President of the board of Exodus Refugee Immigration—a state-wide refugee resettlement agency. She also serves on the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding board, a nonpartisan research institute.
Education
- PhD Student, Philanthropic Studies, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN
- JD, Jurisprudence, University of Houston Law Center, Houston, TX
- BA (Honors), Middle Eastern Studies, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
- BBA, Finance, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
Research Interests
migrants; philanthropy; immigration law; nonprofit law; social justice; diversity; mixed-methods
Honors and Awards
- Mission Possible, 1st Place, Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
- Honorable Judge David Shaheed Access to Justice Award, Muslim Alliance of Indiana
- Turkish Perspectives Program, Bogazici University
Current Projects
- The Ihsan Standard: U.S. Muslim and minority-led nonprofit best practices
- Legal Narratives of Refugees
- Muslim American Giving 2022
Grants and Funding
The Ihsan Standard, Funded by Muslim Legal Fund of America, $1.25M (2021-2026)
Presentations
“Justice for Refugees: Alternatives to Human Rights,” Paper presented at Indiana University Graduate Student Day of Scholarship; Indianapolis; May 2022
“Migrant-Serving Organizations: Supporting U.S. Migrants with Safe Digital Access,” Paper presented at Centre for Refugee Studies, York University; Virtual; March 2022
“Fundraising Compliance,” Continuing Legal Education presented at the National Association of Muslim Lawyers Lunch & Learn; Virtual; March 2022
“Downward Accountability to Rohingya Refugees: An Examination of Gender-Based Differences in Humanitarian Aid,” Paper presented at Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) 50th Annual Conference; Atlanta; November 2021
“Advancing Diversity in Nonprofit Leadership,” Continuing Legal Education presented at the National Association of Muslim Lawyers Annual Conference; Virtual; November 2021
“Community-Based Participatory Research, Capacity-Building, and Legal Compliance: Making Space for Muslim American Nonprofits,” Talk presented at Alliance for Nonprofit Management; Virtual; Oct. 2021
“Pushing for Diversity in Philanthropy,” Continuing Legal Education presented at Farella and Brown; Virtual; September 2021
“Housing Insecurity, Shelter, and Homelessness: A shared global challenge,” Talk at Symposium on Muslim Humanitarianism and the Displaced: A Domestic and International Perspective; Virtual; August 2021
“The Changing Landscape of Immigration Policy,” Talk at Wabash Pastoral Leadership Program; Crawfordsville; May 2019
“The USA’s Breach of Its Obligations Under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination to Protect the Rights of Muslims, Arabs, Middle Easterners, and South Asians,” Report presented at the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination; Geneva, Switzerland; Feb. 2008
Other Activities
- Exodus Refugee Immigration Board Member (2016 – Present)
- President (2021 – Present)
- Vice President (2020)
- Founder & Chair, Women’s Giving Circle (2018 – 2020)
- Secretary (2017 – 2018)
- Governance and development committees
- Institute for Social Policy & Understanding Board Member (2021 – Present)
- Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art (2020 – 2022), Advisory Board Member; DEI committee
- Seeds of Learning Board Member (2018 – 2011)
- Indiana Chair, Celebrate America Creative Writing Contest, American Immigration Council, 2018-2019