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📍 Winnipeg, Manitoba

Rifat
Islam
Rupok

Development professional, data analyst, and social science researcher building evidence-based impact at the intersection of community, policy, and human need.

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Rifat Islam Rupok
Rifat Islam Rupok Development Coordinator · Siloam Mission
$17M+ Grants Managed
78%+ Success Rate
3K+ Research Views

About

Driven by
evidence
& purpose.

With 5+ years of progressive experience spanning fundraising, grant management, data analytics, and community development, I bring a research-informed, equity-centred approach to development work across Canada and South Asia.

Based in Winnipeg, I serve as Development Coordinator at Siloam Mission, where I manage a portfolio of $17M+ in federal, provincial, and municipal grants, maintain relationships with major donors and institutional partners, and coordinate housing and shelter programs serving Indigenous and marginalized communities.

My academic background in Peace and Conflict Studies — combined with certifications in fundraising, project management, and data analytics — gives me a rare ability to bridge qualitative research rigour with quantitative programme evaluation and strategic planning.

🎓
MSS — Peace & Conflict Studies University of Dhaka · Thesis: Social mobilisation, digital media, and collective violence in Bangladesh
📜
Fundraising & Development Foundations UC Davis Continuing & Professional Education · Donor lifecycle, ethics, grant writing
📊
Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate Coursera / Google · Python, SQL, R, Tableau, BigQuery
🗂️
PMI Project Management Certification Project Management Institute · Agile, risk planning, stakeholder management, Gantt & critical path methods
$17M+ Grant portfolio managed at Siloam Mission
78%+ Grant application success rate
5+ Years in non-profit & development
6+ Publications & working papers
3,089 SSRN abstract views (IBDR paper)
4 Professional certifications

Core Expertise

Four pillars of
professional practice.

01
🗂️
Project Management
PMI-certified with experience coordinating multi-stakeholder, multi-stream programmes from initiation through close-out. Proficient in Agile and traditional waterfall approaches, stakeholder mapping, risk registers, and Gantt-based scheduling. Applied across housing programmes, grant-funded initiatives, and research projects.
PMI Certified Agile Risk Management Stakeholder Engagement Gantt / CPM
02
📊
Data Analytics & Visualisation
Google-certified data analyst with hands-on experience in Python (Pandas, NumPy, Matplotlib), SQL, R, and Tableau. Applied donor analytics, programme evaluation metrics, and human rights dataset analysis to drive evidence-based decision-making and grant compliance reporting.
Python SQL R Tableau BigQuery Excel / Power BI
03
🔬
Social Science Research
Trained qualitative and quantitative researcher with an MSS in Peace and Conflict Studies. Experienced in ethnographic fieldwork, survey design, thematic analysis, policy analysis, and evidence synthesis. Published researcher on South Asian geopolitics, social movements, and digital violence.
Qualitative Methods Survey Design Thematic Analysis Policy Research Conflict Studies
04
🤝
Fundraising & Development
UC Davis–certified fundraising professional with a full-spectrum understanding of the development function: donor cultivation and stewardship, major gift strategy, grant writing across government and foundation streams, case development, and donor impact reporting.
UC Davis Certified Major Gifts Grant Writing Donor Stewardship Case Development

Project Management

Leading programmes
from concept
to close-out.

PMI-certified with demonstrated experience managing complex, multi-funder programmes simultaneously — maintaining zero missed deadlines across a $17M+ grant portfolio. Skilled in cross-sector coordination, risk management, and results-based reporting.

Initiation & Scoping
Charter development, SMART objectives, stakeholder identification, feasibility assessment for funded initiatives.
Planning & Scheduling
Gantt charts, critical path method, resource allocation, risk registers, and milestone-based work breakdown structures.
Agile Delivery
Iterative sprint planning, stand-up facilitation, retrospectives, and backlog management for adaptive project contexts.
Stakeholder Management
RACI matrices, communication plans, community consultation, government liaison, and cross-functional team coordination.
Monitoring & Evaluation
Logic model design, KPI dashboards, programme evaluation frameworks, grant compliance, and impact reporting.
Close-Out & Reporting
Final deliverable documentation, lessons-learned reviews, funder final reports, and project knowledge transfer.

Selected Project Leadership

Siloam Mission · 2023–Present
Multi-Stream Federal & Provincial Housing Grant Portfolio
Serving as lead coordinator for a concurrent portfolio of housing and shelter grants across CMHC, PHAC, MB Housing, and municipal streams. Responsible for full project lifecycle: application, financial planning, compliance monitoring, quarterly reporting, and stakeholder coordination with government, Indigenous partners, and community organizations.
CMHC PHAC MB Housing Multi-funder coordination Compliance reporting Logic model design
$17M+ Managed
Siloam Mission · 2024–2025
Housing Strategy 2025 — Organisational Planning Document
Co-led the research, data synthesis, and writing of Siloam Mission's 2025 Housing Strategy — a forward-looking planning document integrating community needs assessments, housing data analysis, and stakeholder engagement outcomes to guide multi-year programmatic and capital investment decisions.
Strategic planning Needs assessment Housing data Stakeholder consultation
2025 Published
Beyond Peace · 2020–2023
Korail Slum — Education Technology Field Research Project
Designed and managed a full-cycle community research project studying technology integration in education for marginalized children in Dhaka's Korail slum during COVID-19. Oversaw team of six research assistants, coordinated field logistics, managed ethical protocols, and produced the final policy report.
Field research Team of 6 Ethics protocols Policy report
6 Research
Staff Led
Manitoba Métis Federation · 2023
Policy Research Initiative — Métis Community Data Analysis
Delivered a time-constrained policy research project producing culturally relevant data analysis and recommendations for Métis community programmes. Applied Indigenous data sovereignty principles to ensure ethical and community-centred research practices throughout the engagement.
Indigenous data sovereignty Policy analysis Tight deadlines
8 wk Delivered
on time

Data Analytics

Turning data into
decisions.

Google-certified data analyst with hands-on experience applying quantitative methods to fundraising strategy, programme evaluation, and social science research. I work across the full data workflow — collection design, cleaning, analysis, and visualisation — to surface actionable insights for funders, leadership, and community partners.

Python / Pandas
Advanced
SQL
Advanced
Excel / Power Query
Expert
Tableau
Proficient
R
Proficient
Google BigQuery
Proficient
Data Visualisation
Advanced
Certifications & Qualifications
📊
Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate Coursera / Google · Python, SQL, R, Tableau, BigQuery · Data cleaning, analysis, visualisation lifecycle
🗂️
PMI Project Management Certification Project Management Institute · Agile, Waterfall, risk planning, stakeholder management, scheduling
🤝
Fundraising & Development Foundations UC Davis Continuing & Professional Education · Donor lifecycle, grant writing, ethics of fundraising
🎓
MSS — Peace & Conflict Studies University of Dhaka · Quantitative & qualitative research methods, policy analysis, conflict theory
💰
Donor Analytics
Retention modeling, major gift segmentation, giving trend analysis, and fiscal year benchmarking for $25K+ donor portfolios.
📈
Grant Reporting
KPI dashboards, programme output tracking, compliance data verification, and funder impact reports with visual data summaries.
🧑‍🤝‍🧑
Community Needs Assessment
Survey instrument design, mixed-method data collection, and statistical analysis for housing, shelter, and social programme evaluation.
🌏
Human Rights Data
Complex human rights dataset analysis, data visualisation for advocacy reports, and ethical data protocol development at the Centre for Genocide Studies.

Experience

Where I've worked.

Jun 2023 – Present
Winnipeg, MB
Current
Development Coordinator
Siloam Mission Inc.
Serving as the central coordination point for Siloam Mission's development and grant management function. Responsible for managing $17M+ across federal, provincial, and municipal streams with zero missed deadlines and a 78%+ grant success rate. Combining data-driven donor strategy, cross-sector relationship management, and evidence-based case development to support Winnipeg's largest shelter and housing programme for Indigenous and marginalized peoples.
  • Manage full grant lifecycle across CMHC, PHAC, MB Housing, City of Winnipeg, and private foundation streams
  • Produce donor analytics reports (major gift segmentation, fiscal year benchmarking, trend analysis) using Excel and Python
  • Coordinate Youth in Philanthropy Committee visits, annual donor events, and community consultation sessions
  • Author and maintain grant agreement tracking systems, compliance calendars, and reporting dashboards
  • Co-lead Housing Strategy 2025 — research, data synthesis, stakeholder consultation, and final document production
  • Cultivate and steward relationships with $25K+ major donors, government officials, and corporate partners
  • Draft cases for support, donor impact reports, and grant applications using evidence-based narratives
Apr – May 2023
Winnipeg, MB
Canada
Research Analyst
Manitoba Métis Federation
Contracted policy and data research supporting Métis community governance and programme development. Delivered culturally grounded analysis with actionable recommendations under tight timelines, applying Indigenous data sovereignty frameworks throughout.
  • Conducted policy landscape scans and comparative programme analysis for Métis community initiatives
  • Applied Indigenous data sovereignty principles (OCAP®) to research design and data handling
  • Produced written reports and data visualisations for leadership and external stakeholders
Oct 2020 – Apr 2023
Dhaka, Bangladesh
International
Managing Partner
Beyond Peace
Co-founded and led a peacebuilding research and community development organisation focused on grassroots social change, education equity, and conflict resolution across Bangladesh. Managed operations, international partnerships, and a team of six research staff.
  • Led partnership development with international peacebuilding organisations, securing collaborative research agreements
  • Designed and managed the Korail Slum education technology field research project — full cycle from ethics approval to published report
  • Oversaw strategic planning, resource allocation, and capacity-building for a team of six research assistants
  • Facilitated public workshops on conflict resolution, peace education, and community dialogue
  • Produced a 14-episode Bengali-language podcast on geopolitics, COVID-19 health policy, and technology trends
Dec 2020 – Dec 2021
Dhaka, Bangladesh
International
Research Data Analyst
Centre for Genocide Studies, University of Dhaka
Analysed complex human rights and atrocities datasets at one of South Asia's leading genocide research centres. Produced policy-focused reports, data visualisations, and training materials for junior researchers while maintaining strict ethical data protocols.
  • Processed and analysed large-scale human rights datasets documenting conflict and atrocity events
  • Developed data visualisations and narrative policy reports for academic and advocacy audiences
  • Maintained ethical data protocols including anonymisation, source verification, and chain-of-custody documentation
  • Trained junior analysts in research methodology, data handling procedures, and documentation standards
Jan – Nov 2020
Dhaka, Bangladesh
International
Research Assistant
NETZ Partnerschaft für Entwicklung und Gerechtigkeit
Supported equitable development and social justice research for a German-Bangladeshi development partnership. Conducted literature reviews, field data collection, and stakeholder presentations informing development programme design.
  • Conducted systematic literature reviews on development justice, rural poverty, and gender equity in Bangladesh
  • Collected and organised field survey data from rural communities
  • Produced stakeholder briefings and research summaries for programme development team
Jan 2018 – Dec 2019
Dhaka, Bangladesh
International
Administrative Assistant
Community Development Federation
Provided administrative and programme support for grassroots community development programmes, building foundational skills in organisational coordination, funding compliance, and community event management.
  • Coordinated community programme events, volunteer scheduling, and logistical planning
  • Supported funding application processes and compliance record management
  • Maintained organisational documentation, correspondence, and stakeholder communication records

Research & Academics

Rigorous inquiry,
real-world impact.

My academic training in Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Dhaka grounded me in both qualitative and quantitative social research methods. I apply these skills not only to academic publication, but to grant writing, programme evaluation, donor communications, and policy advocacy — bringing scholarly rigour to practical development work.

01
Qualitative Research Methods Ethnographic fieldwork, in-depth interviewing, focus group facilitation, document analysis, thematic coding, grounded theory, narrative inquiry.
02
Quantitative & Mixed Methods Survey design (Qualtrics, Google Forms), descriptive and inferential statistics, cross-tabulation, content analysis of large text corpora, mixed-method integration.
03
Policy & Document Analysis Comparative policy analysis, legislative review, critical discourse analysis, grey literature synthesis, systematic literature reviews for advocacy and programme design.
04
Applied Programme Evaluation Logic model development, Theory of Change design, KPI framework construction, outcomes measurement, and evidence-based grant reporting for government and private funders.
05
Community-Based Research (CBR) Participatory action research, community needs assessments, ethical engagement with Indigenous and marginalised communities, OCAP® principles, trauma-informed approaches.
🌏 South Asian Geopolitics & Security
US-China rivalry and regional instability in South and Southeast Asia; great power competition and its local effects on Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, and the Bay of Bengal region. Published on SSRN with 62 abstract views (2025).
🇧🇩 India-Bangladesh Relations
Comprehensive analysis of diplomatic, economic, and security dimensions of bilateral India-Bangladesh relations following the 2024 political transition. Most-viewed work with 3,089 SSRN abstract views and 257 downloads globally. Cited by scholars and policy analysts across South Asia, Europe, and North America.
📱 Digital Media & Collective Violence
Original thesis research (University of Dhaka, 2018) examining how social media platforms enable, amplify, and structure acts of collective violence in Bangladesh — using discourse analysis, content mapping, and incident data to assess platform affordance theory in conflict contexts.
🏠 Housing, Homelessness & Urban Policy
Applied policy research on housing equity, supervised consumption, and urban planning in Winnipeg — drawing on frontline programme experience at Siloam Mission to contribute evidence-informed perspectives to public discourse. Published letters in the Winnipeg Free Press (2025).
🎓 Education Access & Technology Equity
Field research on ICT integration in education for marginalised children in Dhaka's Korail slum during the COVID-19 pandemic — examining how resource constraints, digital literacy gaps, and infrastructure barriers shape educational equity in informal urban settlements.

Education & Credentials

Built to think,
trained to deliver.

Master of Social Science
Peace & Conflict Studies
University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
2016 – 2018
Thesis-based master's degree in one of South Asia's leading social science programmes. Specialisation in peace processes, conflict theory, and political violence. Trained in qualitative, quantitative, and mixed research methodologies.
Conflict Theory Research Methods Political Violence Peace Processes
Fundraising & Development Foundations
UC Davis Continuing & Professional Education
Certificate
Professional certificate from UC Davis covering the complete fundraising and development function: donor relations, gift officer ethics, prospect research, grant writing, major gift strategy, and development communications.
Donor Relations Major Gifts Grant Writing Development Ethics
Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate
Coursera / Google
Professional Certificate
8-course professional certificate covering data cleaning, analysis, and visualisation using Python, SQL, R, Tableau, and BigQuery. Emphasis on practical data-driven decision making and storytelling.
Python SQL R Tableau BigQuery
PMI Project Management Certification
Project Management Institute
Professional Certification
PMI project management certification covering traditional waterfall, Agile, and hybrid methodologies. Skilled in project initiation, work breakdown structures, Gantt scheduling, stakeholder management, risk registers, monitoring and evaluation, and formal project close-out documentation.
Agile Waterfall Risk Management Stakeholder Management WBS Critical Path Method M&E

Capabilities

Full-spectrum
professional toolkit.

💰
Fundraising & Donor Relations
Full donor lifecycle — cultivation through major gift stewardship. UC Davis certified. Experienced with $25K+ donor portfolios, donor analytics, and fiscal year reporting.
Major Gifts Prospect Research Stewardship Plans Impact Reports
📝
Grant Writing & Management
Full grant lifecycle: research, writing, compliance, financial tracking, and funder reporting across federal, provincial, and private foundation streams.
CMHC PHAC MB Housing Foundation Grants
📊
Data Analytics
Google certified. Python, SQL, R, Tableau, Excel, BigQuery. Applied to donor segmentation, programme evaluation, human rights data, and grant KPI reporting.
Python SQL Tableau R BigQuery
🗂️
Project Management
PMI certified. Agile and traditional PM across complex, multi-funder programmes. Stakeholder mapping, risk management, WBS, Gantt, M&E framework design.
Agile Waterfall Risk Register Logic Model
🔬
Social Science Research
MSS trained. Qualitative and mixed methods — fieldwork, interviewing, thematic analysis, policy document analysis, systematic reviews, and community-based research.
Qualitative Mixed Methods Thematic Analysis OCAP®
🤝
Community Engagement
Indigenous-centred, trauma-informed community engagement. Deep Winnipeg non-profit network. Experienced with consultation, partnership development, and equity-based programme design.
Trauma-Informed Indigenous Relations Consultation Partnership Dev.
🌐
Multilingual Communication
Professional fluency in English and Bengali. Experience producing academic, policy, and media content in both languages for diverse international and diaspora audiences.
English (Fluent) Bengali (Native) OSINT Research Geopolitics
📣
Policy Writing & Advocacy
Published letters and op-eds in the Winnipeg Free Press. Academic working papers on SSRN with 3,000+ international views. Skilled at translating complex issues for public and funder audiences.
Op-Ed Policy Briefs SSRN Grant Narratives
🏛️
Government Relations
Experienced liaising with federal (CMHC, PHAC), provincial (MB Housing, MSGC), and municipal government officials for funding applications, compliance, and stakeholder communication.
Federal Provincial Municipal Compliance

Writing

Publications &
public scholarship.

2025
Geopolitical Chess in South and Southeast Asia: US-China Rivalry and the Cost of Regional Instability — SSRN Working Paper
Oct 2025 62 abstract views 8 downloads IR · Geopolitics
↗ 2025
Recent Developments in India-Bangladesh Relations: A Comprehensive Analysis — SSRN Working Paper
Apr 2025 3,089 abstract views 257 downloads South Asia · Diplomacy
↗
2021
Integration of Technology in Education for Marginalized Children in the Korail Slum of Dhaka during the COVID-19 Pandemic — Beyond Peace Research Report
Research Report Education Equity Field Research
↗
2018
Social Media's Influence on Acts of Collective Violence in Bangladesh — MSS Thesis Monograph, University of Dhaka
Thesis Monograph Digital Media Collective Violence
↗
2025
Letters to the Editor — Winnipeg Free Press: Housing equity, supervised consumption sites, urban planning, and addictions policy in Winnipeg
Op-Ed / Letters Housing Policy Urban Affairs
↗

In the News

Media &
public presence.

Winnipeg Free Press
Housing Equity & Urban Policy — Letters to the Editor
Published multiple letters in 2025 addressing housing equity, supervised consumption sites, urban planning, and addictions policy in Winnipeg — contributing a frontline development professional's evidence-based perspective to public discourse.
2025
SSRN — Social Science Research Network
India-Bangladesh Relations Paper: 3,000+ International Readers
"Recent Developments in India-Bangladesh Relations: A Comprehensive Analysis" attracted 3,089 abstract views and 257 downloads globally since April 2025 — reaching scholars, policy analysts, and practitioners across South Asia, Europe, and North America.
April 2025 · ssrn.com
Beyond Peace — Research Publication
COVID-19 & Education Access in Dhaka's Korail Slum
As Managing Partner of Beyond Peace, co-authored and led a field research report on technology integration in education for marginalised children during the pandemic — bridging community-level data collection with policy-level recommendations for education equity.
2021 · beyond-peace.com
University of Dhaka — Podcast & Commentary
Bengali-Language Podcast on Geopolitics & Current Affairs — 14 Episodes
Produced and hosted a 14-episode Bengali-language podcast covering South Asian geopolitics, COVID-19 health policy, technology trends, and international economics — distributed on Spotify, Anchor, and YouTube for Bangladeshi and diaspora audiences.
2020 · Spotify / Anchor / YouTube

Contact

Let's connect.

Open to conversations about development roles, research collaborations, data analytics projects, and community initiatives in Winnipeg and beyond.

✉ [email protected] 📞 +1-431-844-1794 ↗ LinkedIn ↗ SSRN Profile ↓ Download CV