2022: A year to pause, connect and dream big!
We are a network nurturing transformation by resourcing movements. We are Prospera.
2022 was a unique year for Prospera. In a world that never stops, what does it mean to take a year to pause, reflect, think and -from there- move forward? That is what the network explored last year since we decided to take a full year to collectively build Noor, our Strategic Framing Process for the next ten years. While it might sound simplistic, it has been an intensive and exhaustive process of coming together to listen, share, think, rethink, question, confront, dialogue, disagree, agree and build collectively. We were carefully looking to improve our own mechanisms of transparency and governance; to practice our values with care and intention; while also understanding and having a sharp mind around what it means to belong to the Prospera network today, where we want to go and what can we build for the future of people and our planet. At the same time, Noor has been exciting because we were able to dream big! Prospera visioned where it would like to find itself and the movements we support in the next 10 years. This process resulted in a powerful and bold purpose, vision, mission, and goals for the network for the next decade. The Noor process culminated in the Prospera XII Biennial in beautiful Oaxaca City, Mexico. Coming to the Biennial to connect and endorse the Strategic Framework Plan (purpose, vision, mission, and strategic goals) was a full-circle moment. Oaxaca was a brave and bold space were courage, vulnerability, soul, and deep conversations and reflections met with celebration, hugs and the joy of being together after three years apart due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We will be sharing about the process and outcomes of the Noor – Strategic Framing Process in the first semester of 2023. Stay tuned and check out the sneak peek below!
Prospera members highlights
While we were coming together to collectively build and dream about Noor, Prospera’s members’ funds continued with their hard work of mobilizing resources and sustaining movements and organizations throughout 2022. In this yearbook, you can learn about the most relevant highlights each fund part of Prospera achieved in the last year. This yearbook celebrates each members’ critical and bold work within their respective context in a very complex funding landscape.
NEWSLETTER
AFRICA WOMEN’S DEVELOPMENT FUND (AWDF)
ACCRA, GHANA
In 2022, the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) continued to provide financial and other resources to women’s rights and feminist groups across Africa. The grants we provided in 2022 amounted to about USD 11.4 million, to 191 organisations, and we proudly celebrated our 50th round of grantmaking. In celebrating this crucial milestone and acknowledging the inflation and cost of living crises and their impact on feminist movements, AWDF awarded a fully flexible top-op grant of USD 5,000 to each of its live grantee partners – 155 organisations in total. The Zinayira grants (Zinariya meaning “golden” in Hausa) will hopefully strengthen the resilience of African feminist movements as they face intersecting crises. AWDF also focused on amplifying some of the most marginalised voices from within African feminist movements, including non-English-speaking actors and LBQTI activists. We compiled essays, fiction pieces, poetry, articles, and reflections of 49 feminist activists and writers from French-speaking African countries into an anthology titled Nos Voix Collectives and celebrated AWDF’s LBQTI grantee partners and African feminists by producing ”Proud Continent”, a digital magazine centering their experiences. Through extensive consultations, AWDF developed a ten-year strategic framework (2023-2033) that wets an ambitious agenda for supporting African feminist movements. The framework will be published early 2023.
“Proud Continent”, a digital magazine
APTHAPI JOPUETI, FONDO DE MUJERES BOLIVIA
LA PAZ, BOLIVIA
http://www.fondodemujeresbolivia.org.bo/index.php
In this new cycle of transformation, from the Fondo de Mujeres Bolivia Apthapi Jopueti we changed our institutional image by politicizing how we look at ourselves, how we name ourselves and how we want to show ourselves. In addition, we expanded two new grant modalities for organizations: research and feminist audiovisual because it is a political bet that challenges and transforms a patriarchal, capitalist and colonial social order and builds other visual and narrative references. These new paths open us to other opportunities and challenges that remain latent.
ASTRAEA LESBIAN FOUNDATION FOR JUSTICE
NEW YORK CITY, USA
Astraea celebrated our 45th birthday in October 2022! Our theme for this year is “45 years of Joy in Resistance” – we endeavor to celebrate our past and boldly step into our future, while also holding the complexities of our present. In FY2022, Astraea moved resources to about 220 organizations, with grantmaking in all regions amounting to almost $6M – this includes grants made by the U.S. Fund, the International Fund, and the Intersex Human Rights Fund. Astraea has also continued our organizational transformation in 2022 – we have increased the number of staff we have brought on board and are very happy to be able to have staff members in more than 10 countries now. As 2022 progressed, we have seen an increasing openness within our communities to meet (safely) again; and this has meant that Astraea has been able to bring together activists. Convenings like the Caribbean CommsLab (in collaboration with the Equality Fund) and a November 2022 gathering of Astraea grantees in Africa focused on anti-gender movements allowed our partners to strengthen relationships and jointly strategize on how best to organize and advocate for the changes we want to see in the world. We are also delighted to be in partnership with several of our Prospera sister funds to jointly mobilize and distribute resources to LBTQI communities that Astraea is unable to reach on our own; these collaborations are critical to strengthening our ecosystem and serving our constituencies.
AYNI FIMI-IIWF
LIMA, PERU
Last year, FIMI advocated and contributed to the approval of Recommendation 39 of the CEDAW, which was an important advance towards greater rights for Indigenous Women and Girls. We also worked to harmonize the collaboration of the grant mechanisms we implement and better interconnect with FIMI’s strategic programs. We conducted two calls for proposals, and we selected 107 organizations from Asia, the Pacific, Africa, and LAC. For the first time, we delivered grants for empowerment through sport. At AYNI, we formalized the Monitoring and Evaluation area. Also, our team grew with the addition of sisters from Asia, Africa, and LAC. We collaborated with the Leading from the South consortium, Women Win, and the Pawanka Fund. We held the Second Global Indigenous Women’s Conference virtually with a participation of 900 people.
BULGARIAN FUND FOR WOMEN
SOFIA, BULGARIA
2022 was a very challenging and at the same time a very successful year for the Bulgarian Fund for Women! We doubled our grantmaking (750,000 USD) and adapted it to be even more flexible and needs-based, so that we support in the best possible way groups responding to the migration and the humanitarian crises caused by the war in Ukraine. Simultaneously, the Fund continued to be the only donor in Bulgaria to provide long-term core support to feminist and women’s rights CSOs and in 2022, we selected our third cohort of 6 new organizations. BFW is to expand its grantmaking and capacity-building efforts in 2023 through funding (2.7M EUR for 3 years) by the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Program (CERV) of the European Union. Our efforts to develop, strengthen and unite the feminist and women’s rights movement(s) became most evident during our biggest (so far) grantee meeting which was attended by representatives from more than 50 organizations, unregistered groups and activists working across Bulgaria. Some of them were also present at BFW’s Forum for Policies and Actions for Combating Violence Against Women – an advocacy event, supported by the Council of Europe, attended by Members of Parliament and more than 100 high level guests. In 2022, Bulgarian Fund for Women continued to be the only organization in the country working on the topic and the intersection between Climate and Gender Justice and we plan to continue deepening our knowledge and bringing together various actors from different movements. And finally, we are very proud of our Strategic Team Retreat where we worked on our ToC and Strategic plan, feminist MEL and dreamed about 2023 – hopefully a better year for all of us.
CALALA FONDO DE MUJERES
BARCELONA, SPAIN
http://www.calala.org/?lang=en
In Calala we are proud to have held the Tejiendo Territorios 2022 meeting in Bilbao, where after 5 years we met with more than 60 Central American women migrant activists and human rights defenders to make visible and exchange experiences on feminist, anti-racist and decolonial activism. We launched the #EstamosAquí campaign which, through stories told by women, we were able to raise awareness about issues faced by migrant women in Spain, make our mission visible, reach new audiences and expand our donors and contacts. Internally, as part of our decolonial process, we created the Alebrije Plan and our Protocol on Racist Violence, tangible fruits that put into writing daily anti- racist practices, which teach us to change our outlook.
DORIA FEMINIST FUND
OTTAWA, CANADA
Founded in 2021, Doria Feminist Fund began as a unique opportunity to connect feminist activists in the MENA region to funding and resources that are responsive, accessible, flexible, and feminist. In February 2022, Doria Feminist Fund welcomed its first cohort of grantee partners; an inspiring moment in feminist philanthropy and the feminist movement space in the MENA as Doria Fund is the first feminist fund providing direct grants to activists, led by and tailored for feminist activists, from the MENA region. Doria’s first cohort of grantee partners are radical, creative, unapologetic, and breaking barriers. Also, in January 2022, Doria Feminist Fund and through its “To Want and to Dare” Awards honored five women who dared to challenge injustice in the MENA region with a $5000 award. Doria’s awardees are courageous, dynamic and inspiring activists who have stood up against prevailing norms or assumptions and taken risks in the pursuit of advancing women’s equality and freedom. “To want and to dare, never hesitate to act when the feeling of injustice overcomes you”, Doria Shafik
ELAS+ Doar Para Transformar
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL
http://www.fundosocialelas.org/
In 2022, ELAS+ supported 261 initiatives of women and trans people in all regions of Brazil through three calls for proposals. More than 1 million and 600 thousand dollars in flexible direct grants through the Building Movements call for proposals, our largest program, went to 136 groups working in areas such as climate justice, fighting racism and LGBTphobia, life without violence, the advancement of labor rights, rights to the city, housing, and health. The Empodera – Fashion Changing Lives call for proposals invested more than 300 thousand dollars in 21 groups that work through fair, inclusive, and responsible fashion. In the combating of racism, 16 activist organizations and networks are supported by the Black Women Alliance – All Against Violence in the amount of 510 thousand dollars. An event with the participation of the philanthropy ecosystem of Brazil and other countries gave visibility to women’s activism in the fight against racism. The resumption of post-pandemic face-to-face meetings was also a milestone – meetings between activists, experts, leaders of supported initiatives, and partners to exercise active listening and encourage connections and networking between groups.
The Empodera – Fashion Changing Lives call
ECUMENICAL WOMEN’S INITIATIVE (EWI)
OMIS, CROATIA
2022 saw EWI make its highest number of grants ever (78) and a welcome return to in-person meetings with our grantee partners. Our summer grantee convening in Croatia brought peace activists from across the region to share best practices around women-led grassroots approaches and realities to peace and reconciliation in post-war societies. One activist commented: “Respecting others’ values matters. And in recognising them, we create a space for dialogue.” EWI’s Feminism and Religion online school completed its first full year and is going from strength to strength. 237 women and 17 men successfully completed one or more of the school’s 4-week courses which consist of cutting-edge topics researched, written, structured and presented by prominent feminist thinkers in the region (Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish, atheist). Participants accessed new insights and innovative perspectives on topics of high relevance to women and closely related to current context and trends in the region. One participant commented that, “it was not just a course, it was a new way of learning life, embracing it in its entirety.”
EQUALITY FUND
OTTAWA, ONTARIO CANADA
Learn more about the investment theory of change here
Learn more about Equality Fund grantmaking here
Learn more about work in Ukraine and crisis contexts here
Advocacy for Afghanistan here
Learn more about the Alliance for Feminist Movements here
Learn more about our feminist philanthropy work here
FEMFUND
WARSAW, POLAND
For FemFund the past year 2022 marked both planned institutional growth of programmes as well as the need to timely and flexibly respond to the rapidly shifting context such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February, 24. FemFund responded to war in a number of ways which was also possible thanks to the the transnational solidarity of our partners. It allowed to us to open special grants to address war aftermatch, organise humanitarian transport to Ukraine and adjust our office space to accommodate regufees, especially those who are vulnerable to intersectional discrimination based of their skin color, gender or ethnic identity. This ability of staying responsive to the needs of the most marginalized communities (incl. Roma and queer persons fleeing Ukraine) and swift reorganization of priorities might be considered as FemFund’s achievement. Despite additional / unplanned workload in response to the crisis situation, FemFund managed to also maintain its strategic direction and we followed our strategic plan to great extent. This included 1) maintaining all the existing grant-making programmes and implementing them with no delay, 2) completing and publishing the Report on the state of feminist movements in Poland. The executive summary is available in English here: https://femfund.pl/wp-content/uploads/feminist-fund-report-on-feminism-in-poland-2022-summary.pdf and 3) holding the Convening of Grantee Partners for about 100 participants on 16-18 September 2022.
FILIA DIE FRAUENSTIFTUNG
HAMBURG, GERMANY
The war in the Ukraine has deeply affected Filia with its strong ties into the region. Because of the overwhelming success of our fundraising campaign #standwithukraine, we were able to support our partners in the Ukraine and neighboring countries. Probably the most valued aspect of 2022 for us has been that we were able to get together again: be it for our belated jubilee party or for filia’s first ever grantee meeting (in the framework of our Empowerment Program for Refugee Women*) or for a project meeting with our sister funds in Yerevan.
FONDO ALQUIMIA
SANTIAGO, CHILE
In 2022, the feminist and gender dissidence movements made their demands part of the proposal for a new Constitution. In this context, Fondo Alquimia accompanied and supported 130 organizations in their work for advances in social justice, human rights, environmental protection and the deepening of democracy. Not having achieved the dream of the first Feminist Constitution, we reiterate the importance of staying in the territories, being with the communities, and working collectively. We look to the future with the conviction that the shared path, with donors, allies and local partners, Latin American, European and international funds, is essential for the transformations that the current historical moment requires.
FONDO CENTROAMERICANO DE MUJERES – FCAM
SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA
In 2022 FCAM renewed its hopes. In the midst of the challenges that women, trans and non-binary people face in the Central American context, we continue to work alongside diverse organizations, groups and collectives from our role as a feminist funder in the region. During the year, we provided USD$4.3 million in 233 grants to strengthen the women’s and feminist movement and supported 198 partners. At the same time, we resumed face-to-face activities, renewed our institutional image and, since the beginning of the pandemic, we reconnected as a team.
FONDO DE ACCIÓN URGENTE AMÉRICA LATINA Y EL CARIBE
BOGOTA, COLOMBIA
Two years after the beginning of the pandemic, we know that uncertainty is something we live with every day and it teaches us every day. This is why we have begun to lay some foundations that allow us to walk calmly through the uncertainty and continue accompanying the movements in the region in a careful and close way. We are committed to continue working from the collective and from the strength and resistance of defenders and activists. As Co-Executive Director, the collective construction that we form from the diverse personal experiences that motivate and move us to assume this process of collective leadership. We continue to take care of the resources that as a Feminist Fund we manage under ethical, efficient, responsible and coherent practices to support the sustainability of the movements, and to be a bridge to make their resistance visible. In 2017, we began a journey to question ourselves from the south and engage in a global dialogue on care, protection and healing. In 2022 we had the launch of the research How to Root Ourselves in Care and Dance the Revolution? available in Spanish and Portuguese. In July 2022 we celebrate 13 years of work and commitment to feminist funding. Strategies of protection and collective care: The uncertainty and the global crisis unleashed in 2020, made us re-think, re- know and re-consider the learnings on care, therefore, in 2021, with the intention of listening to activists, defenders and feminists we conducted virtual meetings on the strategies of protection and collective care that allowed them to face the confinement. Cultivating balance to navigate uncertainty: We reflected on the strategies and tools that have allowed us to cultivate balance to navigate uncertainty during the two years that the COVID19 pandemic has been present.
How to Root Ourselves in Care and Dance the Revolution? available in Spanish and Portuguese.
Strategies of protection and collective care
Cultivating balance to navigate uncertainty
FONDO DE MUJERES DEL SUR
CÓRDOBA, ARGENTINA
During 2022, we mobilized almost two and a half million dollars in 273 grants for 223 organizations, through eight programs and two complementary initiatives. We celebrated 15 years of empowering feminisms and held celebrations in all three countries. We met in Montevideo (September 2), Asuncion (September 23) and Cordoba (October 21) to celebrate years of existence and persistence; of work, activism, daily commitment to be a tool of feminist movements, of which we are part and to which we owe ourselves. Also, in the framework of our anniversary, we published Historias de mujeres del sur. 15 years empowering feminisms, an illustrated fanzine made with the activists who are the protagonists. Based on the urgencies of the global crisis and the post-pandemic, we implemented a new program in partnership with Fondo Alquimia (Chile): Economic Justice. We seek to empower the work of feminist activism to amplify the voices of women, diverse identities and sexualities in the world of work, as well as the construction of popular alternatives, in solidarity, that put the sustainability of life in a central place. We met again in person with the organizations in a new format: the meetings by country. Activists with diverse struggles and from different territories, all supported through the different FMS programs, met in June in Asunción (Paraguay), in August in La Falda (Argentina) and in December in Piriápolis (Uruguay). We aim to strengthen the crossroads of activisms in each country, promoting spaces for dialogue, exchange and common construction of agendas and strategies.
15 years of empowering feminisms
New program in partnership with Fondo Alquimia (Chile): Economic Justice.
FONDO LUNARIA MUJER
BOGOTA, COLOMBIA
As Lunaria Fund we are very happy that at the beginning of 2022 Lilith Cristancho, a young trans activist and doctor with many years of work within the trans movement supporting health issues, joined the Fund’s Assembly. We also incorporated a Coordinating Committee within the structure of the Fund to respond more quickly to the challenges we face. And finally, we want to share that since August of this year, for the first time in the history of Colombia, a progressive government is in power, with an Afro-Colombian vice-president who comes from the environmental social movement.
FONDO SEMILLAS
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
Increase in resources given to partners based on a study of differentiated amounts: Framed by a reflection on economic and redistributive justice, we conducted an analysis of the donations that Fondo Semillas provides. As a result of this analysis, we decided to increase the amounts of funding we grant between 25% and 100%, which means that currently the minimum grant given to an organization is $22,200 dollars and the maximum is $66,700 dollars, according to the administrative and institutional capacities of each organization. What we seek by increasing the amount of funding is: -Generate greater sustainability of feminist and women’s organizations and movements. -Promote a culture that prioritizes a dignified life for the members of the organizations, networks and collectives that we finance, emphasizing collective care and security. -To avoid the precariousness of the movement and the burnout of its activists. La Bola de Cristal’s microsite and methodological guide for reflecting on justice: In a collaborative process with the Central American Women’s Fund (FCAM) we developed the microsite La Bola de Cristal, which includes 11 webinars with activists and specialists, as well as other materials, in which we collectively reflect on the justice we want to build: economic justice, restorative justice, territorial and environmental justice, and other justice from Abya Yala. We also developed a guide for reflective encounters of co-construction, which can be downloaded from the microsite, and provides tools to generate more spaces for meetings and reflection on justice. Giving Circle and face-to-face events: We created the Círculo Semillas, a giving circle that involves the most committed donors to Fondo Semillas in fundraising strategies beyond their donations. We also resumed face-to-face events, after two and a half years of pandemic. The first was a breakfast to launch our annual fundraising campaign #JuntasFloreSeremos, to which we invited companies, individual and institutional donors. The second, an Open House to cultivate those who already donate to Fondo Semillas and attract new donors. New website: In November we launched our new website and we are very happy with the result!
Guide for reflective encounters of co-construction
FONDS POUR LES FEMMES CONGOLAISES
KINASHASA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
Despite a resurgence of violence in eastern provinces in 2022, FFC continued to support women in areas affected by conflict, demonstrating the resilience and strength of thousands of Congolese women and girls. FFC could not stand idly by so we raised funds to address the humanitarian needs of internally displaced just outside of Goma. In addition, FFC funded 20 projects on SRHR in 8 different provinces, training over 2,000 peer educators. Another highlight is a project that supported income-generating activities for teen mothers living with handicaps in Beni. Despite facing discrimination, all 10 teen moms were able to set up sustainable economic activities for themselves and provide for their families.
GLOBAL FUND FOR WOMEN
SAN FRANCISCO, USA
In FY2022 (the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022) we supported gender justice organizations and movements directly working on a wide range of issues including domestic workers’ rights; climate justice; and reproductive justice, awarding over $17 million to 374 groups in 85 countries via 411 grants. We also proudly supported the grantmaking activities of mission-aligned Model A fiscal sponsees Black Feminist Fund, VidaAfrolatina, and We Can’t Breathe. Our Artist Changemaker program completed its first year, supporting ten dynamic artists from ten countries across Central Asia, Caribbean, Middle East, and Latin America to continue making art at the intersections of gender justice and movement building. Our Movement Mapping Tool, a process Global Fund for Women designed to use in collaboration with local partners to help identify people and groups in a movement and how they relate to each other, was piloted in Mongolia, with partner women’s fund MONES. This is the last pilot of the tool, following our work in Mexico with Fondo Semillas (September 2021), Taso Foundation in Georgia (October 2021), and Ukrainian Women’s fund in Ukraine (October 2021). We look forward to continuing to hone the tool for greater use including across the women’s fund community! And we used our voice, reputation, and platforms to call for real, feminist accountability for the commitments that emerged from the 2021 Generation Equality Forum (GEF). We’re working with grassroots activists to convene courageous conversations with powerful governments and philanthropy—and make sure the funds committed reach those who are closest to the issues and the solutions. Lastly, we are proud to be undergoing an Intersectional Feminist Work Design process aimed at creating new, more feminist ways of working. Staff from across the organization have inputted into the process, guided by the principles of solidarity, trust, and collective power. This process, now in its final stages, will produce a new organizational structure that streamlines our work and better serves our movement-led approach.
HER FUND
HONG KONG
http://www.herfund.org.hk/index_en.php
HER Fund has given 26 grants in year 2022. 5 of them are combining with transformative feminist leadership training workshops and mentoring to support them to develop a more sustainable organisation. We also bridged other resources for caring our grantee partners to face never-ending COVID challenges and building their relationship, including yoga class, distributing self-care pack, hiking products and COVID test kits. We are also under reviewing our grant strategy to provide a better support to the community. Other than that, we also put a lot of effot on organisational strengthening so that we can do more and go further with the team and community together, including: reviewed M&A, strengthening governance, investing more in staff training and collective care, developed a new 3-year strategic plan.
KOREA FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
In 2022, the Korea Foundation for Women made $1.5M to 391 grants with 74,542 people engaged under 14 programs focusing on gender equality grant (16%), women’s human rights (24%), women’s empowerment (38%), diversity and caring society (22%). In terms of fundraising, KFW received $1.0M from corporate donation (71%) and individuals (29%). Especially, gender equality fundraising campaign of the KFW has been remarked for twenty years journey in June of 2022 and made donations of ₩108,651,885 KRW from civil society. It is unique public campaign for making gender equality grant to support various women’s groups and their activism of gender equality, women’s human rights, anti-gender violence and sustainable growth of women’s movement in Korea.
MAMA CASH
AMSTERDAM,THE NETHERLANDS
In 2022 Mama Cash awarded a total of € 8,3 million to support feminist activism worldwide. We launched the last of our fully participatory funds this year – the Radical Love Fund – which supports individual trail blazing feminist activists who are coordinating or catalysing projects, in their own right. The implementation of the Accompaniment Strategy has resulted in an almost ten-fold increase in the amount of accompaniment grants disbursed – from €180,000 in 2021 to €1.1 million in 2022 – with grants supporting groups’ staff retreats, purchase of equipment, and digital security needs.
MEDITERRANEAN WOMEN’S FUND
MONTPELLIER, FRANCE
2022 was again a year of important growth for the MedWF, in terms of budget, staff and grantmaking. We reinforced our networking activities for women’s organizations, by organizing online and offline strategic reflection meetings at the national, subregional and regional levels; we were able to gather our advisors from every Mediterranean country in Paris for the first time since 2017! We also held our first Feminist Training in Collective Intelligence since the pandemic. We embarked on a journey to write our new Strategic Plan, which allows us to reflect deeply on our work and define our priorities more clearly, internally and externally and is helping us strengthen our team! We have also managed to open the EU’s doors, through our advocacy work with the European chapter, with the creation of a booklet on the women’s funds’ funding model and an event at the European Parliament in January 23!
MONES – MONGOLIAN WOMEN’S FUND
ULAANBAATAR, MONGOLIA
In 2022, MONES presented the “Mongolia’s 10th Alternative Report on the implementation of CEDAW in Mongolia” at the 82nd CEDAW Committee Review Session and the recommendations were included in the CEDAW Concluding Observations to the Government of Mongolia. We have successfully piloted the Mapping Stakeholders’ Analysis tool and conducted an “Assessment of the Women’s/Feminist movement in Mongolia” study. We supported “Beyond the Blue Sky” LGBTQI+ themed short film festival within 10th Equality & Pride Days. We extended the movement in Mongolia by supporting young female artists. They expressed their voices for women’s rights with their arts as “Silence scream” at the “The Grey Box” female artists’ exhibition on the occasion of the International Women’s Day, 8 March 2023. We provided grants to promote impact, resilience and collective response of women defenders to natural resource extraction and structural violence. Our grantee partner adapted “Safety and Care Assessment of Women Human Rights Defenders”, developed by the Urgent Action Fund, to the Mongolian context and piloted in the mining areas of Gobi dessert and Western region of Mongolia.
RECONSTRUCTION WOMEN’S FUND
BELGRADE, SERBIA
In 2022, Reconstruction Women’s Fund increased its Special Focus Grant amount by 50% with two new donors. Our financial management was fine-tuned, and is now completely covered by the working team. To enrich our data collection and analysis presentation, we have introduced Salesforce. Even more exciting, we translated of Audre Lorde’s literary works and a biomythography – Zami: A New Spelling of My name. Excitedly so and in line with little pleasures of resistance – we are getting a disco ball for our office and translating the about Clitoris!
SOUTH ASIA WOMEN FOUNDATION INDIA
NEW DELHI, INDIA
In 2022, it was the Fund’s 1st year of operations as an Independent Entity. The Fund has accountable and transparent governance mechanisms (Trustees, Steering Committee and Grants Committee) and policies in place and has been implemented. Part of our collective care practices we have rest & rejuvenation week twice per year. This is a practice as feminist fund, taking a pause from work. In addition, we have draft collective care policy which is to be finalize in2023. This year we have also open new Grant call and awarded 11 new grants to women’s group and women led organizations nonbinary networks, who will work in the key thematic areas of the Fund. The Fund had begun the process of preparatory for its 1st audit that will be conducted in Jan-Feb 2023. We have also completed our Capacity Development stocktake, which had noted that grantee partners interacted collaboratively to share best practice and learn from each other through platforms such as the Fund’s annual report launch, grantee orientation, and the annual reflection and planning workshops. Grantee reports show grantee partners collaborating with each other to deliver services and advocate more effectively for change. The Fund also hold its Annual Reflection with Grantee partners with the theme of Nurturing feminist Leadership, this is a safe space for our Grantee partners to share best practices and challenges with the Fund.
TASO FOUNDATION
TBILISI, GEORGIA
In 2022, Taso Foundation continued the programs it has been working on for years. Among them were social mobilization programs, within which nearly 1000 women underwent educational programs, and 81 started income-generating activities. The foundation has implemented four grant circles- supported capacity building and grassroots activities of initiative groups and organizations, and long-term women’s lead community philanthropy program. In parallel, strengthened organizational communication and MEL strategies established an educational program for young women living in the region—the Women’s School for Active Membership of Civil Society has been implemented. The Rural Women’s Festival 2022 was held, and the foundation was laid for its annual celebration.
The Rural Women’s Festival 2022
TEWA
DHAPAKHEL, LALITPUR, NEPAL
In 2022, Tewa reviewed and revised its HR policy and guideline as well as financial policy for the practical and effective implementation of the organization’s strategy providing consistency and transparency for employees and managers, providing clear guidance on areas of improvement, ensuring compliance with Federal, State, and Local employment regulations and creating positive organizational culture. This year we Tewa succeed to provide 94 Women’s Groups grant support of NRs. 304,272,50.00 (USD253,560.41) and unseasonal late monsoon rains across Nepal on October 2022 caused floods and landslides in many parts of the country. Amid the flood and landslide, Tewa succeeded to provide grants for the relief support of NRs. 3,450,000.00 (USD 287,50.00) to the survivors and their families. Grantee Capacity Strengthening – this year Tewa organized 44 times different training and workshops for its grantee partners where 94 grantee partners form 40 districts and 2090 participants participated in capacity strengthening program. Tewa organized national conference on Gender Just Climate Solutions in collaboration with Climate and Development Dialogue Forum. Tewa hosted Prospera Asia and Pacific regional meeting in Nepal. Tewa, this year hosted another network – SANGAT, a network of gender activists and trainers which was coordinated by Late Kamla Bhasin which focuses on comprehensive feminism by addressing human rights, justice, peace, and democracy along with related concerns on the spectrum of social issues including poverty, sustainable development, and livelihood to name a few — not limiting itself to the issues of gender and women. Lastly, we introduced a new member as the Deputy Director of Tewa – Ms. Laxmi Shova Shakya to our team.
UKRAINIAN WOMEN’S FUND
KIEV, UKRAINE
The year 2022 brought many challenges to Ukraine. Russia’s full-scale invasion launched on February 24 largely affected Ukrainian women and women’s/feminist organizations. Millions of Ukrainians, mostly women and children, had to flee their homes. Those women who stayed faced various difficulties related to war. We knew that support was crucial, so we couldn’t stop, we had to move forward. During the first weeks of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, we have changed our strategy and approaches: 1) we wrote to all current grantees and suggested that they change the grants to reflect better the needs in the communities; 2) we launched rapid response grants program. Few months after, we developed a two-years strategy for UWF “Ukraine: War the Challenge, Empowerment the Answer”, this strategy is guiding our work now. UWF was able to launch rapid response grants program so fast because we did not wait for funding. During the first weeks of the full scale war in the situation of uncertainty when we did not know what will happen tomorrow but saw the need in support today, we decided that the best way we use our reserve fund is to support those in need – women’s and feminist organizations, activists – those who had to flee from their homes to save themselves and their families. We still think that this was the best way to spend our reserve. It took us more than 10 years to build it, we spent it in just a few months supporting others but during the same few months our reserve was replenished by Prospera and its members. So, now UWF has a reserve fund that nobody in the world has – it is composed from the donations from our sister funds – members of Prospera. Another highlight of the year for us is the fundraising campaign organized for UWF by Prospera and its members. At the time when we were busy providing support to organizations and activists, the network and its members, especially our sisters from the European chapter were helping with resources mobilization. In 2022, we issued 297 grants, half of them for rapid response, and 1⁄4 – core support to strengthen the capacity of Ukrainian women’s/feminist organizations. Today we need to be stronger than ever to not only provide immediate assistance but also plan the future and ensure that women’s voices are included in the recovery strategies. Therefore, UWF is continuing to support the movement. Last year we facilitated the discussions on the values that unite us and make guide our path towards a sustainable and just peace.
URGENT ACTION FUND AFRICA
NAIROBI, KENYA
In 2022 the Fund disbursed 450 Rapid Response Grants (RRG) to African Women Human Rights Defenders (AWHRDs) across Africa. Our RRG Making enabled us to expediently disburse funds and solidarity to AWHRDs and feminist movements in hostile and volatile contexts. We continued to evolve to galvanise more catalytic, flexible funding by deeply listening to defenders, while scanning the operating terrain for patterns and clues on what trends are emerging that require rapid response intervention. The identified trends and gathered intelligence enable our team to centre movements and respond in real time to developing situations while simultaneously promoting self and collective care. Our work within the Francophone region has grown and evolved, resulting in an increase in the number of RRG applications received by the Fund, further culminating in the successful hosting of the 2nd Feminist Republik Festival from the 28th to the 30th of November in Naivasha, Kenya. We successfully hosted over 500 AWHRDs at the 2nd Feminist Republik Festival which had more than 60% Francophone participation. The Feminist Republik Festival provided a safe space for AWHRDs to come together and collectively find sisterhood and camaraderie, in a world where defenders are exhausted and fatigued. At the festival we launched the Healing Justice Research piece, that was co-created with activists incorporating documented experiences of AWHRDs where they share experiential learning on diverse healing practices, collective care practices and documentation efforts that have taken place during the high days of the pandemic. The research piece explores how AWHRDs understand and access healing, with case studies from Senegal, South Africa, and Democratic Republik of Congo (DRC).
URGENT ACTION ASIA & PACIFIC
PHILIPPINES | AUSTRALIA
In 2022, Urgent Action Fund Asia & Pacific disbursed 567 grants, totalling $2,680,495 to 19 countries while we worked towards strengthening our values of collective care and feminist solidarity. Over the year, our grantmaking expanded to 26 Environment and Climate Justice defenders in 9 countries; 36 LBTQI defenders in 10 countries and 8 defenders with disabilities in 5 countries. We also hosted our annual reflexive space of exchange, the Oasis of Reflection, where activists with disabilities and those working with disability justice movements convened to share stories of resilience, collective care, and well-being initiatives. Last year, we shifted our focus from immediate resilience to long-term resilience with the launch of an open call for our Webs of Safety and Care grants and received 57 grant applications from 14 countries in Asia and Pacific. UAF A&P forayed into piloting our Shifting Narratives in 2022, and co-built ‘Realms of Kintsugi’, a virtual world of resilience, respite, and care. UAF A&P granted fellowships to a cohort of five artists from our region to explore narratives of resistance and resilience of activists and defenders of Asia and Pacific through their art. Radical Geographies, UAF A&P’s annual narrative of learning on how as a feminist rapid response fund we traversed the shaky grounds of 2021.
URGENT ACTION FUND FOR WOMEN’S HUMAN RIGHTS
OAKLAND, USA
2022 was a full year for Urgent Action Fund (UAF). In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, and UAF was uniquely positioned to immediately funnel funding to feminist activists in Ukraine and throughout the region. To date, UAF has awarded nearly $3 million and over 160 grants to activists, supporting necessary evacuations, providing essential resources, such as food and medicine, and sustaining local businesses during the ongoing conflict. Beyond the war in Ukraine, UAF partnered with our Sister Funds in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean to launch a new report in 2022 on trends around collective care throughout our activist network. After multiple years of interviews and research, the report demonstrated practices that our activists are already implementing to make their work more sustainable and impactful, while also calling on funders to increase resourcing and funding for collective care work in the feminist space. Lastly, when Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022, banning abortions across the United States, UAF stepped up our grant making efforts in the U.S., increasing resources for the fight for reproductive rights, along with support for LGBTQI+ activists in the region.
WOMEN’S FUND ARMENIA
ARMENIA
We started a new program called FemTalks. We successfully continued our adolescent girls’ program. An international visit of our sister funds, Filia, FemFund, Ukranian Women’s Fund and Women’s Fund in Georgia in the framework of our project “Feminist Landscape”. We started a new project, Herstory which is a collection of stories from women and girls on various topics, such as sexuality, SRHR, feminist movement, attacks from anti-gender movements, trauma and war, and many others. More about this initiative Organization of an international webinar on militarism and women’s rights.
FemTalk with a researcher Laura Luciani
Video about small initiatives implemented in 2022
Seminario internacional sobre militarismo y derechos de la mujer
WOMEN’S FUND ASIA
COLOMBO, SRI LANKA
The year 2022 was an exciting year of changes and transitions for us: Women’s Fund Asia (WFA) completed its executive leadership transition, began the implementation of the new strategic plan from 2022-2027 and continued to work on institutional strengthening. The challenging context of Sri Lanka, where WFA is registered, led us to effectively operationalise Women’s Fund Asia Limited in Australia – which was registered in December 2020 – as part of our risk mitigation mechanism. Through our grantmaking programmes – Leading from the South, Strengthening Feminist Movements, Linking & Learning and Crisis Grants– we committed over 6 million USD to feminist networks, organisations and activists across 18 countries in Asia. For the first time, WFA has been able to introduce renewal and multi-year grants for activists and smaller groups, as well as use non-competitive processes for two smaller programmes. Capacity strengthening on financial resilience and management was provided to grantee partners in South Asia, and accessible resources on MEL have been developed to aid grantee partners in their annual reporting. Advancing our strategic objective of claiming resources and influencing aid and philanthropy for resource justice, we continued to influence, advocate, and build alliances regionally and globally. In 2022, WFA along with Urgent Action Fund Asia & Pacific, Women’s Fund Fiji, the Pacific Feminist Fund launched the Amplify-Invest-Reach (AIR) partnership supported by DFAT, Australia. We joined the Alliance for Feminist Movements first as a planning group member and now as a Steering Group member ; the Steering Committee of the Human Rights Funders Network; and continued our role in the Advisory Board of Resilience Fund for Women in Global Value Chains. Along with sister funds – AWDF, FIMI, and FMS – was successful in mobilising additional resources to strengthen the work of Leading from the South consortium on feminist movement-building and feminist leadership in the global South. Furthermore, as recognition of the critical work undertaken by WFA and its partners in the Asia and Pacific region on pushing feminist agendas, strengthening feminist leadership and feminist movement building, WFA received a gift of USD 6 million from Mackenzie Scott as part of her 2019 giving pledge. In the wake of multiple socio-economic, political and environmental crises and the increased threat to human rights of women, girls, trans and intersex people, the need to bolster the most marginalised communities who face intersecting forms of discrimination and continue to be on the frontlines during times of crises, is urgent and immediate. With this belief and resolve for 2023, WFA is committed to resourcing and strengthening feminist movements led by women, girls, trans and intersex people in Asia.
Executive leadership transition
Our program: Leading from the South
Our program: Strengthening Feminist Movements in Asia
Alliance for Feminist Movements
Alliance for Feminist Movements – Steering Group member
The consortium: Leading from the South
WOMEN FIRST
NEW YORK, USA
2022 was the year for connection, reflection, and growth at Women First. Apart from supporting 43 partners with USD 608,000 through direct grants, we organized 19 partner visits, 3 peer learning exchanges between grantee partners, and 5 regional convenings. By prioritizing spaces for active listening and collaboration, we deepened trust, gained insights on the impact of our six-year grant making model, and further understood the capacity-strengthening goals of our grantee partners. As a new member of Prospera, Women First went on a parallel journey with our grantee partners by increasing our participation in feminist grant making collaboratives and engaging in meaningful dialogue on resource mobilization and participatory decision-making. Internally, we reviewed and adapted our grant making and organizational processes in response to learnings from staff, grantee partners, and peer funds. We delved into our role within the wider feminist funding ecosystem and documented our key considerations for future partnerships in a reflection piece titled ‘Growing Alongside our Grantee Partners’. With a view to effectively deliver on our mission while remaining closely connected to the communities we work with, Women First’s team doubled in size, with more than half of our staff located in the Global South.
‘Growing Alongside our Grantee Partners’.
WOMEN’S FUND FIJI
FLAGSTAFF SUVA, FIJI
In 2022, it was the Fund’s 1st year of operations as an Independent Entity. The Fund has accountable and transparent governance mechanisms (Trustees, Steering Committee and Grants Committee) and policies in place and has been implemented. Part of our collective care practices we have rest & rejuvenation week twice per year. This is a practice as feminist fund, taking a pause from work. In addition, we have draft collective care policy which is to be finalise in 2023.This year we have also open new Grant call and awarded 11 new grants to women’s group and women led organisations nonbinary networks, who will work in the key thematic areas of the Fund . The Fund had begun the process of preparatory for its 1st audit that will be conducted in Jan-Feb 2023. We have also completed our Capacity Development stocktake, which had noted that grantee partners interacted collaboratively to share best practice and learn from each other through platforms such as the Fund’s annual report launch, grantee orientation, and the annual reflection and planning workshops. Grantee reports show grantee partners collaborating with each other to deliver services and advocate more effectively for change. The Fund also hold its Annual Reflection with Grantee partners with the theme of Nurturing feminist Leadership, this is a safe space for our Grantee partners to share best practices and challenges with the Fund.
WOMEN’S FUND GEORGIA
TBILISI, GEORGIA
http://www.womenfundgeorgia.org/?lan=en
Women’s Fund in Georgia continues to bring different movements together, connecting feminists with environmental and climate justice, sexual and reproductive health and rights, women’s labor rights movements, as well as intentionally integrating healing and care practices in movement building. Feminist residency construction has notably progressed, moving the remaining works in the internal space. The feminist residency is intended to be a safe space for queer and feminist activists to heal, organize and celebrate together. Another notable direction WFG is pursuing is around issuing core grants to the grassroots groups, to provide flexible funding that responds to the most under-resourced needs of the groups. 107 grants were issued overall in frames of 19 programs, out of which 5 groups were supported institutionally with flexible core support. The fund had two dedicated programs to support Ukrainian refugees in Georgia. The program intended to support a longer- term support, as well as humanitarian aid if need be.
WOMEN FUND TANZANIA TRUST
DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA
The year 2022 has been an exciting and busiest one for Women Fund Tanzania Trust (WFT-T), like the rest of the global world, we finally managed to hold several face-to-face meetings after the slowdown of the impact of COVID 19. Furthermore, it was the year that WFT-T was busy preparing to mark its 15th Anniversary to be celebrated in 2023 since the Fund was founded (2008-2023). During these preparations, we managed to write a book documenting our 15-year journey, nostalgic videos and grantee success stories were also developed and documented. The climax of commemoration will be in February 2023, where Women Rights Organizations (WROs,) Feminist Women movement and other key stakeholders will be having three day of reflection, learning and celebration of the WFT-T journey and the impact it has created in advancing women, girls and children rights in Tanzania. In tandem with the festivity preparations, we supported 53 WROs and other women movement actors through Grants (across different thematic areas) and provided thought leadership on critical issues such as sextortion and its impacts on dignity of individual women and girls and to the moral fabric of the nation. This resulted in a strengthened intersectional women and girls’ movement that successfully challenged some of the disempowering laws, tradition and norms through development of position papers, round table discussions. WFT-T grants directly impacted a total of 89,230 people through training and mentorship, Meetings, Convenings and media engagements.
WOMEN WIN
AMSTERDAM,THE NETHERLANDS
In 2022 Women Win continued to evolve as a multifunctional global fund. Our focus for the year was on progressing our development as a feminist learning organization. Some of our key highlights included received an extra ordinary gift from Mackenzie Scott, launching Ignita whose mission is to catalyse a shift in the philanthropy ecosystem that strengthens local activists, organisations and movements’ capacities to drive change on their own terms, and our continued partnership with Numun Fund as they seed and sustain technological infrastructures for feminist activism, organizations and movements.
XOESE, THE FRANCOPHONE WOMEN’S FUND
LOME, TOGO
In 2022, XOESE has managed to sustain its growth and continued growing. We have significantly increased the quantity (by 52%) and quality of our support to our grantee partners: last year we have financially supported 27 initiatives in 12 countries. We have been providing them with more technical support and this is impacting a lot their organizational and resource mobilization capacity. We have held a training with some of them to build their organizational resilience and provided them with small grants to address the challenges they have identified. We have grown the number of senior staff and this has considerably increased the quality of our work. By the end of 2022, our resources have grown by 177% and we have secured many multi-year contracts. We have a new visual identity and are improving how we communicate about our success. Building on the success of the 2021 Forum, we started working on the preparation of our 2023 Francophone Forum.