OUR STORY - Prospera International Network of Women's Funds

Nuestra Historia

Women’s and feminist funds are the backbone of the ever- growing women and feminist movements that supports and advances local women’s organizations transforming lives and addressing the most pressing community needs, in every corner of the world.

Prospera is the global hub of this movement.

Feminist resources for a better world!

The Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice was founded in 1977 in New York by a small group of diverse women to increase funding for lesbian and women of color.
Mama Cash was created in 1983 by five Dutch feminists who wanted to financially support and stimulate women’s rights movements around the world.
Global Fund for Women was established in 1987 in California, and supported the creation of funds in the Global South in the 1990s- such as Semillas in Mexico, Tewa in Nepal, and AWDF in Ghana. Since then, the women’s and feminist funding movement has grown to nearly 50 autonomous funds in the Global South and East, resourcing feminist movements in over 170 countries.

International Network of Women's and Feminist Funds

In early 2000, a group of six women’s funds from Latin America, Asia, Europe and the United States decided to build a centralized organization to provide all women’s funds, from the large, established funds to those smaller funds emerging across the Global South, with greater opportunities for collaboration and support in order to strengthen and expand their impact. This effort resulted in the founding of the International Network of Women’s Funds in that year. Since then, Prospera has supported its members to develop and expand their capacity to fund and serve women and girls’ rights organizations in the Global South.

Over time, Prospera has grown from a peer-learning network to a more structured, membership-driven service organization. Prospera currently gathers 47 women’s and feminist funds, who collectively provide grants in over 172 countries.

Our Vision

We work for a feminist world where all structures of exclusion, oppression, and inequity are transformed into ones of diversity, inclusion, freedom, equality, and justice. A world where all can live joyful and dignified lives, where democracy and human rights are upheld, and where the planet flourishes along with people.

We belie ve fiercely in the power of feminist movements to bring this world into being and in the unique role that women’s and feminist funds play in resourcing them towards this end.

Our Mission

Based in different parts of the world, Prospera INWF members redistribute resources primarily to countries located in the Global South and East and uplift the voices, leadership, and power of diverse women’s and feminist activists, organizations, and movements. We support and fund them, so they are well resourced, resilient, and enabled to pursue their activism for a more just world. Collectively, we transform philanthropy around the world to fund in feminist ways by shifting power and putting flexible money directly into the hands of diverse activists,
organizations, and movements.

Our Values

Diversity and Inclusion

Funding sources, of people and perspectives among membership, staff, volunteers, and board.

Fairness, transparency and even handedness

We treat all members of our Network and their grantees, donors, advisors as equal partners.

Respect and trust

We respect the work and experience of women, girls, and trans* people and we trust that women, girls, and trans* people know best how to determine their needs and find solutions for lasting change.

Openness

Being open to and learning about different ways to approach issues and transparency in our procedures and policies -including being consistent with the legal requirements needed to raise and give money away.

Flexibility and responsiveness

We emphasize learning and adjust our approaches to new insights and to changes we see.

Generosity

We are willing to share all knowledge and expertise we have. Each of us gives her best for the Network.

Integrity

On how we work, make decisions, and communicate with others.