Prospera's

Yearbook

In the aftermath of the COVID pandemic, we saw the rise of authoritarianism, militarization, and fascism around the globe, mounting financial and legal restrictions on civil society, and an increase in the climate crisis and armed conflicts. This, along with the rise in anti-gender and anti-rights forces, requires immediate and bold action to promote and protect human rights for all, as well as for our planet.

Amidst multiple crises, 2023 was a year in which our network identified unexplored opportunities to continue transforming the global funding ecosystem to bring more and better resources to women’s and feminist movements in the Global South and East.

Our collective power is a catalyst for change—a steadfast bridge between various types of funders and feminist movements, which have an unwavering commitment to a more equitable and peaceful world.

The Power of a Network:
Prospera’s Collective Journey through 2023

1

A network’s response to armed conflicts

At Prospera, no crisis is more important than others. Last year, the need to bring our communities together and ignite our collective power felt more vital than ever. As armed conflicts soared in Palestine, Israel, Sudan and Nagorno-Karabakh, our network swiftly responded and issued global Calls To Action within philanthropy, urging for resourcing to be driven towards building peace and ending violence.

2

Influencing the flow of resources to feminists in the Global South and East

In 2023, Prospera participated in numerous philanthropic advocacy spaces such as Women Deliver, Global Summit of Collaborative Funds, UN Climate Week, the African Philanthropy Forum, the African Philanthropy Conference, the Women’s Funding Network Conference, WINGS Forum, EDGE Conference, Feminist Foreign Policy Conference, Shift the Power Summit, and the AVPN Summit. We will continue bringing our collective voice to philanthropic and feminist foreign policy gatherings to advocate for greater resourcing for women, girls, trans and non-binary people, and their communities in the Global South and East.

3

Mobilizing $1.2 Billion towards Feminist Movements

In 2023, Prospera reached the billion-dollar mark, mobilizing over 1.2 billion dollars in one decade! This substantial transfer of resources toward feminist movements translates into 25.174 grants, research initiatives, capacity-building programs, and advocacy efforts toward gender justice in 172 countries.

4

Building a feminist funding mechanism

To address unequal access to capital within the network, Prospera INWF created a collaborative pooled funding mechanism of and for our members. The mechanism is led and managed by a Steering Committee of those funds and has an initial investment of 2 million USD. This mechanism aims to provide flexible, non-restricted, and trust-based funding to its smallest in-budget members, who often have unequal access to capital and resources. However, their unique position as national and sub-regional funds means they are closer to movements within their territories and have deep relationships of trust with groups, contextual understanding, and an ability to support organizations and activists for the long term. The funds in the mechanism support feminist movements in 67 countries within all continents, with close to $10M a year.

5

Embodying our Collective Power

2023 was a year of new beginnings for us. Following an entire year dedicated to crafting our shared vision for the next decade, we finally launched our Strategic Framework for the next decade, focusing on ensuring resource justice for feminist movements in the Global South and East. This milestone fully embodies our collective power, demonstrating that building a collective strategy as a diverse and complex network like Prospera, in a feminist and participatory manner, is possible. After this ambitious undertaking, our network stands stronger than ever.

In a world perpetually in crisis, we have a crucial role to play in ensuring that women’s and feminist activists, groups, organizations, and movements are adequately resourced to transform systems of inequality and violence into ones of equality between and among genders, communities, societies, and countries, for collective care and well-being, and in harmony with our planet.



Prospera’s 2023 Yearbook documents the most significant challenges encountered by our membership and the milestones celebrated by the women’s and feminist funds that make up our network. We invite you to join us in this transformation!

Read our complete membership highlights here: