Where to find us
- Main Office:
123 Slater St.
Ottawa, Canada ON K1P 5H2
Tel. +1 613 408 4091
- Mexico Office:
Tlaxcala No. 178, dep. 402 O
Col. Condesa, Del. Cuauhtémoc
Mexico City, C.P. 06170, Mexico
2022 GREETINGS!
Amidst these multiple and global crises, organized and collective responses are more urgent than ever. For Prospera INWF, 2021 was a ride full of action. Our 44 diverse and autonomous members continue to be innovative, flexible, and adaptable in a time when the future and present have become highly unpredictable and in constant change. Women’s Funds members of Prospera are rapidly moving to find creative ways to mobilize flexible resources where political and economic strife, health crises, and environmental destruction are increasing challenges for reaching women, girls and trans people and their communities at the forefront of the fight for gender equality. As we continue to navigate agitated waters, 2022 will bring about deep transformation and reflection for Prospera INWF. The network has come together to collectively build Noor, our Participatory Strategic Framing Process for the next decade. We will celebrate this year-long process at an in-person Biennial on the first week of December!
ONWARD!
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
TULIKA SRIVASTAVA
Executive Director Women’s Fund Asia
CARLA LÓPEZ CABRERA
Executive Director FCAM – Fondo Centroamericano de Mujeres
LEILA HESSINI
Vice President Global Fund for Women
KATE KROEGER
Executive Director Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights
NADEZHDA DERMENDZHIEVA
Executive Director Bulgarian Women’s Fund
MARY RUSIMBI
Executive Director Women’s Fund Tanzania
JUDY KAN
Executive Director HER Fund
ALEXANDRA GARITA
Executive Director Prospera INWF
1. INCREASED EFFORTS TO RESOURCE WOMEN AND FEMINIST MOVEMENTS
In a time of multiple crises, Prospera INWF members continue increasing their efforts to resource women, girls, non-binary, and trans-led activism all over the world, ensuring that funding remains rapid, flexible, accessible, and responsive to the different contexts in which movements and organizations operate.
2. CONTINUE WEAVING ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND GENDER
While politicians and corporations are reluctant to take real action in favor of the environment and stop climate change, our members are actively increasing resources for climate justice. This year, Women’s Funds members of Prospera INWF dedicated time to strengthen their work and learn how to better resource activists and communities working at the intersection of environment and gender. An example of this work is the Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action (GAGGA).
3. AN INNOVATIVE MODEL THAT IS AGILE, ADAPTABLE AND EFFECTIVE
Throughout 2021, member funds continued to be agile and effective at responding directly to the needs of movements, diversifying resources and creating innovative funding models that have proven to be strategic and flexible to bring more and better funding to the hands at the frontline of social change. Examples of this are the Global Resilience Fund for Girls and Young Women, The Resilience Fund for Women in Global Value Chains, the Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action, On The Right Track, Leading from the South, Feminist Alchemy, among others.
4. WEAVING A FEMINIST PHILANTHROPIC MOVEMENT
Member funds come from the movements they serve, they are best positioned to resource women and feminist movements directly. Our members are among the most innovative when it comes to resourcing. For them, movements are at the center. Therefore, the main priority is that funding remains rapid, flexible, accessible, and responsive to the actual needs of movements and organizations. Similarly, several Women’s Funds in Prospera INWF have innovating grantmaking processes, where the power of the decision of where the money goes is shared in a horizontal and participatory structure with grantees.
5. COLLECTIVE POWER IN ACTION: DECOLONIZING PHILANTHROPY
Response to the Afghanistan crisis: As a response to the crisis in Afghanistan, several women’s funds in the network came together to think collectively of the most effective ways to support on-site activists and migrants in transit and upon arrival in such a critical juncture. Drawing from the experiences of member funds, this group came up with a collective strategy to ensure flexible funding mechanisms in service of activists, while following their lead and prioritizing their safety at all times.
Learn more about the Call to Action here
Generation Equality Forum: Similarly, 18 members of Prospera INWF worked together this year on a collective strategy for Generation Equality Forum held in Mexico and France. This advocacy group developed a resourcing ASK for key decision-makers to influence governments, private philanthropy, and corporations who made commitments during the forum.
AFRICA WOMEN’S DEVELOPMENT FUND (AWDF)
ACCRA, GHANA
In 2021 awarded over USD 9,855,000 in grants to 139 women’s rights organisations across Africa (and a few in the Middle East as part of the Leading From the South programme). We proudly launched “Kasa!” – a five-year grantmaking and advocacy initiative to curb sexual violence in West Africa – in partnership with the Ford Foundation and OSIWA. We continued our capacity-building, knowledge-building, and movement-building work with African feminists. This work included initiatives such as a year-long individual Leadership & Governance coaching programme for a small cohort of African feminist leaders; the development of several research products to help center African know-how in feminist knowledge production, and an online creative writing workshop for nearly 50 feminist activists and writers from French-speaking African countries. Internally, 2021 was a year of introspection and visioning, as our new CEO and Director of Programmes settled in, and as we started our strategic planning process.
APTHAPI JOPUETI, FONDO DE MUJERES BOLIVIA
LA PAZ, BOLIVIA
http://www.fondodemujeresbolivia.org.bo/index.php
2021 was a year of dialogue, creation, and collaborative and participatory work that allowed us to create our Institutional Strategic Plan for 2022-2024. Internally, we were able to review, update, and simplify political processes along with the required tools. It has also been a strengthening year, with donor diversification and innovation in our grantmaking model resourcing women’s organizations, feminist and LBTI+ collectives. Groups can now apply for projects, feminist research, and audiovisual production; also, their proposals can be for two consecutive years. We are growing; we take this challenge with responsibility and collective joy.
ASTRAEA LESBIAN FOUNDATION FOR JUSTICE
NEW YORK CITY, USA
In 2021, Astraea advanced our mission to fuel local and global movements shifting power to LGBTQI communities and organizations pursuing social justice and human rights. For FY 2021, Astraea’s grantmaking exceeded $5 million, with a majority of our grants providing general operating and/or capacity building support. We were also able to mobilize Emergency Response funding to LGBTQI groups in multiple regions – with the partnership of many of our Prospera sister funds – and this enhanced collaboration is certainly a highlight of our year. Simultaneously, we continued our own organizational transformation, making critical investments in our operational infrastructure, especially strengthening our financial systems and restructuring our teams. We have begun the long-term work of harmonizing our processes, structures and strategies to work more effectively in principle-aligned ways. We welcomed many new team members—including new Executive leadership with Joy Chia (Executive Director) and Rebecca Fox (VP of Programs)—and now have team members working in more than 10 countries.
BULGARIAN FUND FOR WOMEN
SOFIA, BULGARIA
In 2021, the Bulgarian Fund for Women (BFW) continued to be effective in addressing the needs of its grantee partners during the COVID-19 outbreak. BFW provided core funding to seven organizations working for women’s rights and gender equality in Bulgaria and successfully run two resource mobilization campaigns which both fundraised more than €60,000. The fund also introduced a new Climate and Gender Justice Program focusing on the climate crisis and the social inequalities caused by it and launched a long-term campaign for free psychotherapeutic support to women and girls. Additionally, BFW recognized the importance of having collective care as an essential part of the fund’s culture and held its very first team retreat in the fund’s history!
CALALA FONDO DE MUJERES
BARCELONA, SPAIN
http://www.calala.org/?lang=en
In Calala we celebrate that we finished our Theory of Change. It currently includes our new objectives and strategies both internally and externally. In 2021 we distributed more than 800.000€ in donations to more than 50 groups we support in Central America and the Spanish State. We presented the On the Right Track research in the Shimmering Solidarity Summit; participated in the Central American Donors Fund and the Viena EFC Encounter. We also launched the Dalia Fund, a new initiative supporting women organizations in the social and solidary economy that have been highly affected by the pandemic economic crisis.
DORIA FEMINIST FUND
CALIFORNIA, USA
https://www.doriafeministfund.org/
Doria Feminist Fund and since its launch in March 2021 strived to assert itself, not only as a feminist funder, but as a key partner and leader in visibilizing the role of activists in the MENA region, as well as creating lines of solidarity and communication for feminist funders to work closely together to mobilize resources around key issues. Given the fund’s positionality within the MENA and within the women funds pool, the fund has worked diligently to secure sufficient resources to enable the fund to respond to the constant emerging needs in an area of such political upheaval. With these resources, Doria is providing the desired and much-needed flexible support to new, emerging, and under-resourced feminist groups across the region. Doria Fund kicked-off its first grant-making cycle in September 2021 and is expecting its first cohort of grantees/partners in the beginning of 2022. Doria Fund, as a new key active partner and ally in the MENA movement space, has contributed and will continue to contribute to other feminist funders strengthening their own support to activists in the region through ongoing mutual learning, exchange, and collaboration.
ELAS+ FUNDO DE INVESTIMENTO SOCIAL
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL
http://www.fundosocialelas.org/
In 2021, the ELAS Fund strengthened its governance with three news members of the Board, two transgender black people and one indigenous person, reaffirming its commitment to diversity in its new brand: ELAS+. It deepened trust in women, sensitized new partners and launched the largest public notice in its 21 years of existence: the Mulheres em Movimento public notice distributed more than 4 million reais (BRL) in direct donations for the institutional strengthening of 119 groups and organizations led by women and trans people. The resistance, resilience and reinvention of activism of Black, Indigenous and LBT women’s groups who applied in 2020 is available to the public, partners and the philanthropy ecosystem in the research “Activism and Pandemic in Brazil”.
Learn more about Activism and Pandemic in Brazil here
ECUMENICAL WOMEN’S INITIATIVE (EWI)
OMIS, CROATIA
EWI awarded its highest number of grants ever to women-led organisations in W. Balkans (67 grants) and made resources available to respond to those grantee partners experiencing high levels of stress/anxiety/burnout as a result of new challenges brought on by the pandemic. Also, EWI launched the first online school for the study of Feminism and Religion in collaboration with fifteen feminist theologians and scholars from across the W. Balkans.
Learn more here: https://ferskola2022.onlinebase.net/
EQUALITY FUND
OTTAWA, ONTARIO CANADA
2021 saw key progress on the Equality Fund’s five-year Design and Build journey. Following consultations with feminist movements, the Equality Fund released an update on the ways we are responding to consultation recommendations. We launched two new grant streams, Catalyze for feminist organizations and Activate for feminist funds, and with partner Astraea advanced Women’s Voice and Leadership. Throughout, we are striving to achieve inclusive grantmaking. We also established an Investment Advisory Council and undertook The Conversation, a philanthropy journey featuring feminist luminaries and intimate conversations. We continued to make the case for more and better funding for feminist movements with the Government of Canada and globally, including the Global Alliance for Sustainable Feminist Movements.
Learn more about the update here
Learn more about Catalyze here
Learn more about Women’s Voice and Leadership here
Learn more about the inclusive grantmaking here
FEMFUND
WARSAW, POLAND
With the ongoing attack on human rights in Poland in 2021, FemFund responded with even more feminist solidarity and power. It launched rapid response grants to make sure no urgent action is blocked and no opportunity missed due to the lack of funding. FemFund also awarded its first-ever core support grants – big money to nourish the movement! 2021 also marked FemFund’s debut on Instagram, where it keeps in touch with its community and spreads queer-feminist love. All this takes a lot of work, which is why FemFund is now a team of eight (amazing) people!
FILIA DIE FRAUENSTIFTUNG
HAMBURG, GERMANY
https://www.filia-frauenstiftung.de/en/
Filia turned 20 in 2021. We could not celebrate a big party due to Covid, but we will catch up on that. Despite the pandemic, we were able to gain 10 great new grantees for our Empowerment Program for Refugee Women*. We also started a new cooperation project with the sister funds from Ukraine, Armenia, Poland and Georgia to strengthen marginalized groups and broaden the feminist movements in our countries. 2021 was also a year of transition: Our long-time executive directors went into retirement and a whole new leadership team started working.
FONDO ALQUIMIA
SANTIAGO, CHILE
The year 2021 is very relevant for Chile because of the installation of the first parity Constituent Convention, which will give rise to a new constitution. In Fondo Alquimia, we highlight the significant number of feminist women coming from social movements that we have supported. Nearing our 20th anniversary, we see the fruits of our labor, which contributed to this historic moment that will deepen our democracy as never before. In this sense, we continue to seek the articulation and complementarity of activisms, delivering the largest amount of flexible grants in our herstory by supporting the various feminist activisms and LBTIQA+ communities that unite for the buen vivir of all of us who inhabit this planet.
FONDO CENTROAMERICANO DE MUJERES – FCAM
MANAGUA, NICARAGUA
In 2021 FCAM continued its support to organizations, launching 3 call-for-proposals to add new grantee partners to our programs, at the same time we maintained the funding to current grantees. At the end of the year, we disbursed USD 3.8 million in 214 grants, supporting in different ways a total of 194 organizations in Central America. We are proud of the work carried out, in the midst of an increasing challenging context, the start of the implementation of a new Theory of Change; the revision of our organizational structure to further improve our work; the development of our communications strategy that included the consultation with activists; and the increase our reserve fund to the 80% of the goal of 12 months of operations of FCAM in case of a financial emergency, which is a key step towards our security as organization.
FONDO DE ACCIÓN URGENTE AMÉRICA LATINA Y EL CARIBE
BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA
https://fondoaccionurgente.org.co
We are a regional feminist fund for Latin America and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean that contributes to the sustainability and strengthening of activists and their movements, with agile and rapid support in situations of risk and opportunity. We support the resistance, struggles, and demands of women defenders and activists mobilizing to transform systems of injustice and inequality, putting protection and care at the center. 2021 was a challenging and complex year for us, but we decided to learn from it. For example, we paused in the face of urgency to prioritize and look within the organization, reformulate processes, and accompany each other in the difficult times we were experiencing as a Fund due to the loss of our director Tatiana Cordero. We continued working and deepening our reflections on collective and digital care, especially given the new virtual reality facing the world. We reiterated the importance of listening and working closely with activists and advocates in direct contact with the difficulties faced by a region under constant crises; to have a closer view of the contexts and thus propose feminist funding that puts care at the center.
FONDO DE MUJERES DEL SUR
CÓRDOBA, ARGENTINA
We supported nearly 200 organizations through seven programs and two complementary initiatives. We developed a new participatory strategic plan, thinking about how feminist funding can achieve social change around gender justice, intersecting with economic, racial, environmental, and social justice. We published Activisms in Times of Pandemic, research that systematizes the strategies implemented by organizations during the covid-19 emergency. We articulated the Political Training Meetings: Experiences from Intersectionality, a transversal space to analyze the political realities that activisms in the region must face today. We added the Political Fun Meetings halfway down the year, an initiative that fosters collective and self-care. Two prominent feminists joined our Board: Mariela Puga (Argentina) and Beatriz Ramirez (Uruguay). And we also met again as a team in the hybrid face-to-face and virtual work. And with the organizations by having in-person meetings and visits again.
Learn more about Activisms in Times of Pandemic here
Learn more about the Political Training Meetings: Experiences from Intersectionality here
FONDO DE MUJERES INDÍGENAS AYNI FIMI
LIMA, PERU
We 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.
FONDO LUNARIA MUJER
BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA
For Fondo Lunaria 2021 was a year of re-encounters: we returned to work in the office, organized workshops again, and returned to accompany the diverse young women in their regions. All this after a year of isolation that had serious consequences both in the political-social and in daily lives; this taught us that we had to look at ourselves and respond in a more comprehensive and effective way to the major challenges we face. For this reason, we created two major programs: Freedom and Democracy; and Autonomy, Rights, and Sustainability, we want to respond and accompany young diverse Colombian women from an intersectionality approach.
FONDO SEMILLAS
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
Fondo Semillas consolidated a shared leadership model, which has allowed it to better respond to the challenges of the pandemic context. In addition, Fondo Semillas was one of the 286 organizations selected to receive the MacKenzie Scott grant. This recognition is a challenge that invites us to think of innovative ideas to sustain the movements. We developed a Protocol for Emergencies and Crises from a feminist perspective. As well as a comprehensive and robust strengthening model for more than 100 grassroots organizations, to address the legal and fiscal provisions of the Mexican political situation.
Learn more about MacKenzie Scott grant here
Learn more about the Protocol for Emergencies and Crises here
FONDS POUR LES FEMMES CONGOLAISES
KINASHASA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
In 2021, the Fund for Congolese Women led pioneering research on attitudes and propensity towards community philanthropy in the DRC with the goal of shifting the power to more local giving for local projects. FFC also initiated women’s political leadership trainings in preparation for the 2023 national elections, preparing over 170 women for candidacy or participation in local elections. In June, FFC mobilized $80,000 in humanitarian assistance for widows and displaced persons from the volcanic eruption close to Goma. In December, all staff gathered in Kinshasa to establish the new FFC strategic plan 2022-2026.
FRIDA I The Young Feminist Fund
SAN FRANCISCO, USA
In 2021, FRIDA provided core grants to over 140 young feminist groups, as well as provided over 100 special grants, including a new special Security, Safety & Healing grant to support groups facing a worsening pandemic, the rise of violence and unsafety towards young feminist organizing, and increasing socio-political tensions in many parts of the world. Internally, FRIDA transitioned to Core Operations Mode, we took the time to rethinking our work plan, practices and proceses and to question productive and burnout culture. The team is currently testing to work only 4 days a week to center care as we navigate hard times.
GLOBAL FUND FOR WOMEN
SAN FRANCISCO, USA
2021 was Global Fund for Women’s largest grantmaking year to date. We expanded our new movement-led approach to grantmaking; doubled our crisis grantmaking; and launched System Reboot, a new initiative to mobilize $5 million over the next 5 years for feminist technology solutions. We deepened our work with other feminist funds– through two Communities of Practice – Feminist Alchemy, which focuses on crisis readiness, response, and influencing; and our Women’s Funds Learning Cohort on Adolescent Girls which aims to foster more intergenerational conversations and to shift resourcing practices for greater accountability to girls, including cis and trans, and gender non-conforming youth. About the Learning Cohort: the Learning Cohort is made us of six women’s funds (Bulgarian Fund for Women, Fondo para el Desarollo de la Mujer Colombiana – Fondo Lunaria, Fundación Colectivo Alquimia Fondo para Mujeres – Fondo Alquimia, Global Fund for Women, HER Fund and Women’s Fund Armenia) and was set up in 2019 as a peer-to-peer learning space for women’s funds aiming to foster more intergenerational conversations and to shift our resourcing practices for greater accountability to girls, including cis, trans and gender non-conforming individuals.
To learn more about Global Fund for Women’s largest grantmaking year to date, click here
To learn more about System Rebook, click here
To learn more about Feminist Alchemy, click here
HER FUND
HONG KONG
http://www.herfund.org.hk/index_en.php
HER Fund has been very flexible during these uncertain times. We have been able to make quicker adjustments, re-distribute resources according to the changing needs of the community, and face adversities together with grassroots and marginalised women-led communities and organisations, continuing to promote gender equality despite the difficult circumstances. We established the “Community Response Grant’’, enabling organisations to support their communities and adapt to the pandemic situation. HER Fund is committed to keeping up the support to Grantee Partners by providing tailored, care-driven tools to enhance organisations to lead the way, including Financial Management Training Sessions, Transformative Feminist Leadership Training Workshops, Online Facilitation Workshop, and Digital Security Workshops.
KOREA FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
In 2021, The Korea Foundation for Women fundraised $1.7M and conducted 81 projects across 16 grant programs under the four core areas: changing institutional and cultural discrimination against women, ensuring women’s human rights, advancing women’s empowerment, and respecting diversity and caring in society. The highlight programs are Gender Equality Grant Project, Women Activists Scholarship Project, Grassroots Women Leaders Who Make Changes Project, Short Journey and Long Breath Project to support women’s activisms, organizations and next-generation feminist groups. In amid of Covid-19 pandemic, the KFW faces continuous challenges of its sustainability and resilience based on its 20 years of women’s fund in South Korea.
MAMA CASH
AMSTERDAM,THE NETHERLANDS
In 2021, Mama Cash made €6.3 million in 210 grants to support feminist activism worldwide, and leveraged an additional €4.56 million for our feminist Count Me In! Coalition partners. We also launched a new ten-year strategic framework called ‘In Movement Together’, which shares power with feminist movements by making a shift to becoming a fully participatory grantmaker. Last year, we launched our largest grantmaking fund, the Resilience Fund, to provide core, general support funding to groups led by women, girls, and trans and intersex people and also to women’s funds. All decisions to select new partners to receive Resilience Fund grants are made by an 11-member Community Committee (COM COM), a group of activists representing feminist movements worldwide.
Learn more about publications where we have been involved in the making here.
Learn more about In Movement Together here
Learn more about the participatory grantmaking here
MEDITERRANEAN WOMEN’S FUND
MONTPELLIER, FRANCE
https://www.medwomensfund.org/
In 2021, the MedWF reached a milestone in its development and greatly increased and diversified its resources (including institutional donors), even without COVID-related support, 50% of which were allocated to grantmaking, with bigger grant sizes. They have been able to navigate through the never-ending pandemic by developing ways to alternate remote work and physical meetings, managing to make its growing (by 1⁄4!) and younger team stronger and implement new activities, notably a self-care program, a network of racialized women’s organization from lower-income neighborhoods and rather successful advocacy work (towards the French government, the European Union and the new Alliance for gender Equality in Europe)!
MONES – MONGOLIAN WOMEN’S FUND
ULAANBAATAR, MONGOLIA
In 2021, MONES approved its new Strategy and went through a restructuring process. Despite the pandemic, MONES increased its funding by more than 30%. Also, in response to COVID-19, MONES provided core funding to grantee partners and made a specific effort to support transgender communities. After a long journey of intense 18 years of work, with the support of the Channel Foundation and as part of the Coalition of NGOs against Sexual Harassment at the Workplace, we achieved for Mongolia to finally integrate six provisions into the Law of Labour.
RECONSTRUCTION WOMEN’S FUND
BELGRADE, SERBIA
In 2021, we have strengthened the existing structures in the Fund in 3 areas: fundraising plan, the financial health of the Fund, and knowledge base. We finished our 3-year strategic plan for program development with a focus on building more closely community and intergroup ties. We also worked on a 3-year strategic fundraising plan with an increase of grantmaking budget of 50% and an increase in the value of Special Focus grants. In total last year, we awarded 62 grants and 14 stipends. We also had the most successful fundraising campaign in the history of the Fund which was directed towards the diaspora! Similarly, we negotiated 2 new donors and extended one more cycle with two major donors. Internally, we established our Reserve Fund and Well Being Fund. We have hired an interim for data migration to an online platform, Salesforce, and setting up an archive of the Fund.
SOUTH ASIA WOMEN FOUNDATION INDIA
NEW DELHI, INDIA
In 2021, SAWF IN considered our presence as the national women’s fund in India. We started the year with a feminist funding agenda setting exercise to understand the gendered impact of the pandemic and the resourcing priorities. It culminated in a publication and a series of virtual consultations with senior feminist activists, experts and practitioners. SAWF IN launched an Economic and Environmental Justice Fellowship programme that was awarded to six fellows to enhance economic participation through ecologically sustainable initiatives. During the second wave of COVID-19 in India, SAWF IN responded with a series of doctor-led sessions on preventive measures and vaccinations, sessions on emotional well-being, dissemination of knowledge resources and a crisis response support to groups and collectives. SAWF IN took several efforts in influencing philanthropy and enhancing visibility, including a social media campaign during the 16 days of activism. Apart from institutional strengthening initiatives last year, we strengthened our team by adding more members.
TASO FOUNDATION
TBILISI, GEORGIA
In 2021, Taso Foundation managed to go through a leadership transition. revised the organizational strategy for the next years to effectively continue responding to grassroots organizations’ resilient activism during the pandemic.
TEWA
DHAPAKHEL, LALITPUR, NEPAL
Tewa developed a strategic framework for the period of five years (2021-2025) which maps the focus areas through which Tewa will be contributing to a democratic and sustainable world. Amid global challenge, Tewa succeeded to provide the highest number of grants so far since its inception – NRs. 23,022,800 (USD 192081.34) (focused on COVID-19 response – supported in different community hospitals , health posts ,for COVID awareness ,supported for food for COVIUD survivors , for hygiene through the grantee partners, and flood/landslide relief support). Also, Tewa introduced Community Safety Net (CSN), initiation supported by Un Women. In CSN, the project promotes and strengthens community safety nets principles and actions in all the 7 provinces through the formation and mobilization of local women and excluded groups networks and addressing the immediate and basic needs of network members, and the community they serve in a COVID-19 crisis situation. Additionally, Tewa also hosted Inter-Generational Forum (IGFF) for two years to enable and move forward the feminist agenda and disseminate information about the women’s movement throughout Nepal, uniting all feminist/s through an inclusive approach.
UKRAINIAN WOMEN’S FUND
KIEV, UKRAINE
73 projects of WRO’s were implemented due to UWF’s grant support in the amount of USD 555, 675. These were microgrants on the grassroots level, community development grants, grants to thematic and regional partners, grants for advocacy initiatives as well as core support, and rapid recovery grants. We started facilitating feminist dialogues aiming at understanding values that unite the feminist movement as well as the obstacles that obstruct some organizations and groups from being part of the movement. UWF supported the feminist movement’s efforts in counteracting the anti-gender groups by facilitating the development of the communications strategy for this purpose.
URGENT ACTION FUND AFRICA
NAIROBI, KENYA
UAF-Africa managed to give out 465 grants with over 50% of those reaching community-based movements thereby fostering grassroots movement building. In seeking to challenge a pattern of care and wellbeing experienced as sporadic events during workshops and other external events, the Fund purchased a piece of land in Kenya dubbed the Healing Farm. This ground breaking Farm, when fully constructed, will be for use by WHRDs to connect, rest, rejuvenate and strategise.
URGENT ACTION ASIA & PACIFIC
PHILIPPINES | AUSTRALIA
For UAF A&P, 2021 was a year of multiple crises that taught us the value of feminist solidarity and co-responsibility. We are committed to continuing our support to all women and non-binary human rights defenders across Asia and Pacific in all their moments of crisis and journey to resourcing resilience. By December 2021, we offered financial support to over a thousand women and non-binary human rights defenders and their communities across 20 countries through grants amounting to over US$ 1.99mn. The striking spike in grantmaking (from US$495,000 in 2020) reveals the multiple intersectional crises faced by human rights defenders in countries across Asia and the Pacific.
URGENT ACTION FUND FOR WOMEN’S HUMAN RIGHTS
OAKLAND, USA
2021 was a year all about connecting for Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights (UAF). Connecting with new partners and distributing more resources than ever before. In 2021 ‒ for the first time in UAF’s history we granted over $2.3 million in one year to women and trans human rights defenders across our regions. Through the 325+ grants we gave this year, we supported the advocacy efforts of activists across the globe around LGBTQI rights, gender-based violence, women’s rights, freedom from discrimination, climate justice and much more! UAF’s rapid grants have supported them to mobilize their communities, hold their governments to account, and stay safe while doing their work.
WOMEN’S FUND ARMENIA
ARMENIA
Throughout 2021, Women’s Fund Armenia has continued its core mission of developing feminist philanthropy and strengthening the feminist movement in Armenia, while taking into account the needs of the post-war period and providing resources to satisfy those needs. WFA managed to increase funding for women’s and girls’ initiatives as well as establish new cooperation with sister funds. Besides, in 2021 WFA marked its 3rd anniversary, summarizing all its activities during the past 3 years. The highlight of the year was the publication of a collection of articles called “Feminist Philanthropy: Stories of Resilience.” It’s the result of joint efforts of other sister funds members of Prospera, sharing their experience of feminist philanthropy.
Check out our video Summary of 3 Years Activity here
Learn more about Feminist Philanthropy: Stories of Resilience here
WOMEN’S FUND ASIA
COLOMBO, SRI LANKA
In 2021 WFA continued to work with grantee-partners to adapt their work impacted by the pandemic. WFA also hosted several workshops throughout the year to highlight ways for grantee-partners to participate and engage in the Beijing+25 Review and Follow-up process. Meanwhile, the organisation is undergoing an intense institutional strengthening process– strategic plan for the next five years, development of an institutional learning framework, organisational restructuring, and leadership transition. Finally WFA capped the year off with the first meeting of the second phase of the Leading from the South Consortium, which was renewed for another five years with an expanded budget.
WOMEN’S FUND FIJI
FLAGSTAFF SUVA, FIJI
We became a registered entity as the Women’s Fund Fiji and developed our very first three-year strategic plan using the theme of an ocean of opportunities, change and resilience. We welcomed a new Board of Trustees, Governance Board and Grants Committee. We supported 17 partners through our Resilience, Sustainability and Movement Building grants. We also diversified our resources welcoming support from a range of bilateral funders and support from global women’s funds. We learnt the importance of leaning on the unwavering support of fellow sister funds and engaged in nurturing and healing spaces hosted by Prospera Secretariat and Prospera Asia and Pacific Chapter. As pioneers of the Women’s Fund Fiji, we participated as a team in monthly team dynamic sessions that greatly contributed to our individual and collective well-being.
WOMEN’S FUND GEORGIA
TBILISI, GEORGIA
http://www.womenfundgeorgia.org/?lan=en
Women’s Fund in Georgia has actively worked on healing practices within the fund, as well as in the feminist movement, introducing the book of healers and convening with feminists who want to concentrate more on healing work. Moreover, WFG has started the internal diagnostics and have started cooperating with HR consultant to upgrade internal policies and protocols. In 2021, the fund has issued 78 grants (including stipends), focusing on women’s labor rights, feminist movement building, groups at the margins of the feminist movement, softening the COVID-19 consequences on vulnerable groups, advocacy work, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Right (SRHR), open doors grant program. WFG also focused on climate justice issues, creating spaces to discuss intersection of feminism and environmental justice, as well as mobilizing groups to advocate for change.
WOMEN’S FUND TANZANIA
DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA
In 2021, Women Fund Tanzania Trust launched its fourth Strategic Plan supporting the Fund’s vision over the next 5 years. To provide focused accompaniment support to grantee partners, WFT Trust expanded its programs to include Capabilities Strengthening and Learning. The Strategic Alliance Building program was renamed the Strengthening Feminist and Children’s Rights Movements thus deepening the Fund’s dedication to collective feminist activism and movement building across the women’s rights and children’s rights movements. WFT Trust also expanded thematic areas of funding to include women and sports, arts, and culture.” Women’s Fund Tanzania adapted quickly to the pandemic, prioritizing the health and safety of the team and the support to grantees. WFT provided grants to women-based organizations with a total of over USD 3,000,000 The fund also started the Leadership Transition Plan for a new Executive Director and is also finalizing the Strategic Plan.
WOMEN WIN
AMSTERDAM,THE NETHERLANDS
Aiming to be more flexible, open and globally representative, Women Win developed new Funds in 2021 impacting a wider diversity of grantees and geographic reach. In addition, the development and growth of our Advisory Services work resulted in the generation of more unrestricted funds, investing in more democratized, decolonized and participatory grantmaking. Our approach had the following objectives: – A more flexible and feminist approach. – A more evidence-based & consultative approach to Fund design. – Developing adaptable financial & operational processes that allow us to regrant in more challenging contexts. – An increased focus on learning and sharing these learnings. – Influencing others to invest in more democratic and decolonized approaches.
XOESE, THE FRANCOPHONE WOMEN’S FUND
LOME, TOGO
In 2021, XOESE significantly increased its support of francophone women’s rights movements of the Global South. In terms of grant-making, XOESE nearly tripled its budget enabling the fund to significantly increase the quantity and quality of its grants. In light of the Generation Equality Forum, XOESE, in collaboration with FFC, launched the campaign « JE M’ENGAGE! » through which 12 national advocacy coalitions in francophone Africa and in Haiti were created. XOESE also organized its first Francophone Forum which brought together key actors and supporters of the francophone movement during a 4-day virtual event concentrated on movement-building.
Learn more about JE M’ENGAGE! here
Learn more about the Francophone Forum here
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