Women’s Funds Europe (WFE) is a coalition of 13 Women’s Funds based in 11 countries led by and for women, girls, trans, intersex, and non-binary people in all their diversity. Our core values are feminist and rooted in justice, equality, respect, freedom, and accountability, expressed through an intersectional lens. Together, in 2020, our organisations mobilised 29 million euros across 76 countries, providing grants to organisations and activist initiatives working towards gender equality, and strengthening women’s rights groups and movements on the continent and worldwide.
WHAT DO WE DO ?
We take a holistic approach to achieving social and policy change by combining grantmaking, movement strengthening, fundraising, capacity building, advocacy, and efforts to motivate individuals to support feminist activismand philanthropy.
We engage with individual activists and groups facing multiple forms of discrimination, identifying and creating opportunities for peer learning and leveraging knowledge. In addition to raising funds to sustain and empower these grassroots efforts, we successfully partner with local and international donors, includingfoundations, bilateral and multilateral organisations, local and national governments, and corporations.
We address key issues including: gender equality, gender-based violence, LGBTIQ+ rights, anti-racism, democracy, freedom and human rights, climate and environmental justice, closing space of civil society, global justice, migration, peace and conflict resolution, among others.
We are members of the Prospera-International Network of Women’s Fundswhich brings together 44 autonomous and independent Women’s Funds working at local, national, regional, and global levels to provide grants to organisations and activist initiatives led by women, girls, trans, intersex and gender non-binary people in 178 countries.
WHY ENGAGE WITH US?
As creators of a culture of feminist philanthropy, as movement strengtheners, as funders, and as fundraisers, our goal is to advance women’s rights and gender equality both locally and globally to create a fairer and more inclusive world.
Women’s Fund in Europe have been created by feminists working together because we believe when social change efforts are led by those most impacted, everyone benefits.
We are values-oriented, basing our approach on the principles of trust, inclusion, collaboration, openness, transparency, accessibility, and collective decision-making. Our expertise in the field, emphasis on action-oriented achievements, and intersectional framework makes us uniquely positioned to connect donors with grassroots organisations and bolster the field of feminist philanthropy.
OUR MODEL & APPROACH
We strengthen movements by supporting the organisational capacities of our grantees. We are often the first, main, and sometimes only source of support for grassroots initiatives launched and led by women, girls, and trans people, including groups that are not legally registered.
We build bridges by helping donors invest funds strategically for greater impact, allowing them to engage with local activists and small, frontline organisations.
We bolster democracy by participating in civic life, engaging in advocacy, and promoting local initiatives, ensuring that the perspective of those most impacted are included in debates about policy priorities.
To achieve our goals, we engage in five interconnected and complementary areas of work: funding; capacity building; research and advocacy; bolstering feminist philanthropy through intersectionality; and collaboration and networking.
We support organisations led by those most impacted
We provide flexible, long-term core funding to activists
We can facilitate emergency funding in crisis situations
We connect donors with small, frontline organisations
We engage with activists to build capacity
We invest in holistic security
We invest in learning and evaluation
We promote legal and policy change
We enable social and cultural change
We engage in research
We create a culture of feminist philanthropy
We break down funding silos
We lift up the next generation of leaders
We forge strong relationships to share knowledge and best practices
RECOMMENDATIONS
To maximise impactfull results with grassroots CSOs across Europe while bolstering a culture of feminist philanthropy, engage with women’s funds because they are best able to:
Support organisations led by those most-impacted as they are the experts in the field.
Connect with grassroots organisations that may not have access to other sources of funding.
Forge strong relationships with partners to enhance collaboration and networking and lift up the next generation of leaders.
Balance flexible long-term core funding with emergency funds to boost sustainability and manage crisis situations.
Break down funding silos to increase access and promote intersectionality.
Pilot creative learning and evaluation methods to better assess, reflect and communicate positive outcomes.
Invest in holistic security and collective and individual care to protect activists and avoid burnout.
Engage in quantitative and qualitative research to enable both policy and social change.
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About
This report was made possible with the financial support of Erasmus+ on behalf of Women’s Funds Europe, part of Prospera - International Network of Women’s Funds.
Co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.
Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the EuropeanEducation and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
Author Karen Weisblatt, Weisblatt & Associés
Editor Elizabeth Brahy, Weisblatt & Associés
Graphic Designers Carolina Mota, Andrea Martínez Medina