What Are Women’s Funds?
Slovak-Czech Women’s Fund is a member of the family of women’s funds who operate in all regions of the world. Women’s funds are organizations that are committed to achieve gender, race, economic, social and environmental justice and equity and respect for human rights at the community, regional and global level.
From the legal point of view, they are endowment funds or foundations that support women’s rights groups and women’s movements by providing them with financial and other resources to fulfill their visions of the just world.
What Do Women’s Funds Do?
· Fundraisers
Tapping into new or additional resources or funds for women’s, girls’ and LGBTIQ+ rights work and mobilising resources internationally and locally to sustain our work and that of our grantees.
· Funders
Providing financial support to women’s, girls’ and LGBTIQ+ people organizations, coalitions and movements that are working towards the achievements of the Sustainable Development Goals.
· Movement Strengtheners
Providing accompaniment to grantee groups and individual activists to support their work based on their contexts; include identifying and creating opportunities for peer learning and leveraging knowledge. Women’s funds are by and for the movement.
· Philanthropy Influencers
Beyond our own fundraising work, advocating with local and international donors – foundations, bilaterals, multilaterals, local and national governments and corporations – towards more and better resources for women’s, girls’ and LGBTIQ+ rights activism.
· Creators of a culture of feminist philanthropy
Mobilising and motivating individuals to support feminist activism.
What Issues Do Women’s Funds Address?
- Gender Based Violence/ Violence against Women and Girls
- Parental, Sexual and Reproductive Rights
- Gender Equity and Gender Justice
- Development Cooperation
- Migration
- Human Rights
- Democracy
- Peace and Conflict Resolution
- Environmental Justice
- Race Justice
- Social and Economic Justice
- LGBTIQ+ Rights and Activism
What Makes Women’s Funds Exceptional?
· Bridge Builders
We are well connected and have an expert understanding of the needs and opportunities facing women, girls and LGBTIQ+ people working to advance their rights in their own contexts. We help donors use their funds strategically for greater and more sustainable impact.
· Amplifying Democracy
We strengthen women’s organizations and movements, amplifying their voices in civil society as a means to promote democracy. As multipliers, we catalyse and sustain powerful and effective women’s rights movements. We create and support networking and collaboration.
· Organizational strengthening
We provide support to build organizational capacities of our grantees in the areas of fundraising and financial management, to deepen alliances and networks, and to develop evaluation tools to track impact, learn, and adapt.
· Grantmaking
We are, in many cases, the first, main and sometimes only source of support for initiatives launched and led by women, girls an LGBTIQ+ people (including groups that are not legally registered). We can act fast or provide emergency assistance to activists at risk. Our application and reporting procedures are both rigorous and accessible; ensuring that emerging and grassroots groups can tap into critical funding.
How Are Women's Funds Organized?
Women’s funds form a network and are jointly organized under its own organization – the International Network of Women's Funds – Prospera. Within this organization, they create smaller, regional components. The Slovak-Czech Women's Fund is part of the European Women's Fund Chapter.
* This information on women's funds has been prepared on the basis of the document that the European women's funds jointly worked out in 2017.