Womens Rights Organizations,

Movement building and the

Funding Landscape
for GFW, August 6
th
, 2006
Sources
Regional analysis AWID M&M meeting, Queretaro Nov 06
AWID survey of 958 womens rights organizations
AWID Fundher Reports (2006 and 2007)
GFW PO interviews (Michelle Morales)
GFW grants assessment report by Lydia Alpizar (2007)
Various inputs from Srilatha Batliwala, Lydia Alpizar, Joanna
Kerr, Lisa Veneklasen, Ellen Sprenger


Looking at
o Key concepts
o Achievements and challenges to date
o Funding landscape
o Emerging funding trends
Quoted from GFWs strategic plan
2003-2008:
The guiding principle of this plan is to
strengthen the infrastructure of the
global womens movement by providing
grants to support womens rights in order
to give voice and access to choices at all
levels
1 Key Concepts
o What is a social movement?

o What is movement building?

o Why movements?

Social Movements, what are they?
Social movements are forms of collective
action that have:
o A political agenda;
o A membership or constituency base;
o Some degree of organization (formal or informal);
o Collective or joint actions in pursuit of common
goals at different levels;
o Some continuity over time;
o Activities that combine extra-institutional
(marches, protests) and institutional (advocacy &
lobbying) forms of action.
o Diverse ways of resource mobilization to support
their struggles.
(based on a definition developed by Srilatha Batliwala)
What is Movement Building?
o Different activities and strategies aimed at
strengthening the visibility, voice, influence
and capacity of different actors that form part
of a particular social movement (individuals,
groups, organizations, networks, etc.)

o Process by which the collective power of a
particular movement to advance its goals and
agendas is strengthened and therefore the
capacity of its different constituents to work
together and with other key actors enhanced.

Movement building is tied to a
core vision: building collective
power is key to advance our
agendas; but movement building
processes do not happen on
their own - we need to make
them happen
What do we look at when we talk
about movement building?
o The herstory/origins of feminist and womens
movements around the world

o The characteristics of current womens movements and
our diverse organizing ways

o How we work together and what kind of impact this has
on our strength, sustainability, inclusion, etc.; our
capacity to build alliances among ourselves and with
other social movements

o And alsowhat does feminism have to do with all of
this?
In other words we look at
The challenges of our work, the issues that get talked
about in meeting corridors, cafes, kitchen tables,
barsand sometimes(!) in conferences and meetings
as well, for example
but also

analyzing how the political-economic-cultural-
geographical context(s) influence the way we
do our organizing and strategizing

looking at the work done on particular issues or
areas and how it gets affected by our capacity
to work together effectively...

And looking at

o Reflecting proactively on how organizations (rich in
forms, strategies, shapes, sizes, etc) are linked to
movement building processes

o Which forms feminist and womens movements and
organizations should take at this historical juncture?
Reinvent ourselves by building on our own movements
building herstory


Is doing good work and getting sufficient
resources as organizations enough to
change society? No it is not. Our capacity
to bring about major social change is
influenced by our capacity for connecting
our strategies, for sharing our dreams, for
forging alliances and thus going beyond
the survival of our organizations by
thinking and acting collectively.
Lydia Alpizar
Why movements?
2 Achievements and challenges to date
Raising visibility and voice
public consciousness, breaking the culture silence, acknowledgement
Exposing the nature of gender discrimination
data, development indices, new analytical frameworks
Advancing formal equality
removal of discriminatory laws, putting in place new laws, precedent
setting litigation, prosecution
Creating and engendering international norm structures
Beijng Platform for Action, CEDAW (180 countries of 194)

Achievements
Building new institutional arrangements and
mechanisms to advance equality
UNIFEM, special raporteurs, SC Resolution 1325 (on women
and peace and security), national womens agencies & policies,
quotas & affirmative action for women, gender & womens
rights budgets
Building organizations, networks, movements
A breadth, depth, and diversity of organizations working on
womens rights issues and for gender equality within countries
and globally
Mobilizing and empowering women in communities
(substantive equality)
Layers of organizing work with poor, marginalized, minority,
oppressed, excluded women at the grassroots, national,
regional and global levels
More than a numbers game building a political base and the
constituency
More achievements
..and more
Holding the line
Adapting to constantly changing terrain
Most successful social revolution, relatively
bloodless
Young feminists organize, increasingly vocal,
visible and engaged
Growing emphasis on cross movement
building
Womens funds in many parts of the world
Challenges
Challenges

o Fragmentation and challenge of inclusiveness, linking
global to local, collaboration
o More thinking & work around movement building
needed (within and across)
o Imbalance between reactive - pro-active work;
between normative frameworks implementation
o Difficulties to build common political agendas and
pacts
o Ability to measure and communicate impact





More challenges
o Competition (for funding, for profile)
o Challenges in constituency building and grassroot
mobilizaton
o NGO-ization
o Succession processes
o Power and leadership / feminist leadership
o HUGE challenges and responsibilities while limited
capacity and resources
PAUSE
Comments?
Questions?
Regional Achievements & Challenges
Europe/CIS
EU and non EU divide
Forced labor migration (women
and men) is big issue
Many post soviet countries
experience unemployment, male
out migration, instability,
alcoholism, drug addictions (e.g.
Tajikistan)
Shrinking govt funding for social
services, growing divide btw rich
and poor



Abortion & sex work
issues divide movements
NGO-ization and elitism
Generation gap though
young feminists are
gaining momentum(!)
Growing emphasis on
cross movement building
Europe/CIS funding trends
Many funders have left the region,
USAID too influential, EU funding difficult
to access & directive
One of three regions with the most
difficulty raising money
Recent growth in number of womens
funds in response (last 5 years)
Latin America and Caribbean
Growing number of leftist
governments creates new
opportunities and challenges
Political polarization in
society reflected in womens
movmts: lack of common
strategic vision
Armed conflict and political
unrest in several countries
Role of religion /Churches
politics getting stronger
Lots of work around free
trade liberalization

Creative, political, courageous
mvmts
Growing use of information &
communications technologies
Strong indigenous and rural
womens mvmts
Problematic leadership styles
Beginnings of cross movement
building but much more work
needed



LAC and funding trends
o Dramatic drop in funding, especially from
government development cooperations
(bilaterals) and International NGOs
One of three regions with the most difficulty
raising money
o Strong womens funds have emerged in
response


Middle East and North Africa
War and conflict (especially Iraq,
Pal, Lebanon, Afgh) and lack of
security
Role of religion getting stronger
Women not involved in formal
peace building processes
Bilateral agreements (US-Arab
countries), poverty and
marginalization
Political participation (national and
local level) advances and focus
area
Issues of violence more
widely acknowledged in
societies
Highly fragmented mvmt-
little regional collective
organizing
Most groups working on
legal reform
Most feminist tend to be
academics few links with
poor, uneducated, rural
women
Not enough new young
leadership
MENA funding trends
Illegality of accepting money from overseas
(Iran, Syria, ..)
Stigma of accepting money from overseas
Conditional funding coming in: democracy
next to religious charity funding
One of three regions with the most difficulty
raising money
Womens funds in the process

Sub-Sahara Africa
Trade liberalization and
privatization of social serv
Co-optation of gender by
governments
HIV/Aids epidemic
Growing influence of
religious institutions,
meanwhile culture used
against whr
More women participate in
political process
More women participate in
peace building & conflict
prevention

Growing civil society pressure
for govt accountability
Challenge of ageism, elitism and
rural/urban split, though
changing
Young feminists gaining in
strength
Lack of capacity of feminist
organizations - financial &
human
Sub Sahara Africa funding trends
Lots of governmental aid $$ going to Africa, but to
governments with gender policies
African governments support conservative womens
organizations
Resources for feminist organizations declining
Strong and fast growing womens fund

South Asia
Rising # of IDPs and
refugees
Land & inheritance rights
overlooked
China and India ignoring
HIV/AIDS
Micro-credit as the solution..
Women becoming more
visible in HIV/Aids
communities


Fragmentation: dalits, sex
workers, Muslims, lesbians -
caste etc. Divisions in society
also in womens mvmts
Growing recognition of working
collaboratively
Growing # young feminists
Many women part of huge self-
help groups, one of the oldest
and most complex set of
womens movements - deep &
broad -from which to build

South East Asia & Oceania
Sex workers rights very strong (and divisive)
Religious fundamentalism on the rise, pol conflict and
militarization
More focus on natural resource and the environment
than in other regions
Growing recognition of working collaboratively
Geographic spread is organizing challenge
Growing # young feminists


Asia and Oceania funding trends
Tsunami project or no money
Oceana receiving hardly any donor funding
Growth of local philanthropy, especially in
India
Several womens funds, limited growth

US & Canada
Challenging political climate
No long-range strategies or
plans
Insufficient leadership
succession
Still struggling with diversity,
inclusion
Feminist label as stigma
still pervasive
Divide between global
work and national level
work
Organizing of migrant
women, domestic
workers
US & Canada funding trends
Lack of resources, competition has severed
relationships, moving from government
funding to philanthropy (Canada)
Big opportunities for funds from individuals
(transfer of wealth) and corporate sector
Around 100 womens funds in the US, 1 in
Canada
Developing alternative models of resource
mobilization, e.g. super market philanthropy
but also can the movement be funded?
Transnational or global work
Contrived nature of global
work - has no meaning
w/o nat/regl
Challenge of linking local
and global
Had to work defensively,
responding to backlash
Highly specialized and
often fragmented
Seduction of often short
sighted, short lived
campaigns w/o
reconciling internal
challenges
Global work, but not
global movements
Perceived to be giant
mvmt, yet orgs and
capacity are small!
Transnational or global work
funding trends
o Womens rights organizations working
internationally (n=152)
o average annual income = USD 197,000
o median annual income = USD 25,000
o average grant size = USD 30,000
o Most (still) based in the Global North, largest
percentage with budgets over USD 100,000



4 The funding landscape
Regional Distribution
31%
25%
15%
13%
9%
4%
Africa - South of Sahara
Latin America and Caribbean
Asia
CEE/CIS
Western Europe and North
America
Middle East /N.Africa
In what country is your organization based? (Recoded from country)
Base: 958 Respondents
N = 299
N = 244
N = 139
N = 84
N=128
N=38
Budget Size AWID Survey Respondents
What was your organizations total income in 2005?
34%
32%
12%
19%
4%
Under $10k
$10k to $50k
$50k to $100k
$100k to $500k
$500k +
US Dollars
Sample = 845 respondents
Budget sizes - 1995 to 2005
58%
22%
9%
8%
3%
44%
28%
11%
14%
4%
34%
32%
12%
19%
4%
1995
2000
2005
US Dollars
Sample = 379/598/845 respondents
Note that these figures are
absolute dollars and do not
reflect changes in inflation and
purchasing power over the study
period.
N=35
N=157
N=100
N=268
N=285
N=22
N=84
N=64
N=167
N=261
N=13
N=31
N=33
N=84
N=218
Under $10k
$10k to $50k
$50k to $100k
$100k to $500k
$500k +
Overall Revenue Ranges by Region: 2005
30%
24%
43%
29%
36%
32%
42%
35%
28%
23%
25%
15%
12%
23%
18%
13%
15%
19%
21%
23%
17%
25%
1%
4%
4%
3%
3%
15%
4%
17%
Africa - South of Sahara
Asia
Lati n Ameri ca and Cari bbean
Mi ddl e East/ N. Afri ca
CEE/CIS
North Ameri ca and Western
Europe
Under $10k $10k to $50k $50k to $100k $100k to $500k $500k +
Please enter your organizations total income in each of the following years in
$USD
Respondents
Region
Sample = 845 respondents
Five-year Trend in Organization Funding
Among only those who existed five years ago -
56%
61%
39%
36%
47%
62%
13%
16%
24%
17%
11%
30%
25%
37%
27%
38%
27%
5%
4%
13%
Africa - South of
Sahara
Asia
Latin America and
Caribbean
Middle East/ N.
Africa
CEE/CIS
North America and
Western Europe
More Same Less Not Sure
Compared to five years ago (2000), what is the funding situation for your
organizations work?
Excludes organizations less than five
years old.
Respondents
Region
Base: 836 respondents
Income Sources: Percent of Income
1995 - 2005
25%
13%
13%
16%
0%
6%
1%
7%
6%
2%
6%
4%
23%
20%
11%
12%
0%
3%
1%
10%
6%
1%
3%
9%
23%
13%
14%
10%
0%
5%
0%
11%
7%
1%
2%
14%
Bi/Multilateral Development Assistance
Large Private Foundations
Public Foundations/INGOs
Individual Giving
Small Private Foundations
Women's Funds
Corporate Giving/Philanthropy
National/local governments
Organization's resources
Membership fees
NGO with grantmaking function
Other
1995
2000
2005
Percentage of all
revenue in 1995
which came from
each source.
(Totals to 100%)
Sample = 454/504/729 respondents
Income Sources: 1995-2005
33%
14%
22%
30%
1%
37%
2%
24%
31%
36%
11%
37%
19%
20%
26%
1%
28%
1%
20%
34%
37%
9%
35%
13%
25%
28%
1%
46%
2%
27%
34%
36%
11%
Bi/Multilateral Development
Assistance
Large Private Foundations
Public Foundations/Intern'l
NGOs
Individual Giving
Small Private Foundations
Womens Funds
Corporate Giving/Philanthropy
National/local governments
Organizations resources
(income gen.)
Membership fees
NGO with grantmaking function
1995 2000 2005
Sample = 454/504/729 respondents
Percentage
receiving
income from
each source.
Percentage receiving income from each source.
Top 20 Donors: 2005
$7, 325,103
$4, 122,910
$4, 031,399
$3, 198,628
$3, 195,872
$2, 674,955
$2, 600,000
$1, 980,736
$1, 673,875
$1, 482,246
$1, 235,768
$1, 186,237
$1, 079,000
$916,541
$885,910
$852,361
$749,741
$730,951
$725,322
$657,300
Individual Donor(s)
Dutch Government
Ford Foundation
Local foundations
Oxfam International Members
Global Fund for Women
HIVOS
Swedish Government
European Commission/EU
Norwegian Government
DANIDA
United Nations Fund for Women (UNIFEM)
Packard Foundation
MacArthur Foundation
CORDAID
Church
Local groups
Mama Cash
USAID
Open Society Institute
Base: 729 respondents
Total Donations to
All Participant
Organizations
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Highlights womens organizations
o In 2005, 729 womens rights organizations worldwide had the
collective income of USD 79 million (compare Amnesty with USD
230 million annually)

o Organizations in the Middle East and North Africa, Latin America
and the Caribbean and Eastern Europe/CIS have the most
difficulty raising money

o Womens organizations are in a state of survival and resistance:
o More than half of the survey respondents are receiving less funding
since 2000
o by August 2006, only 13% of organizations had secured full funding
for the year, 61% had raised or less.


o Most significant funding sources for
womens organizations 1995-2005:
o Bilateral and multilateral agencies
o Large Private Foundations
o International development NGOs (HIVOS,
Oxfams, etc.)

o A downward trend in large foundation
funding for women and girls (though
international funding is growing)


Highlights funding sectors



o The Gates Foundation dwarfs other large
private foundations (USD 62 billion in
assets), but new ones are on the horizon.
o What kind of influence will this privatization have
on social change processes?

o A general interest in scaling up translates
into funding fewer and larger groups, with
larger grants
o Disconnect between funding and movement
landscape
o Opportunities for intermediaries?



o Where is the Money? Concentrated in corporations!
o Only 1% of combined revenue is from corporations but is
growing

o Renewed attention for womens rights focus in
bilateral donor circles and to some extend INGOs

o Greater interest amongst (high net worth) individuals,
more women than ever before will inherit
o Womens funds raised 34% of their combined income from
individuals (up from 25% in 2004)

o INGOs increasingly competitors in fundraising


o Womens funds are growing in numbers and
revenue:
o Made USD 15 million in grants (of which around
50% by GFW)
o Reach 46% of groups surveyed
o Hold 27 million in long term assets


o Still, womens funds are small players, unable
to demonstrate collaborative advantage and
systemic impact


4 Emerging Funding Trends?
Pendulum swinging in terms of resources for womens rights?
Mostly bilaterals and from (high net worth) individuals
Not a level playing field

o Growing role for intermediary funders?

o Movement building brought back into theory of change?

o More strategic collaboration between womens funds?

Back to the Global Fund for Women
and outcomes and strategies for
2008 - 2013.

Lets talk!