strong women’s movements and organizations? How can we re-invest in building stronger movements? Where is the money for women’s rights? How should we mobilize new resources to build stronger feminist movements in order to advance women’s rights worldwide? On the following pages we tackle these questions by presenting and analyzing primary research data based on a survey of almost one thousand women’s organizations worldwide. The findings and trend analysis in this report are also a product of literature reviews, interviews and discussions with donors, as well as insights and recommendations from three hundred women’s rights leaders and funding allies from 94 countries who met at the end of 2006 in Querétaro, Mexico at the AWID and Semilla’s Money and Movements meeting. Last year, AWID, in collaboration with Just Associates, published its first Fundher report: Where is the money for women’s rights? Assessing resources and the role of donors in the promotion of women’s rights and the support of women’s organizations 2.The report was the first of its kind, setting out an analysis of funding trends and how they were affecting women’s organizations around the world. The report was widely used and stimulated a broader demand for even more specific information and strategies to “find the money” for women’s rights work. In fact, as part of AWID’s survey last year we learned that the first report was considered very useful by 72 % of the respondents, with women’s organizations asking specifically for more information about donors for women’s rights work, useful fundraising guidelines, and further and deeper analysis on funding and regional trends that impact women’s organizing. This report responds to their requests. The report itself is just one product in a multi-year action research strategic initiative of AWID that sets out to:
• achieve a significant increase in access to and amount of
funding available to support women’s rights work, particularly of that of women’s organizations all around the world; and,
• improve the effectiveness of women’s organizations to raise
more funds and utilize them to build stronger movements and progress gender equality globally. To realize these goals, AWID is researching, writing and publishing the annual Fundher reports, disseminating them in English, French, Spanish, and when possible Arabic, as well as having our experts’ insights featured in relevant magazines, journals, fact sheets and at meetings with the donor community. AWID is also actively facilitating meetings of women’s rights activists, often with representatives of the donor 2 This report was written by Cindy Clark, Ellen Sprenger and Lisa VeneKlasen with Lydia Alpízar Durán and Joanna Kerr. It is available in English, French and Spanish at http://www.awid.org/go.php?pg=where_is_money
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Financial sustainability for women’s movements worldwide