The key to change

Women’s Movement Building and the SDGs

VIEW REPORT

The Landscape of Women’s Movement-Building and Funding

Although there has been some progress towards gender equality since the 1995 World Conference on Women in Beijing, most countries are not on track to achieve gender equality as laid out in the SDGs.  Indeed, the UN estimates at current funding rates, it will take 300 years to achieve gender equality. This is despite evidence that shows that progress towards SDG5 and gender equality promotes achievement of all of the SDGs. In an effort to understand the funding gap and gender equality,  this research project digs deeper into the link between women’s movement-building organizations and how they engage with the SDGs, in order to build the evidence base. To view and download the full report, press the button below.

VIEW FULL REPORT
“I believe that it is crucial to invest in women's movements, especially in this very sensitive moment of our universal history - as there are political forces working publicly to limit, if not to erase - the level of achieved women's rights and freedoms. I believe it is more important than ever that we all work together - and that we jointly resist fascists and fundamentalists.”
Selma Hadzihalilovic
Women's Network of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Respondents

217

Women's movement-building organizations

132

Women’s rights organizations

56

Countries

6

Languages

Regional Focus of Work

38

Asia, Oceania and Pacific Islands

30

CEE/Europe/CEE/ CIS/Caucasus

47

Latin America and the Caribbean

96

Sub-Saharan Africa

10

Middle East and North Africa

11

North America

Primary Issues of Focus

Women’s movement-building organizations in this sample prioritized the issues of women’s empowerment, gender equality, ending gender-based violence, and health and reproductive rights and justice. Issues of peacebuilding, education, strengthening women's movements and migration and displacement also emerged as key areas of focus.

Scope of Work

Over 50% of the organizations in the sample engage at the national, the local, and community level. Just over 12% focus at the global level and 18% at the regional level, while 8% of work is done in multiple regions.

Financing and Budget

Does your organization receive external funding?

Though the budgets of women’s movement-building organizations in this sample were sometimes small, the majority do still receive external funding. N=86

Type of Funding Support in the last 1-2 years

Organizations indicated they received mostly project funding in the last 1 to 2 years, indicating that long-term core funding was limited across the sample. The lack of long-term and core funding constrains flexible responses necessary for long-term social change to achieve gender equality and women's rights. N=74

Funding Gaps/Cuts

Even with funding, the majority of organizations faced funding gaps. In fact, less than one quarter reported no funding gaps. In the face of reduced budgets, groups indicated that they were often faced with reducing staff, programs, and overhead to make ends meet. N= 122

Where do you need to make budget cuts?

Given the funding gaps faced by the majority of organizations, decisions had to be made where to make budget cuts. The respondents reported cuts across the spectrum including overhead, programs, and staff, often all three.

“The continuity of programs from small NGOs is often challenged by donors who may suddenly decide to pull out their funding. This can have drastic consequences.”

Key Wins

Changed social and cultural norms related to gender inequality and discriminations and strengthened social cohesion in communities

Strengthened knowledge and feminist analysis supporting equality in the public and policy space

Improved economic power and opportunities for women, including minority women

Expanded access to key services including education, quality healthcare, and reproductive and sexual health and rights

Increased the number of women in politics and in leadership positions

Improved environmental sustainability, stewardship, and/or agricultural practices

Strengthened coalitions and mobilized funding for movement-building for social and environmental justice, equality and nonviolence

Strengthened laws and policies promoting gender equality and ending GBV

Supported, more sustainable and inclusive peace processes

WIN 1

Expanded access to key services including education, quality healthcare and reproductive and sexual health from a rights-based approach

59

women's movement-building organizations expanded access to key services including education, quality healthcare, and reproductive and sexual health from a rights-based approach.

WIN 2

Challenged and changed social and cultural norms related to gender inequality and discriminations based on gender, race, sexual orientation, class, etc. and strengthened social cohesion in communities.

55

women's movement-building organizations challenged and changed social and cultural norms related to gender inequality and discriminatons based on gender, race, sexual orientation, class, etc. in diverse communities.

WIN 3

Strengthened coalitions and mobilized funding for movement-building for justice, gender equality and nonviolence created a range of diverse rights-outcomes.

54

organizations
strengthened coalitions and mobilized funding for movement-building for justice, gender equality and nonviolence.

WIN 4

Improved economic power, wealth and opportunities for women, including minority women

43

organizations
organizations Improved economic power, wealth and opportunities for women, including minority women.

WIN 5

Strengthened laws and policies promoting gender equality and ending GBV

36

women’s movement-building organizations
Achieved stronger laws and policies promoting gender equality and ending GBV.

WIN 6

Strengthened knowledge and feminist analysis in the public and policy space supports more targeted and direct action enhancing gender equality

43

Women's movement-building organizationsStrengthened knowledge and feminist analysis in the public and policy space.

WIN 7

Increased the number of women in politics and in leadership positions

20

women's movement-building organizations increased the number of women in politics and in leadership positions.

WIN 8

Improved environmental sustainability, stewardship, and/or agricultural practices

16

organizations improved environmental sustainability, stewardship, and/or agricultural practices

WIN 9

Supported more sustainable and inclusive peace processes

8

women’s movement-building organizations supported more sustainable and inclusive peace processes.

Most successful strategies to achieve key wins

Women’s movement-building organizations use a multi-pronged approach to achieve their key wins. The majority are employing at least three strategies to accomplish their goals. The top strategies used appear below.

1
Awareness raising
Advocacy
Research and knowledge building
Coalitions, movements, and networks
Counseling and advice
Internet and new technologies
2
Legal or policy reform
Safe spaces
Capacity building
Trainings
Arts and culture
Communications
Organizational capacity building
3
Individual skills building
Leadership development
Re-granting
Community organizing
Direct services

Top Key Challenges

Women’s movement-building organizations are addressing and strategizing around significant challenges to make bold transformative changes in women's rights and gender equality.

“Creating partnerships rooted in long-term collaboration is crucial to enable projects that are sustainable and have long-term impacts. Designing and scaling a project usually takes between 3-5 years, which is longer-term than what many donors consider funding.”
The following challenges were identified by women´s rights organizations in the sample.
1
Lack of funding
Not enough support for capacity building of female activists
Challenges in cross-movement collaborations
Not enough support to deepen engagement of female activists in decision-making
2
Challenges in coordination
Backlash/reversals of progress
Not enough support for convening or networking amongst activists
Donors focusing on short-term successes and projects is not conducive to movements
Difficulties to measure effectiveness and/or impact
Lack of access to donors and/or lack of access to networks
3
Not enough guidance from existing donors on other opportunities for funding
Discriminatory cultural or political contexts for organizations working with women's rights
Lack of adequate communication between donors and organizations/movements
Conflict and war requiring different strategies
Lack of strong leadership among women's rights organizations

Women’s organizations contribute to multiple SDGs, not just SDG5

Gender equality intersects and contributes to all of the SDGs. In the Key to Change sample, aside from SDG 5, the most frequently addressed SDGs were SDG 16, Peace Justice and Strong Institutions, SDG 10, Reduced Inequalities, SDG 17, Partnerships for the Goals, SDG 1, No Poverty, and SDG 3, Good Health and Well-Being.

Engaging with the SDGs

The majority of women’s rights organizations find the SDGs relevant and useful for their work.

“The SDGs form an important part of our theory of change and strategic plan.”

Women’s movement-building organizations use the SDGs most frequently for advocacy work, program design and implementation, for communication purposes, monitoring, evaluation, and learning, as well as fundraising.

1
For advocacy
When designing or implementing our strategies/programs
When working or communicating with other organizations or partners
For monitoring, evaluation, and learning
For fundraising
2
Challenges in coordination
Backlash/reversals of progress
Not enough support for convening or networking amongst activists
Donors focusing on short-term successes and projects is not conducive to movements
Difficulties to measure effectiveness and/or impact
Lack of access to donors and/or lack of access to networks
3
Not enough guidance from existing donors on other opportunities for funding
Discriminatory cultural or political contexts for organizations working with women's rights
Lack of adequate communication between donors and organizations/movements
Conflict and war requiring different strategies
Lack of strong leadership among women's rights organizations

Women's movement-building organizations in the sample highlight the following missing dimensions in the SDGs.

Native and Indigenous empowerment

Mainstreaming of the gender perspective in all actions and activities of the government, in advancing women's rights and human rights

Diverse genders and sexualities

Empowerment and feminist strategic leadership of human rights defenders and activists, mainly defenders of land, territory, and natural assets

Fighting for access to abortion as a human right

The involvement of men, both in public policy and in the work of civil society against gender violence and in favor of gender equality

Alliances and strategies for the women's movements

Strategic leadership of human rights and Indigenous rights activists mainly of land, territory, and natural assets

Moving Forward: Invest Boldly

This research illustrates the importance of accelerating progress to achieve gender equality as outlined in the SDGs. In order to move the gender equality agenda forward and accelerate the path to achieve SDG 5 by 2030, much work lies ahead. The data clearly point to the need to invest in gender equality and SDG 5 and to invest boldly and significantly. Achieving SDG 5 unlocks the achievement of many other development goals, and should be invested in accordingly. Funding must flow more significantly to feminist and women´s rights organizations and movements. They are best positioned to develop the solutions to gender inequality because they are at the frontlines of experiencing and problem solving around these global, regional, national, and local problems. They do this work because it lies in their hearts and in their values and organizing principles and they continue to mobilize despite opposition, reversals, threats, and violence.

These are the changemakers that have been mobilizing for decades, having been learning and innovating, and will continue to do so. We know that funding civil society and feminist organizations and movements works and that comprehensive approaches to funding some of the most entrenched and gross human rights violations of our times require significant investments. When this work is fully funded, results are transformational. Taking the example of the historic 300 million euro investment into ending violence against women through the Spotlight Initiative which redirects a significant amount of capital to feminist and women´s rights organizations and movements to end violence against women and girls, Research estimates that through this work, the Spotlight Initiative could result in 21 million fewer women and girls experiencing violence by 2025, equivalent to the complete eradication of violence against women and girls in 18 out of 26 of its programme countries. Imagine how many lives are changed when this work is scaled up, to addressing VAWG but also central issues of importance such as equal political participation and leadership, economic equity, reproductive rights and health, etc. The lesson here, is that significant funding working across multiple dimensions and ensuring that civil society and feminist movements are at the center of implementation work results in impressive advancements.  Women´s funds and networks, such as African Women´s Development Fund, Global Fund for Women, Women´s Funding Network, Urgent Action Fund, FRIDA The Young Feminist Fund, Mama Cash, Fos Feminista, and Prospera, to name a few, have been organizing around this premise for decades, identifying  and deploying resources to the most innovative grassroots  women´s rights ad feminist organizing and movements, because of the catalytic nature of this work and he resulting outcomes of gender equality and ripple effects across all SDGs.

Women’s movement-building organizations indicated that they require:

  • Longer-term funding that supports staff and overhead, not only project oriented funding
  • improved access to donors, including communication and guidance on potential funding opportunities
  • Support to measure impact and effectiveness
  • Increased support for capacity building of female activists
  • Improved cross-movement collaborations to include networking and convening among women’s movement-building organizations
  • Assistance to overcome backlash and reversals of progress
  • Need for stronger data infrastructure to track gender equality progress and to close the gender data gap.
Report Authors: Alexandra Pittman, Lisa Hanley,
Mayra Moro-Coco, Glaiza Veluz, and Mariana Servidio.
ImpactMapper. 2023.
Illustrations by Karmijn Simons.
Design by Ruby Nguyen.