Last week, three activists invited by the Feminists in Action Project arrived in Paris to a warm welcome and blue skies. Their goal was clear: to demonstrate through example the importance of supporting grassroots feminist organizations. Chanceline, Constanza, and Marta travelled around the capital meeting journalists and political leaders. This was an opportunity to take stock of the project’s first four years and close this phase with an event in Paris on April 9.
Closing ceremony at the Point Ephémère in Paris.
Image Credit : Juliette Dupuis Carle
FUNDING SMALL ORGANIZATIONS: A HOW-TO GUIDE
The Feminists in Action project has helped over 200 organizations in 30 countries, with a clear focus. We’re taking a holistic approach and building on people’s needs, from Latin America to Asia, Africa, and the Arabian Peninsula. The initiative has also helped deliver a range of support, training, and networking activities for the funded feminist organizations, with a focus on the grassroots level. For some of these organizations, this was their first opportunity to receive and manage grant funding.
Constanza Jauregui Tama, founder of Las Hijas de Pandora, explains that this aid has allowed her organization to help 5,000 women in Ecuador who have been victims of gender-based and sexual violence. This initial grant, along with the support from the teams, not only gave them the confidence and legitimacy they needed to get organized and secure new funding, but also opened the door to joining a regional network.
FEMINIST ADVOCACY, A LONG JOURNEY FROM THEORY TO ACTION
Providing support that is based on feminist principles does not happen overnight. The Feminists in Action initiative has been a real testing ground for this approach. It required us to place the empowerment of organizations at the heart of our programs, offer tailored support, and pay attention to the needs expressed by the organizations we worked with. For Chanceline Mevowanou, founder of Jeunes Filles Actrices de Développement (Benin), this also involves setting up a funding model that promotes non-competition between local feminist organizations. The publication of limited requests for expressions of interest enabled organizations wishing to submit a funding application to receive support from the outset.
For more information, check out this guide. Developed by the project partners, it offers guidance and best practices for helping feminist organizations take action.
PRIORITIZING SAFETY AND WELL-BEING
Activists often work in complex and sometimes dangerous environments. This must be taken into account to best protect their safety and mental health. For example, Marta Luceno Moreno, project manager at the Beity association in Tunisia, explains that it is important to communicate responsibly and always think about the possible implications of publishing anything that mentions the name of an organization or individual. This prevents the instrumentalization of activists’ speeches and words, so as not to endanger them or distort the realities they describe.
The danger, the difficulty of finding support and funding, and the workload, which is mostly volunteer based, that come with being an activist put a strain on activists’ mental health. The need to plan downtime, collective retreats, and create spaces for members to unwind has become obvious to many organizations.
THE POWER OF COLLECTIVE ACTION: TOGETHER WE STAND!
During a week packed with encounters and discussions, Chanceline, Constanza, and Marta highlighted the role of France and its feminist diplomacy on the international stage. In the face of rising conservative and anti-rights movements, a country that displays such ambition must provide genuine political and financial support to grassroots feminist organizations. The Feminist Organizations Support Fund (FSOF) is one example. Advocating for its preservation and sustainability is essential, especially in these times of drastic cuts in French public development aid. The next step is to convince other governments to join the movement to build a strong and stable ecosystem for the promotion and defence of feminist values!
The first phase of the Feminists in Action project is coming to an end, but the foundations are solid. In four years, this initiative has proven that targeted, flexible, and locally rooted funding and support can make a significant difference for grassroots feminist organizations. It has also demonstrated that building effective partnerships requires an approach based on listening, trust, and genuine collaboration.
However, there is still much work to be done! With women’s and minority rights under threat in many parts of the world, it is more important than ever to build on the momentum that has been created and ensure its long-term sustainability. The results and lessons learned are clear: it is now time to capitalize on them, share the knowledge, and amplify this movement. Supporting grassroots activists is an investment in societies that are fairer, more inclusive, and more resilient. Supporting feminism is an investment in the future.