Funders, Networks, & Allies

“CIVICUS is a global alliance of civil society organisations and activists dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society throughout the world. “We were established in 1993 and since 2002 have been proudly headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with additional hubs across the globe.
We are a membership alliance with more than 9,000 members in more than 175 countries. Our definition of civil society is broad and covers non-governmental organisations, activists, civil society coalitions and networks, protest and social movements, voluntary bodies, campaigning organisations, charities, faith-based groups, trade unions and philanthropic foundations. Our membership is diverse, spanning a wide range of issues, sizes and organisation types.””

CIVICUS Crisis Response Fund provides funding for short term projects (3-6 months) to CSOs (Civil Society Organisations) working with human rights – projects that address a threat related to freedom of peaceful assembly and association by doing advocacy activities, or resilience ones. Must be “primarily registered in the United States”.

Comic Relief is a charity based in the UK “with a vision of a just world, free from poverty… We aim to entertain, engage and accelerate change. We will do this by being a creative agency for social change.” Comic Relief’s Power Up strategy prioritises women and girls having the power to identify their needs, organise around solutions and strategies, and collectively make decisions on how to move forward.

The Count Me In! (CMI!) consortium is a strategic partner of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. CMI! consists of member organisations Mama Cash (MC), the Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID), CREA, Just Associates (JASS), and the Sister Funds Urgent Action Fund (UAF) and Urgent Action Fund Africa (UAF-Africa). The sex worker-led Red Umbrella Fund (RUF) and the Dutch gender platform WO=MEN are strategic partners of the consortium.

The craigslist Charitable Fund (CCF) “provides millions of dollars each year in one-time and recurring grants to hundreds of partner organizations addressing four broad areas of interest.” The organization is known for donating heavily to nonprofit journalism outlets, gun control groups, and environmentalist groups.

“CREA is a feminist international human rights organization based in the Global South and led by women from the Global South. CREA’s work draws upon the inherent value of a rights-based approach to sexuality and gender equality. CREA promotes, protects, and advances human rights and the sexual rights of all people by building leadership capacities of activists and allies; strengthening organizations and social movements; creating and increasing access to new information, knowledge, and resources; and enabling supportive social and policy environments. Many resources are also in Bengali, Hindi, and Nepali. “

DemandAT is an interdisciplinary project addressing the challenge of understanding demand for trafficking in human beings and analysing the policy and practical measures that can influence this demand. The project feeds into recent efforts of European countries to find ways to reduce demand for the products and services provided by trafficked persons within their own economies and societies as a means of tackling trafficking. The project investigates multiple forms of trafficking and forced labour to assess the impact and potential of demand-side measures to reduce trafficking. The DemandAT project brings together a multidisciplinary team of experts across seven European countries from 1 January 2014 to 30 June 2017.

The Digital Defenders Partnership offers support to human rights defenders under digital threat, and works to strengthen local rapid response networks. From 2012 to 2019, DDP received its funding from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom; along with the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) and the United States Department of State. DDP operates in a manner that is independent from its donors and is managed by the Humanist Institute for Development Co-operation (Hivos), a non-profit organisation headquartered in the Netherlands that provides funding and implements programmes to innovate for social change worldwide.

Dreilinden supports people whos sexual orientation, gender identity and expression and sex characteristics do not conform with social norms as well as women and girls. Dreilinden shares their vision of a life free from gender-based discrimination and violence – a life that makes sense for them in their diverse social contexts by means of grants to existing organizations and project grants, as well as by social investments, and networking.

Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affiars is one of Red Umbrella Fund’s funders (through the Count Me In! Consortium). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs works to “create a just and sustainable world. We do all this together with our partners at home and abroad. Working for the Netherlands, worldwide.”

Edge Fund is a grantmaking body with a difference: we support efforts to achieve social, economic and environmental justice, and to end imbalances of wealth and power. Edge believes that if we are to create a world free of injustice and inequality we need to completely change the way our societies are organised. We are passionate believers in ‘participatory grantmaking’, where the funder and the funded work together to decide where the money goes.

EDGE Funders Alliance organizes within philanthropy to raise awareness and deepen understanding of the interconnected nature of the social, economic and ecological crises threatening our common future. EDGE works to increase resources for communities and movements creating systemic change alternatives for a transition to a society that supports justice, equity and the well-being of the planet. “We are a community of 320 donors, foundation officers, trustees and advisors in more than 30 countries countries, passionately engaged in local, national and international grantmaking within 103 diverse institutions with differing priorities and strategies, but a shared belief that equity and justice are critical to furthering sustainable, global well-being.”

“ELAS Social Investment Fund (ELAS+) is the first independent fund that is dedicated to promoting and advancing the rights of girls and women in Brazil. “”ELAS transforms innovative ideas of thousandas of women from different ethnicities, races and sexual orientation into reality. ELAS launches “call of proposals” to select and support innovative projects of women’s groups working for women’s empowerment and rights.
We have built a pioneering methodology based on meritocracy where women’s groups and organizations use pseudonyms when submitting their proposals. We aim at brake a culture of favoritism and to ensure transparency. All groups and organizations selected participate in capacity building and dialogue meetings that promote knowledge and encourage the creation of joint strategies so its impact goes further.”””

Elton John Aids Foundation (EJAF) “is one of the leading independent AIDS organisations in the world. The Foundation’s mission is simple: to be a powerful force in the end to the AIDS epidemic. We are committed to no more discrimination. No more HIV infections. No more AIDS deaths. No matter who or where you are.” Learn more about what they fund on their website.

Equality Fund robustly resources women’s rights organizations and feminist movements worldwide by partnering with organizations, coalitions, and networks focused on building power with women, girls, and trans people, especially in the Global South.

The European Network for the Promotion of Rights and Health among Migrant Sex Workers (TAMPEP) promotes the human rights of migrant sex workers at local, national and regional levels in Europe. To support its advocacy, the network documents and shares the stories, good practices and needs of its members, develops position papers, and supports sex workers’ presence in key advocacy spaces. TAMPEP actively reaches out to other migrants’ rights organisations to build alliances and collaborate for migrants’ rights in Europe.