Funders, Networks, & Allies

Mama Cash is the host organisation for Red Umbrella Fund and in 2021 became the largest participatory grantmaker. “Courageous women’s, girls’, trans and intersex people’s human rights organisations worldwide need funding and supportive networks in order to grow and transform their communities. Mama Cash mobilises resources from individuals and institutions, makes grants to these self-led, feminist organisations, and helps to build the partnerships and networks needed to successfully defend and advance women’s, girls’, trans and intersex people’s human rights globally.”

MPact Global Action for Gay Men’s Health and Rights was founded in 2006 as The Global Forum on MSM & HIV (MSMGF) by an international group of activists who were concerned about the disproportionate HIV burden being shouldered by gay and bisexual men. They havesince expanded their work to focus on the broader sexual health and human rights needs of all men who have sex with men.

Namati and their partners train and deploy community paralegals, they are the largest community of grassroots justice defenders in the world. “Our network brings together 3138 organizations and 12022 individuals from over 170 countries, all working to advance justice for all. Together with the communities we serve, we strive to translate the lessons from our grassroots experience into positive, large-scale changes to laws and systems. Namati is a learning organization. With our partners and our network members, we are continually working to understand how best to advance justice through legal empowerment. To date, we have authored or co-authored over 200 publications, including books, policy briefs, essays, peer-reviewed articles, and guides for practitioners.”

The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) is a progressive advocacy and watchdog group that monitors charitable spending in the United States. It was established in 1976 and is based in Washington, D.C. It advocates for a greater focus on social justice giving in the philanthropic sector. NCRP has conducted research on the financial accountability of philanthropic foundations, philanthropic support for the agenda of the Religious Right, the effect of bank mergers on charitable giving, rural philanthropy, and the importance of general operating support for grantees.

Harm Reduction Coalition (HRC) is a nationwide advocate and ally for people who use drugs within the United States of Amercia.

Since the start in 1989, Nationale Postcode Loterij has supported charities dedicated to people and planet. Therefore it plays a pioneering role in the quest for a fair and enterprising, green and responsible world.

New Moon Fund is an intermediary fund, that provides capacity building support to sex worker and survivor-led organizations in the US that take a rights-based approach to sex trade related issues.

The Numun Fund is “a feminist technology response during COVID-19. It aims to support feminist groups, organizations and networks led by women, non-binary and trans people who use technology to advance feminist organizing and gender-just outcomes.” Feminist groups, organizations and networks led by women, non-binary and trans people are eligible to apply to Numun Fund.

Oak Foundation is “family led and reflects the vision and values of its founders. In all its work Oak pursues rights-based approaches, gender equality and partnership with the organisations we fund. We support civil society as a pillar of democracy and justice and nurture innovation and visionary leadership within it. We value diversity both within Oak and among our partners; we seek to be inclusive, flexible and engage with different points of view. We believe that the best grant-making reflects both careful due diligence and the willingness to take risks.”

openDemocracy is an independent international media platform that produces “high-quality journalism which challenges power, inspires change and builds leadership among groups underrepresented in the media.” They have published on the topic of sex workers’ rights extensively.

The Open Society Foundations work to build vibrant and inclusive democracies whose governments are accountable to their citizens. Open Society Foundation (OSF) is one of the funders that supported the formation of Red Umbrella Fund. “The Open Society Foundations, founded by George Soros, are the world’s largest private funder of independent groups working for justice, democratic governance, and human rights. We provide thousands of grants every year through a network of national and regional foundations and offices, funding a vast array of projects—many of them now shaped by the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.“

“The Open Technology Fund (OTF) is an independent non-profit organization committed to advancing global Internet freedom. OTF supports projects focused on counteracting repressive censorship and surveillance, enabling citizens worldwide to exercise their fundamental human rights online. Through the research, development, implementation, and sustainability of technologies that facilitate the free flow of information, increase at-risk users’ digital security, and enable free expression, the OTF community is working to shape the Internet as a platform that fosters unimpeded connection and collaboration – facilitating positive social progress and reinforcing core democratic values.
Open Technology Fund has four different funds including Internet Freedom Fund and Rapid Response Fund.”

The Participatory Grantmakers Community is a global community of practice focused on sharing knowledge to improve participatory grantmaking and encourage its use within philanthropy. The Community developed a list of resources and best practices about how to shift power effectively, equitably and authentically accessible on their website.

“The Peace Development Fund is more than a grantmaker: our model of philanthropy involves direct funding, advocacy where appropriate and partnerships built around mutual respect, sharing of resources, and transparency of planning and decision-making. We endeavor to be a key “go-to” foundation on issues of peace, human rights, social justice and environmental protection. We work to counter-balance dominant power structures by moving resources and sharing decision-making with activist groups and communities.
PDF has five programs including grantmaking, technical assistance, fiscal sponsorship, and rapid response funding. They fund in the United States and Mexico.”

Philathropy for Social Justice & Peace (PSJP) is hosted by Global Dialogue and run by a team of volunteers supported by a coordinator and consultants. Thei work in three strategic areas: 1) Reframing the narrative of a good society: We highlight and share new and alternative ideas and approaches to social change such as #ShiftThePower and ideas about what makes a good society, in particular #RethinkingPoverty and now #BuildBackBetter; 2) Strengthening the civic space in its vision for and role in building a good society: We produce research and facilitate debate about the role of philanthropy in creating a good society. We also facilitate learning spaces for development aid and philanthropy practitioners to better align their practice with people led agendas; and 3) Explore the role of markets in building a good society: We are gathering thought leaders to share knowledge, awareness and ideas on markets that work for the common good. Extensive resources are available on their website.