What we fund

In the Issues Affecting Women Programme (IAW), we fund two priority areas (pillars): movement building and ending violence against women. Within the first pillar, we fund initiatives that promote movement building through women's funds, "anchor” women’s organisations and networks. Within the second pillar, we focus more specifically on: human trafficking and exploitation; intra-familial violence; and violence against women that takes place in situations of crisis.

Within these two pillars, we provide core support and project funding. We commit our resources to organisations that work within a rights-based framework. Please see examples of our grants in the Grant Database and more detailed descriptions below.

Where we fund

We provide funding to programmes in the Balkans, Brazil, Central America, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mexico, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. We also fund in Moldova, Bulgaria, the North Caucasus and (Jharkhand and West Bengal) India. The movement-building pillar of the programme has a broader geographic focus. 

Priority Areas

We have two main pillars:

I. Movement Building

The movement-building pillar aims to create strong, visible and effective women’s movements that are unified by rights-based principles and that help to ensure the physical, social, economic and political rights of women. A major component of this pillar is women’s funds, which are international, regional and national grant-makers that support local women’s groups working towards women’s empowerment, rights and equality. These funds invest in women and in women-led solutions and build the capacities and leadership of women-oriented grassroots groups.

II. Ending Violence Against Women

Within this pillar, we focus specifically on the following:

B. Intra-familial violence:

We define intra-familial violence as any violence that affects women in their private lives. This includes family and intimate partner violence as well as violence stemming from culture, religion or tradition. We support organisations and networks that advocate for the adoption, implementation and enforcement of domestic violence legislation.

We commit our resources to strengthening organisations that meet the needs of victims of violence through services that are coordinated and comprehensive and which promote the agency and self representation of survivors within a rights based framework. To that end, we also support these organisations and their networks in advocating for the effective adoption, implementation and enforcement of domestic violence legislation including ensuring the sustainability of their services through public funding.

We are also committed to addressing the root causes of intra-familial violence by investing in initiatives that create awareness among women and girls of their rights, promote a “positive masculinities” approach and offer services to violent and abusive men who want to change their behaviour.

C. Crisis situations:

We seek to provide flexible and responsive support in crisis zones where violence against women is systematic and stands in the way of rights-based recovery. Examples include in conflict, post-conflict, refugee and immigration settings, and following natural disasters.

More Information

Please read our New Strategy and Strategic Learning and Evaluation System for more information.