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Priority Areas

Supporting feminist, women’s rights and gender justice movements to thrive, to be a driving force in challenging systems of oppression, and to co-create feminist realities.

Resourcing Feminist Movements

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The “Where is the Money?” #WITM survey is now live! Dive in and share your experience with funding your organizing with feminists around the world.

Learn more and take the survey


Around the world, feminist, women’s rights, and allied movements are confronting power and reimagining a politics of liberation. The contributions that fuel this work come in many forms, from financial and political resources to daily acts of resistance and survival.


AWID’s Resourcing Feminist Movements (RFM) Initiative shines a light on the current funding ecosystem, which range from self-generated models of resourcing to more formal funding streams.

Through our research and analysis, we examine how funding practices can better serve our movements. We critically explore the contradictions in “funding” social transformation, especially in the face of increasing political repression, anti-rights agendas, and rising corporate power. Above all, we build collective strategies that support thriving, robust, and resilient movements.


Our Actions

Recognizing the richness of our movements and responding to the current moment, we:

  • Create and amplify alternatives: We amplify funding practices that center activists’ own priorities and engage a diverse range of funders and activists in crafting new, dynamic models  for resourcing feminist movements, particularly in the context of closing civil society space.

  • Build knowledge: We explore, exchange, and strengthen knowledge about how movements are attracting, organizing, and using the resources they need to accomplish meaningful change.

  • Advocate: We work in partnerships, such as the Count Me In! Consortium, to influence funding agendas and open space for feminist movements to be in direct dialogue to shift power and money.

Related Content

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Co-Creating a Political Home for Feminist Movements

From 27 - 30 April, 2026, AWID will be at the Women Deliver 2026 Conference, co-creating a political home with feminist and gender justice movements that is rooted in transnational care and solidarity. 

In a time when fascism and militarization continue to rise globally, feminist connection and solidarity across borders is what we truly need.  We are organizing multiple spaces at Women Deliver and online to connect movements with each other in conversations to build feminist agendas of solidarity and action. 

AWID Forum: Co-creating Feminist Futures

In September 2016, the 13th AWID international Forum brought together in Brazil over 1800 feminists and women’s rights advocates in a spirit of resistance and resilience.

This section highlights the gains, learnings and resources that came out of our rich conversations. We invite you to explore, share and comment!


What has happened since 2016?

One of the key takeaways from the 2016 Forum was the need to broaden and deepen our cross-movement work to address rising fascisms, fundamentalisms, corporate greed and climate change.

With this in mind, we have been working with multiple allies to grow these seeds of resistance:

And through our next strategic plan and Forum process, we are committed to keep developing ideas and deepen the learnings ignited at the 2016 Forum.

What happens now?

The world is a much different place than it was a year ago, and it will continue to change.

The next AWID Forum will take place in the Asia Pacific region (exact location and dates to be announced in 2018).

We look forward to you joining us!

About the AWID Forum

AWID Forums started in 1983, in Washington DC. Since then, the event has grown to become many things to many peoples: an iterative process of sharpening our analyses, vision and actions; a watershed moment that reinvigorates participants’ feminisms and energizes their organizing; and a political home for women human rights defenders to find sanctuary and solidarity.

Learn more about previous Forums

Related Content

Dando apoyo a nuestros activismos, a nuestros movimientos y a nosotrxs mismxs

Dando apoyo a nuestros activismos, a nuestros movimientos y a nosotrxs mismxs

Adelantando el Día Internacional de Acción por la Salud de las Mujeres, 28 de mayo, destacamos el trabajo que realiza la organización afiliada a AWID con sede en Toronto, Canadá, Sacred Women International. La misma se dedica a “crear un equilibrio” y fortalecer el bienestar de las mujeres africanas, caribeñas y negras de la diáspora. Ellxs compartieron con AWID lo importante que es dar apoyo a las activistas para que se pueda continuar con el activismos social, y respaldar a nuestras comunidades y movimientos. #BlackLivesMatter 

«Realmente necesitamos pasión por el trabajo que estamos haciendo. Y para cambiar algo, necesitamos pasión. Pero no reemplacemos la pasión por ira. Y no carguemos tanto sobre nuestras espaldas la historia del dolor como para llevarla a nuestro trabajo y a nuestras vidas.» – Aina-Nia Ayo-Dele, Sacred Women International

Mira el video para saber más acerca de Sacred Women International

 

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AWID

Soigner nous-mêmes, notre activisme et nos mouvements

Soigner nous-mêmes, notre activisme et nos mouvements

En prévision de la Journée internationale d’action pour la santé des femmes, le 28 mai 2016, nous mettons en lumière Sacred Women International, membre institutionnel de l’AWID basé à Toronto au Canada. L’organisation se concentre sur la création d’un équilibre et la favorisation du bien-être des femmes africaines, caribbéenes et noires à travers la diaspora. L’équipe de Sacred Women International a expliqué l’importance de soutenir les activistes afin de contribuer à faire vivre les communautés et les mouvements. #BlackLivesMatter

« Nous avons absolument besoin de passion pour le travail que nous faisons. Pour parvenir à changer quoi que ce soit, nous avons besoin de cette passion. Il ne faut pas remplacer la passion par de la colère. Et ne portons pas notre histoire, pétrie de douleur, sur notre dos au point que cela affecte notre travail et nos vies. » - Aina-Nia Ayo-Dele, Sacred Women International

Visionnez la vidéo afin d’en savoir plus sur Sacred Women International 

 

Source
AWID

Sustaining Ourselves, Our Activism, Our Movements

Sustaining Ourselves, Our Activism, Our Movements

Ahead of the 2016 International Day of Action for Women's Health, on May 28th, we spotlight Sacred Women International, an AWID member based in Toronto, Canada. The organisation focuses on “creating a balance” and building the well-being of African, Caribbean, and Black Women across the diaspora. They shared with AWID on the importance of sustaining activists in order to continue social activism, uphold our communities and movements. #BlackLivesMatter

“We absolutely need passion for the work that we are doing or we won’t be able to do it. And to shift anything we need passion. But let’s not replace passion with anger. And let’s not carry the history of pain so much on our back that we bring it into our work, that we bring it into our lives.” – Aina-Nia Ayo-Dele, Sacred Women International

Watch the video to find out more about Sacred Women International 

 

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North America
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AWID

2018: Supporting feminist movements to thrive and disrupt

This report looks back and celebrates the first year of AWID’s new strategic plan as we took our first steps towards our desired outcomes of supporting feminist movements to thrive, challenging anti-rights agendas and co-creating feminist realities.

Download the full report


We worked with feminists to disrupt anti-rights agendas, achieving important victories fought and won within the United Nations system when ground-breaking language on structural discrimination, sexual rights, and states’ obligations were included in a number of resolutions. Yes, the multilateral system is in crisis and in need of serious strengthening but these victories are important as they contribute to the legitimacy of feminist demands, providing feminist movements with more pressure points and momentum to advance our agendas.

We tried and tested different ways to build knowledge with feminist movements through webinars, podcasts and ‘live’ conversations. We developed facilitation guides with popular educators to reclaim knowledge in the interest of social and gender justice, even about a topic as seemingly opaque as illicit funding flows. We commissioned blogs and opinions about how feminist groups fund and resource themselves and threw light on the threats facing our human rights systems.

Within AWID, we practiced and learned from our shared leadership approach, and told the story of the trials and tribulations of co-leading a global, virtual organization. We don’t have a definitive answer to what feminist leadership looks like, but we know, a year on, that a continued commitment to collective experimentation and learning has enabled us to keep building an organization that we are all excited to contribute to.

As we look back on this year, we want to thank all our friends and supporters, colleagues and companions, who have given their time and shared their wealth of knowledge and wisdom with us. We want to thank our members who helped frame our strategic plan and joined us to make feminist demands. We could not do this work without you.

Download the full report

Kasia Staszewska

Biography

Kasia has been supporting the work of feminist and social justice movements for the last 15 years. Before joining AWID, Kasia used to lead policy and advocacy for ActionAid and Amnesty International while organizing with feminists and social justice groups in Poland for access to abortion and against violence on the European borders. Kasia is passionate about resourcing feminist organizing in all their boldness, richness and diversity. She shares her time between Warsaw and her DIY community village in the forest. She loves saunas and is crazy about her dog named Wooly.

Position
Manager, Resourcing Feminist Movements
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Jessica Whitbread

Biography

Jessica is a queer artist- activist from Toronto, Canada, but is currently based in Bulgaria. Jessica has over 15 years experience in the HIV response working at the intersections of gender and HIV with key populations (sex workers, women who use drugs, LGBTQI communities, incarcerated people and of course people living with HIV). Jessica loves movement building and thinking/taking/strategizing about arts-based interventions. One fun project she started in 2013 was LOVE POSITIVE WOMEN that engages over 125 community groups and organizations globally every February 1-14th to celebrate women living with HIV in their communities.

Position
Membership and Constituency Engagement Lead
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Faten Nabhan

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Can organizations be members of AWID?

Yes, we encourage institutional membership.

AWID currently has hundreds of prominent, innovative organizations working on issues related to women’s rights and development as members. Criteria for membership are the same as for individuals, although membership fees and membership benefits are different, and are geared to address the needs of our member organizations.

Find out more about our membership

2009: The UN holds Conference on the impact of the economic crisis

2009 UN Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and its Impacts on Development

  • The 2009 conference was an outcome of the 2008 Doha conference. The Doha Declaration had mandated that the United Nations hold a conference, to be organized by the President of the General Assembly, on the world financial and economic crisis and its impact on development.
  • During the conference women’s groups, through the WWG, highlighted the impact of the global financial crisis on vulnerable groups. In their statement to the members, the WWG proposed necessary actions to be taken by member states to redress the effects of the crisis to women. They stated that other social groups affected by the crisis are key to a response that is harmonized with international standards and commitments to gender equality, women’s rights and human rights and empowerment. 

Can I submit a session proposal?

The call for session proposal is now closed.

We launched a Call for Activities on November 19 2019 and the last date to receive proposals was February 14, 2020. 

Find other ways to engage with the Forum

Why did AWID choose Taipei as the location for the Forum?

We see Taipei as the location in the Asia Pacific region that will best allow us to build that safe and rebelious space for our global feminist community.

Taipei offers a moderate degree of stability and safety for the diversity of Forum participants we will convene. It also has strong logistical capacities, and is accessible for many travellers (with a facilitated e-visa process for international conferences).

The local feminist movement is welcoming of the Forum and keen to engage with feminists from across the globe.

Read more about our considerations when choosing Taipei

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Our festival featured 130 speakers, facilitators & artists from 43 countries, spread across 40+ sessions!