About: Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Rights was born in 1997 with the aim of providing quick financial supports to organisations working in the field of women’s rights facing critical circumstances. In particular, the Fund was conceived to support activists working in conflict zones or turbulent political, economic, or social environments.
Geographical Area of Intervention: Worldwide
Although organisations working in Africa should send their appeals to the Sister Fund, Urgent Action Fund for Africa and organisations working in Latin America to Fondo de Accion Urgente de America Latina (see below).
Themes: The main goal of the Fund is to support activities promoting a culture of justice, peace and equality led by women’s organisations. Within these core themes, you could decide your own theme. For instance, you could work on reconciliation, peace building, environmental justice, sex workers rights etc.
Types of Grants: The idea behind the creation of this Fund is to shorten the time needed to access funding in emergency situation. As such, the offered grants are conceived to be flexible and promptly received by organisations in need. You can fill in an online application, call, or even send a message and the Fund’s team will get back to you 72 hours.
The maximum amount of money that you could request is $ 5,000.
Money could also be asked for urgent relocation of women in danger in their own country under the Evacuation Grant (also for a maximum of $ 5,000) – contact details could be found
Eligibility: Grants are given to Women’s Human Rights Defenders. The term was created by the United Nations and it defines those who “address any human right (or rights) on behalf of individuals or groups. They seek the promotion of human rights as well as the promotion, protection, and realisation of economic, social and cultural rights”. Sponsored projects are those written in response to armed conflict or politically unstable environments. They have to show how they will protect women’s rights.
Proposed projects must meet 5 criteria:
- Be strategic: your short-term intervention should be written in line with the long-term goal of enhancing women’s rights.
- Be time urgent: your project should clearly respond to a situation of emergency.
- Be sustainable: your project should state how the proposed project could be followed up or give born to other relevant activities in your community.
- Be supported: the applicant should provide evidence of collaboration with other women’s organisations in the same area or region.
- Be women’s led: the organisation must be led by women.
How to apply: If you face unexpected circumstances that put women’s human rights in danger or you are witnessing situations in which women’s right are abused, you should download the application for urgent fund here
Applications in Spanish and Portuguese for Latin American organisations are available to download here
Applications for African organisations are available to download here
Deadlines: Proposals could be submitted at any time. Answers will be given within 72 hours and, in the case of approval, fund will be wired within 1 week.
