As our world faces an ongoing multi-crisis, societies often fall into the same harmful pattern: seeking quick, easy solutions to complex problems. This approach deeply affects political decisions at all levels. However, history has shown that real change comes from grassroots movements, not from top-down interventions, demonstrating the importance of supporting grassroots feminist organizations in Ukraine.

Feminist practitioners have been telling us for decades: invest in local networks and women’s movements, support collective care efforts, and, most importantly — ‘nothing for us, without us’. These principles are vital, especially when responding to crises. But how do we turn these messages into practical actions during a crisis?

This is the story of a pilot project currently in its third round—an effort to support local women’s rights organisations (WROs) in Ukraine to continue their life-saving work and ensure that women and girls have a seat at the decision-making table during recovery efforts.

Supporting Grassroots Women’s Rights Organisations in Crisis

In April 2023, HIAS and VOICE launched the Women’s and Girls Emergency Response Fund. The fund united a network of local and international feminist funders to support women’s organisations in Ukraine responding specifically to the urgent needs of conflict-affected communities.

The Fund is based on the belief that the most effective way to prevent and respond to gender-based violence (GBV) is by strengthening local women’s organisations, at both a technical and institutional level. These organisations are informed by their lived experiences of conflict, their deep connections to communities, and their ability to organise swiftly and efficiently.

But how do we ensure that funding reaches newly emerged and grassroots WROs? How do we avoid the pitfalls that often come with traditional funding models?

1. Accessibility Is Critical When Funding Grassroots Organisations

Our team structured the Fund to be as accessible as possible for newly established and smaller organizations. At the application stage, we didn’t require organisations to have all the necessary policies in place upfront, however, applicants were asked to commit to developing these policies if their applications were successful. We also provided technical guidance and support throughout the implementation phase to help organisations develop these necessary frameworks.

Read the full article about feminist organizations in Ukraine by Anastasiia Chebotarova at Alliance Magazine.