The Alliance for Feminist Movements (AFM) presents this overview of the financial landscape supporting women’s rights organizations (WROs) and feminist movements globally. Tracking this funding remains a complex challenge due to the diversity of funding streams, the lack of transparency in financial flows, and gaps in existing data. This report provides a critical analysis of funding from Official Development Assistance (ODA) and private philanthropy, based on the latest available data through March 2025.
Introduction
This snapshot arrives at a pivotal and precarious moment for feminist resourcing. While historical data provides a baseline for understanding funding trends, the ecosystem is currently experiencing rapid shifts due to significant budget cuts across major donor nations. Most notably, the United States—traditionally the world’s largest ODA donor—has terminated nearly 10,000 grants and contracts as of February 2025. These reductions are mirrored by other governments, including the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, who have announced substantial reductions to their future development budgets.
The data highlights a persistent gap between rhetoric and reality in feminist funding:
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Only 4% of ODA currently has gender equality as its principal objective, a figure that has remained virtually unchanged since 2010.
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Civil society organizations (CSOs) are receiving a smaller share of gender-focused ODA than they did a decade ago, dropping from 27% in 2011-2012 to just 19% in 2021-2022.
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Support for WROs is highly concentrated, with just five donors accounting for 57% of total funding.
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Of the funding reaching WROs, only a small fraction—approximately $29 million out of $432 million—goes directly to organizations based in recipient countries.
By consolidating data from the OECD, the Advancing Human Rights Initiative, and US-based foundations, this report aims to equip members and allies with the insights necessary to navigate these ongoing budget cuts and advocate for more sustainable, direct support for feminist movements worldwide.