Issues Affecting Women
Programme
Supporting vibrant movements led by women that are transforming lives and communities
Overview
All women and girls should be safe, free, and have an equal chance to thrive. Yet every day, because of unequal power relations, women experience violence and discrimination and are denied the freedom to decide how they will live. This undermines their health, safety, dignity, and independence.
We find inspiration and hope in strong and vibrant movements, built and led by women, which are transforming lives and communities across the world. Their shared purpose and collective power are sparking progressive attitudes and advancing a more just world – in ways that protect human rights and the future of our planet.
Supporting these movements to live, breathe, strengthen, and grow – by enabling women’s agency, leadership, and capacity – is at the heart of what we do.
Read our strategy below for more details.
Our programme grant-making in 2022
We made 22 grants totalling USD 33,32 million
Our strategy
We recognise that unequal power relations are created and encouraged by legal, political, economic, and cultural systems, but we also believe in their capacity to change. The Issues Affecting Women Programme supports women’s efforts to create this change – to build, lead, and grow strong, vibrant, and influential movements in order to achieve equity and justice. We envision a world where women have the capacity, resources, and opportunity to be safe and free, and to enjoy their human rights.
We:
- Support women-led rights-based services that address violence against women.
- Provide primarily long-term support as an act of solidarity, helping movements to achieve the lasting change needed for us all to thrive.
- Connect organisations and movements, and resource them to learn from each other and work together, to develop knowledge and skills, and to plan, organise, and mobilise.
We also engage with other donors and philanthropic actors to leverage more and better funding to advance women’s rights around the world.
Our funding principles
We support women’s organisations and groups that:
- adopt a rights-based approach to services and advocacy;
- amplify women’s power and agency as full and equal participants in society;
- employ a holistic approach, taking into consideration various contexts and cultures and addressing root causes;
- promote systemic change by strengthening legal frameworks and holding governments and institutions to account;
- contribute to the broader women’s movement by complementing individual and community action with networking and joint advocacy initiatives;
- build evidence that contributes to best practices and catalyses innovation; and
- work to change behaviour and attitudes to prevent violence.
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 support organisations in Moldova, Bulgaria, the North Caucasus, and India. Our movement-building grant-making has a broader geographic focus.
Discover our partner stories
Would you like to read more stories like this? Please visit our “Stories” page.
Watch our latest videos
“Helvetia is calling!” a politically independent movement that advocates for a greater female representation in the Swiss Federal Council, called on women to take action and shape Swiss laws equally. Backed by women from all parties, the result was a significant increase in the number of female candidates in the Swiss confederate elections. And, for the first time in Swiss history, more new women were elected than new men
Violence against women and domestic violence is a problem with grave consequences for the whole society. There are many female activists and organisations in Switzerland who are working to raise awareness about these issues and combat some of the challenges faced by women. These organisations are funded through alliance F, a well-established women’s equality organisation.
Would you like to see more videos? Please visit our YouTube channel.