Funding for Peacebuilding and Women’s Movements

The international women’s movement needs support from private philanthropy and individual donors to thrive. Yet, studies show that less than 1% of all philanthropic funding goes to support peace and security (Candid 2000). What more can be done to persuade donors?

In its groundbreaking report on philanthropy and peacebuilding, Candid highlights several barriers that are keeping private philanthropy from investing in peacebuilding. These include perceptions that it’s too political, there’s not enough evidence for what works, it’s too difficult to measure, and peacebuilding is for government and official donors, not for private foundations (Candid 2020). Let’s unpack a few of these observations and consider how more support for peacebuilding can support women’s movements. 

Investing in Community Level Interventions

Overcoming barriers to the question of “what works” in conflict settings means shifting donor attention from the country level to the community level. This is needed because peacebuilding is about more than ending violence conflict or political change. It’s also about addressing the root causes of conflict that are rooted in social and economic factors, including gender inequality. Civil society organizations that are working on social cohesion and engaging in dialogue with local authorities can make advancements at the sub-national level, such as negotiating local cease fire agreements, even amid national conflict. Yet, experts say that “Peacebuilding at the community level is invisible to grantmaking foundations” (Candid 2000). 

Providing funding at the community level requires identifying local organizations to support, which can be a challenge for U.S. and international foundations who don’t have existing partnerships in conflict zones. Thanks to organizations like the Peace and Security Funders Group (PSFG), donors that are interested in expanding their work in this area can network with peers to learn more. They can also refer to this Peace and Security Funding Map to identify recipient organizations by country. PSFG has also been successful at building partnerships between local nonprofit organizations (NGOs) and official donor agencies like the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in the Central African Republic.

The Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) has also created a Philanthropic Toolkit for Strengthening Local Humanitarian Leadership and is supporting the NGO Adeso in the development of a portal called Kuja Link that will connect international donors to local organizations. Working with intermediaries to support equivalency determinations that verify the authenticity of foreign nonprofit organizations can also reduce administrative barriers to vetting new partners.

Investing in Advocacy and Accountability 

Providing more funding to women-led organizations is one way to invest in peace and security globally. In addition to more resources, there are other ways to support peace movements. Expressing solidarity for public protests and women’s movements by making statements of support that push for legal changes to discriminatory laws can also be effective (Parsa 2022). 

The Iranian women’s movement has received worldwide support following the death of Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody after being harassed for not properly wearing her hijab. Since then, the slogan “women, life, freedom” has become a mantra shared throughout social media in support of protests calling for change. 

In October, female foreign ministers from twelve countries put forward a strong statement of support for Iranian women (Equality Now 2022). The United Nations Human Rights Council passed a resolution to investigate human rights abuses that have occurred during the protests (Parsa 2022). These measures keep high-level visibility on the women’s movement and establish mechanisms to hold the Government of Iran accountable for its actions. 

Even though U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris also issued a statement in support of the women of Iran, U.S. sanctions against Iran are also impeding the transfer of private funds to support the women’s movement (Khullar 2022). Although U.S. financial transfers to Iran are limited by sanctions, donors can provide support by issuing statements of solidarity and funding international human rights and women’s organizations that are raising public awareness.

A similar protest movement in Morocco in 2012 after a 16-year-old girl, Amina Filali was forced by a religious court to marry her rapist and took her own life. The protests that followed resulted in a unanimous vote within the Moroccan parliament  to amend an article in the penal code which allowed perpetrators of sexual violence to avoid prosecution by marrying the person violated (BBC 2014).

Even in Afghanistan, where official negotiations with the Taliban to advance women’s rights have faltered, female leaders continue to push for change, insisting they will never give up. Women are leading advocacy initiatives calling for greater participation in government, the rights of girls to go to school, and allowing women to work and have access to economic opportunities. Afghan women need continued support and visibility, as they face great risk to their personal safety for speaking out.

Investing in Women and Civil Society

These examples from Iran and Afghanistan help us to see that social change is often a precursor to political change and is a long process best advanced by local ownership. International support plays a vital role in raising the voice of local leaders to ensure that they remain visible. Making long-term investments in civil society, women’s organizations, and their international advocacy partners is a worthwhile effort. 

The limits of providing funding for peacebuilding and women’s movements through official government channels highlights the need for private philanthropy to engage. Working through collaborative donor networks can help overcome common barriers to making strategic investments in local organizations. 

Governments that perpetuate conflict and restrict women’s rights should not be the focus of measurements for change. Rather, donors should look to civil society organizations that are making advancements at the community level to build consensus and momentum for change. Women leaders who are advocating for gender equality are an example of how social movements, rather than national politics, can transform a country. These local organizations need more support from the private sector and individual donors to achieve long-term results.