Pooled Fund

Through collaborative grantmaking, we expand resources for the women’s rights field.

As part of CoLab's 2024-2026 strategy, the pooled fund will be transformed to better serve the needs of organizations and movements in the Global South and East. During this time, we don't have the capacity to review requests in 2024. We anticipate the new funding will be announced in early 2025. Thank you for your understanding.

 

Context

While resources advancing gender equality are available, funds are not reaching key actors — namely women’s rights organizations in the Global South and East. Often large international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) apply and receive the funding due to their large staff, budgets, and track records in managing large grants. In response, smaller women’s rights organizations have been joining forces to collaborate, share resources and jointly apply for larger scale funding.

To support these joint fundraising efforts, Gender Funders CoLab established the Strategic Collaborations to Leverage Resources (SCLR) fund. The fund supports women’s rights organizations’ to apply for and manage large grants or take advantage of advocacy opportunities that will increase resources for the women’s rights field — a necessary component to strengthening the infrastructure of the global women’s rights movement.

GENERAL ELIGIBILITY

Applicants MUST be a current or recent (within the last two years) grantee of a Gender Funders CoLab member institution. Also, note that the SCLR fund prioritizes funding to women’s rights organizations that demonstrate effective partnership with other women’s rights or social justice organizations, have collaborations with women’s rights groups in the Global South and East, and have a clear strategy to increase resources directed to the women’s rights field. Applicants can apply for one of two funding opportunities.

TYPE OF FUNDING

 

Joint Fundraising Opportunities
Grant size: $50,000 - $100,000 USD

Who can apply?

  • At least two organizations/coalitions/networks who want to collaboratively apply for large (over one million USD) grants that advance women’s human rights/gender equality, but would not have been eligible to apply individually (due to budget size, scope of RFP etc)

  • The lead applicant is a current or recent (within the last two years) grantee of a Gender Funder Co_lab member institution

  • At least one applicant is based in the Global South or East

  • You must have already identified the funding initiative you would like to apply to

The grant can be used for:  

  • Hiring consultants to write and submit proposals  

  • Validation of grantee/pre-validation forms (e.g. equivalency forms required for government funding)   

  • Convening costs to bring those involved in collaboration together

  • Staff time devoted to developing the collaboration

  • Meeting facilitation to finalize shared theory of change, working principles for the collective

HOW TO APPLY

Applications to the fund are accepted on the first of every month. The proposal review and decision-making process will be completed within forty-five days of submission of a complete application, if not sooner. Gender Funders CoLab has an Advisory Committee made up of the contributing foundations who review and make decisions on grant proposals.

Before applying it is required that you have an initial conversation with a Gender Funders CoLab co-director. We expect this conversation will take thirty minutes. Please email info@genderfunderscolab.org to schedule a time to speak.