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Financing the MDGs

Innovative funding for women’s organisations

Funding for women's organisations

Authors:
Publisher: Development Assistance Committee, OECD, 2008

Full text of document

Funding support for women’s organisations and for non-governmental organisations working to achieve gender equality is an important element in many donors strategies. These organisations often have detailed knowledge of social and cultural barriers to gender equality. They can also recognise and address the impact of gender inequalities at local, national and international level.

This issues brief examines funding issues for these organisations and specifically aims to:

  • share research findings on levels of funding and the financial sustainability of women’s organisations in the context of changing approaches to delivering aid
  • provide ideas for donors on how to strengthen the work and roles of women’s organisations in making development effective and sustainable
  • illustrate innovative donor practices and approaches
  • Identify some future challenges for donors, partners and civil society organisations.
Many donors are convinced that increasing investments in women’s organisations is essential for achieving gender equality, women’s empowerment and improvements to people’s lives. Research by NGOs themselves has, however, shown that changes to the aid and policy environments have created challenges both in securing access to resources and in engaging effectively in the development process.

These challenges include:
  • civil society organisations that advocate on behalf of poor and excluded groups need to build their capacity to engage effectively in policy dialogue, implementation and monitoring, and understand the changing aid and policy making environment
  • civil society organisations need to find ways to work collaboratively (nationally, regionally and internationally) to share and build experience.
The document concludes by suggesting that the effectiveness and credibility of civil society voices will only be enhanced to the extent that these organisations are clearly answerable to their constituencies and their overall goals. Therefore its important that they are able to attain some independence from donor or government funding sources.