Resourcing collective action when opportunities for sudden, dramatic change emerge
Mama Cash aims to be responsive to movements by meeting them where they are. The Revolution Fund is Mama Cash’s participatory grantmaking fund that enables us to respond to funding requests that fall outside our other grantmaking criteria.
Getting resources to feminist movements when they need them most!
To bring about radical change, feminist movements need to be agile. They must be ready to take optimal advantage of opportunities or hold the line against setbacks or threats.
The Revolution Fund is designed to support one-off initiatives of feminist movements that:
- respond to, or create a critical or strategic opportunity for change,
- enable a reaction to an emergent issue or need, or
- seed a promising new project or idea.
Eligibility Criteria
- Work from a feminist, women's, girls, trans rights and/or intersex rights perspective
- Self-led by the women, girls, trans people and/or intersex people they serve
- Receive a nomination from Mama Cash
- Seek to create an opportunity for change, enable a reaction to an urgent need, and/or seed a new project or idea
- *Reflect our institutional vision, mission and values
Frequently Asked Questions
Mama Cash principally resources long-term, persistent work of feminist organisations and women’s funds, through multi-year, core grants. The Revolution Fund, however, accepts nominations for proposals for small one-time grants that last no longer than a year.
Eligible initiatives a) respond to or create a strategic opportunity for change, b) enable a reaction to an emerging need, and/or c) seed a new project or idea.
Revolution Fund grants will support groups and initiatives that:
- Work from a feminist and/or women’s, girls’, trans and/or intersex people’s rights perspective; and
- Are self-led by the women, girls, trans and/or intersex people with whom they work.
Mama Cash Advisors, staff and Board members cannot nominate any groups or collectives they are part of or have worked with directly, or that have any affiliation with their friends, partners and/or relatives.
Revolution Fund grants will not support groups and initiatives that:
- Are individually led;
- Academic research or scholarships;
- Are businesses or for-profit projects;
- Are currently receiving a Mama Cash grant; or could otherwise qualify for one of our other grantmaking funds (i.e. Resilience Fund, Spark Fund, Solidarity Fund and/or Radical Love Fund);
- Are based in the Global North that are executing programmes in or are leading partnerships with groups based in the Global South and East;
- Are founded by, led by, or structurally or economically dependent on political parties, government agencies, or religious institutions;
- Include activities that seek to deny the rights of certain women, girls, trans and intersex people, based on who they are, the work they do, or on their position in society.
We define feminism as being very multifaceted, but at its core we see it as work that addresses or combats sexism and patriarchal gender norms (relating to sexuality, class, ethnicity, race, migration status, disability and so on) with the aim of ending inequality and injustice.
At the centre of our participatory grantmaking system is the Global Advisory Network. It consists of feminist activists based in different geographic areas, from different constituencies, with diverse thematic expertise, experience and connections. For the Revolution Fund, there is a Revolution Fund Committee composed of Mama Cash staff who shortlist eligible proposals. The final selection from this shortlist is made by our advisors from the Global Advisory Network.
Always! We accept and review applications on a rolling basis. If you are a current Mama Cash staff member, Board member, or Global Advisory Network member and you want to make a nomination, you can start the application process here. However, while nominations are received all year around, to allow us to make grants before the end of our grantmaking year, nominations received after the end of September are usually not made until the next year.
The Revolution Fund Committee meets quarterly to make decisions on pending proposals – usually, these meetings are in March, June and October which is when the decisions are made, so please take this into account when sending in a nomination.
Nominations will be accepted for grants up to €10.000 euros depending on the Revolution Fund’s overall budget availability. The grant period will last no longer than a year.
If you have any additional questions about the Revolution Fund, please contact us at RevolutionFund@mamacash.org.
Nomination – All Revolution Fund applications are nomination based. Nominations are exclusively made by current Mama Cash staff members, Board members or Global Advisory Network members. It is not possible for groups to directly apply on their own behalf, and we cannot read any proposals that are sent to the Revolution Fund inbox. We cannot put groups in touch with staff, Board members or advisors to ask them to nominate a specific organisation – they need to already be familiar with a group’s work.
Online application – Nominators submit an application on behalf of their nominees via an online application form.
Revolution Fund Committee – A committee of Mama Cash staff will shortlist eligible applications.
Award decision – Members of the Global Advisory Network with expertise relevant to the nominated initiative will make the final decision on whether or not a nomination will be accepted.