Redefining Risk: The Cost of Not Funding Women’s Rights Organisations

What happens when feminist movements lose funding or face shrinking civic space?

Our new research with the Alliance for Feminist Movements (AFM) challenges the common perception that funding Women’s Rights Organisations (WROs) is a “high-risk” investment. By exploring four country contexts—Bangladesh, Nicaragua, Türkiye, and Zimbabwe—where funding has declined and civic space has closed, the study shifts the focus to a more urgent question: What are the risks of not funding women’s rights organisations? The research highlights the serious consequences for gender equality and broader development outcomes when WROs are underfunded and unsupported.

Donors often face intense scrutiny over the perceived risks of funding WROs, from concerns about impact measurement to financial accountability. But this research provides crucial evidence to support a different narrative—one that affirms the vital role WROs play in driving progress. Whether you’re a funder, advocate, or policymaker, the findings and recommendations in this report offer actionable insights to strengthen funding strategies and defend civic space. Read the full report to explore how more and better funding for women’s rights organisations can help secure a gender-equal future.

The Redefining Risk research builds on, and was part funded by, the Walking the Talk consortium and the Financing for Feminist Futures research initiative. The compendium of research projects that were part of Financing for Feminist Futures can be found here: f4ff.global/program/research-projects/