Equality Fund
/OVERVIEW: The Equality Fund awards grants to women-led organizations that fight for gender equality and the rights of women, LGBTQ+ and trans people living in the Global South.
IP TAKE: This funder prioritizes grassroots organizations over larger international organizations working to promote the rights of women and LGBTQ+ people in Canada and the global south. The specific goals and geographic targets of its grantmaking change yearly, so interested grantseekers are advised to check the Equality Fund’s website frequently for updates and new RFPs.
The Equality Fund sometimes collaborates with and offers various kinds of support to its grantees. It’s also approachable, so reach out with general questions.
PROFILE: The Equality Fund (formerly the MATCH Fund) was created in 1976 by Norma Walmsley and Suzanne Johnson-Harvor. It seeks to “support women’s rights organizations and feminist movements in Canada and around the world,” and to “provide financial resources and strengthen organizations working at the grassroots and on the global stage.” MATCH was Canada’s first international nongovernmental organization focusing on the rights, empowerment and sustained development of women living in the Global South. In 2018, the MATCH partnered with ten other organizations to establish the Equality Fund collective in order to create “the world’s largest women’s fund.”
In 2019, the Government of Canada awarded the Equality Fund $300 million “to build a new global funding mechanism and leverage more resources for gender equality around the world.” The fund has committed to use the funds “to create a long-term and self-sustaining source of funding for women’s rights organizations and movements in developing countries.” Because the Equality Fund’s backing of women and girls is inclusive of trans and broader LGBTQ+ communities, it connects with multiple populations in need of support around the globe.
The Equality Fund combines “international feminist grant-making with an innovative investment arm, delivering new momentum for women’s movements and supporting the advancement of gender equality globally.” The fund uses a strategy meant to mobilize “unparalleled Canadian and international resources.” Rather than name specific areas of grantmaking interest, the Fund mobilizes resources on a global scale in order to support an array of support for women, women’s equality and movement building.
Grants for Women and Girls, Violence Prevention, Global Security and Global Development
The fund’s initiatives and Funding Opportunities change regularly as new programs open up and others close. Currently, its most high profile is the Women’s Voice and Leadership program in the Caribbean, a five-year initiative to advance equality for women, LGBTQ+ and trans people in the Caribbean. It supports “the capacity, leadership, and agendas of grassroots women’s rights organizations and LBTIQ groups that advance their own solutions to improve women’s and LGBTQ rights and gender equality in their own contexts, especially at the intersections of the following broad thematic areas: Economic Justice; Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights; Feminist Leadership and Movement-Building; Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Rights; and Climate Change.”
Past grantees include Her Turn (Nepal) for its anti-child marriage advocacy and Advocacy for Women in Uganda to support its anti-female genital mutilation efforts. To learn more about the types of organizations supported by the fund, explore its grantee partner listing.
The Equality Fund has supported women’s rights organizations in Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. Much of its grantmaking offers core and capacity-building support.
Important Grant Details:
The Equality Fund typically announces open calls for proposals once a year—though that open call is subject to change, so grantseekers should revisit the deadlines often. Women-led organizations are eligible to apply for MATCH Fund grants, which range from $10,000 CAD to $20,000 CAD.
PEOPLE:
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