FCRA PROJECT: YOUNG FEMINIST FUND-GRANT.

Deadline: 28.07.2014

FRIDA | The Young Feminist Fund is the only youth-led fund focused exclusively on supporting global young feminist activism to advance social justice movements and agendas. FRIDA was created to bring new resources and new opportunities to young women and trans* youth globally. We believe that supporting young feminists is key to the expansion, rejuvenation and sustainability of women’s movements and organizations, both now and in the future. To date, FRIDA has completed two grant cycles in 2012 and 2013, and cumulatively supported 32 different groups of young feminists in 28 different countries around the world and awarding a total of 196,000 USD in direct grants.

We are excited to be launching our third call for proposals and intend to support up to 18 new young feminist groups led by young women and transgender youth under 30 years of age.

Who can apply?

> Groups founded or led by young women or trans* youth (under 30 ykears) that are committed to:

* Advancing and defending women’s rights from a feminist perspective;

* Improving the lives of young women/transgender youth at local, national, regional or international levels;

* Inclusive organizing, collective action and feminist movement building

* Groups, networks, or collectives based in the Global South (Africa, Asia and the Pacific, The Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean and Central, Southern, Eastern Europe and Caucuses and Central Asia).

* Groups founded in the past 5 years (i.e. your group was formed between 2010 – 2014).

FRIDA uses the term ‘feminist’ broadly to refer to individuals working within women’s movements or in other social movements to promote and work towards the safety, equality, justice, rights and dignity of girls, women and other marginalized groups. Based on the understanding that fundamental discrimination occurs within patriarchal systems of domination in all societies, young feminists are determined to challenge, address and change the root causes of these existing inequalities, rights violations and injustice. We recognize that there are multiple feminisms and foster opportunities for expressing those principles in our work. FRIDA emphasizes feminist principles throughout all of its work. These principles include: non-hierarchy, collectivity, participation, diversity, and inclusion. We define young feminist activists as individuals from across the gender spectrum committed to advancing gender equality and women’s rights through explicitly feminist means. FRIDA focuses on activism led by feminists under 30 years of age.

Priority will be given to:

> Small, emerging grassroots groups, networks, or collectives with little or no access to funding from larger donors.

> Groups, networks, or collectives that are working on emerging or issues that have not received prior funding.

> Groups, networks, or collectives located in remote underserved areas.

> Groups, networks, or collectives that are diverse in their membership and made up of and/or working with socially marginalized young women especially: refugees, ethnic, national and caste minorities, rural women, urban poor, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, women living with HIV/AIDS, sex workers, women with disabilities, women living in armed conflicts and post conflict zones.

> Groups using creative and innovative strategies to further their activism (including art, music, culture, poetry, social media etc).

What is NOT supported by FRIDA?

>Groups or organizations that display an intolerant attitude towards others on the basis of age, religion, sex, race/ethnicity, disability, class or sexual orientation.

> Organizations working with young women and trans youth but led by individuals over 30 years of age. We do not fund youth “programs” of existing organizations — we fund youth-led groups.

> Scholarships, internship or school fees (including Doctoral or other research)

> Groups with budgets over $25,000 USD

> Proposals submitted by individuals, government institutions, political organizations or religious groups.

> Groups that focus only on the provision of direct services (e.g. community literacy, formal education, technical training, craft or health care etc).

> Groups that focus on income generating activities.

> Groups based in the following highly-industrialized countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States

Funding Amounts & Length of Grant

FRIDA makes grants of up to $4,000 USD. They are flexible grants that can be used for general support and/or projects to be used over a period of 12 months and are open to renewal.

*Please Note: FRIDA recognizes the value of general support and encourages groups to prioritize resources according to their own needs. For example some groups may consider using FRIDA funds to cover staff, administration, or organizational costs while others may use funds to support establishing infrastructure or project related costs.

Be Part of the Selection Process…You Decide!

FRIDA is committed to engaging young feminist-led groups in the grant decision-making process. We view this as an empowering process that provides participants with greater accountability and investment. Applicants that meet FRIDA’s criteria must vote for their top propsal choices and give comments on their selections (groups may not vote for their own proposals). In voting, we ask that groups keep in mind what they think is important for the promotion and defense of the rights of young women in their region. After voting the results are tallied and grantees are selected.