Urgent Action Fund, Rapid Response Grantmaking, Funding for Women's Rights Defenders/Legal Actions/Responding to Armed Conflict

MISSION STATEMENT

Urgent Action Fund, as part of women’s rights movements worldwide, supports women's rights defenders striving to create cultures of justice, equality and peace. We provide rapid response grants that enable strategic interventions, and participate in collaborative advocacy and research. We are led by activists, inspired by feminism, and strengthened through solidarity.

Rapid Response Grantmaking (n):

a funding tool used to support interventions by activists in a strategic and timely manner. Grant requests are accepted 365 days per year, in any language, from activists around the world. Each request receives a response within 72 hours and funds can be wired within a week. UAF created this unique grantmaking model in 1997 to enable women activists to take advantage of unexpected opportunities, mitigate threats and/or prevent backsliding in their ongoing work to advance the human rights of all people.

Categories & Criteria
Before You Apply for a Grant:

* Please read UAF’s categories and criteria to make sure that your proposal demonstrates all four criteria.
* If your proposal is for a development project, natural disaster relief, humanitarian aid, travel to conferences or general support, please do not apply. Unfortunately, we are not able to provide funding for these important activities.
* Please note that we only provide support to organizations in which women are the primary decision-makers.

Things to Know About Applying to UAF:

* There are no geographic restrictions for UAF grants. All requests from the continent of Africa should be sent to UAF-Africa .
* UAF accepts grant proposals in any language.
* We will respond to your request within 72 hours; however, proposals in languages other than English, Spanish, Russian or French may require additional time for translation. Once a grant has been approved, funds can usually be delivered within a week.
* UAF grants are intended to enable short-term interventions in the course of long-term strategies for advancing women’s human rights.
* You have the option to request that your application remain confidential.


Urgent Action Fund Makes Grants in Three Categories:

* Response to armed conflict, escalating violence or politically volatile environments.
* Potentially precedent-setting legal or legislative actions, or actions that aim to protect a precedent that has already been set.
* Protection and security of women human rights defenders.

http://www.urgentactionfund.org
OUR CRITERIA
Regardless of the category, grant proposals must demonstrate all of these criteria:

Strategic – the action is related to a pre-determined plan to create structural change that will advance women’s human rights.

Unanticipated and Time Urgent – the situation or opportunity is unanticipated and action must happen quickly to be effective.

Sustainable – the group is able to carry out the proposed action effectively, and can secure funding for future work related to the strategy.

Supported – the group has the support of others involved in women’s human rights or related fields, locally or globally.

http://www.urgentactionfund.org