Frequently Asked Questions
Can we apply if we are over 30? Can we apply if we are a young men led feminist group? Can I apply as an individual? All your Qs answered!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Who does FRIDA support? What does FRIDA mean by young feminism? What does FRIDA mean by flexible funding? What kinds of grants does FRIDA gove? Can we apply if we are over 30? All of your Qs answered!
FRIDA grants are dedicated to organizations/groups that are led by girls, young women and/or queer, trans and intersex youth aged 30 and under. FRIDA recognizes that there are limited funding opportunities for young feminist activists under the age of 30 so FRIDA seeks to fill this gap. If your group is led by young queer people, women or trans and intersex youth up to 35 years of age you can still apply if the majority (70% or more) of your organization’s members is 30 or under. However, priority will be given to groups led by girls, young women, trans and/or intersex and queer youth aged 30 and under.
FRIDA accepts that the age range covered includes young people who in many contexts are already considered ‘adults’ (mothers, married, income earners, voters, etc.) and that there is an inadvertent cultural and class bias in conceptions of what makes a “young” activist. However, FRIDA is committed to supporting groups that demonstrate a solid commitment to feminist activism and movement building while doing our best not to reinforce an artificial concept of ‘youth’ as an identity.
At this moment, FRIDA does not provide funding to groups led by young cis men even if they self-define as feminists because of our limited resources that are dedicated to addressing the fundamental inequality and discrimination faced by girls, young women, queer, trans and intersex youth. While cis-men may be members of groups funded by FRIDA, 70% of the membership must be girls, young women, gender non-conforming and/or trans and intersex youth and the leadership in the group needs to be girls, young women, gender non-conforming and/or trans and intersex youth aged 30 and under.
FRIDA uses the term ‘feminist’ broadly to refer to individuals and collectives working within women’s, queer and trans movements or other social movements to promote and work towards the safety, equality, justice, rights and dignity of girls, women, trans people, queer people and other marginalized groups. Based on the understanding that fundamental discrimination occurs within capitalist 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: collectivity, participation, diversity, and inclusion. We define young feminist activists as individuals from across the gender spectrum committed to advancing freedom and liberation for all marginalized communities through explicitly feminist means. FRIDA focuses on activism led by feminists under 30 years of age.
When we use the word trans, we talk about any person whose gender identity and/or expression differs from the sex assigned at birth. Some folks identify as (trans) women or (trans) men, transgender, transsexual, non-binary, genderqueer, gender diverse, gender non-conforming, or agender. Others as fa’afafine, leiti, fakafifine, akava’ine, mahu, vakasalewalewa, palopa, Sistergirls, Brotherboys, whakawahine, tangata ira tane, muxhe, omeguid, travesti, two spirit, hijra, bandhu, mangalamukhi, kinnar, thirunangai, thirunambi, khwaja sira, meti, katoey, waria, mak nyah, kua xing nan, trans laki-laki, transpinay, transpinoy, kwaa-sing- bit. FRIDA strives to decolonise the way we understand and talk about gender and the terminology we use. We use the word trans in our communications, but recognise that behind it there are multiple, complex and beautiful ways of living gender. FRIDA fully believes in autonomy and self determination as essential feminist values.
Intersex is a term used to describe a wide range of natural bodily variations. Intersex youth refers to young individuals born with sex characteristics that do not fit binary notions of male or female bodies.
FRIDA only accepts applications submitted by young feminist organizations or groups or collectives.
FRIDA generally supports groups, networks, or collectives based in Eastern, Western, Southern, Central Africa; Asia and the Pacific; South West Asia and North Africa; Latin America; the Caribbean and Central, Southern, Eastern Europe and Caucasus and Central and North Asia.
We do not support groups based in the following highly-industrialized countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States of America.
No. Your young feminist group/organization does not need to be legally registered in order to be eligible to apply. In many cases, newly established young feminist groups struggle to become registered and in others, groups make a political decision to not register themselves. FRIDA is open and committed to supporting both unregistered groups as well as those that are legally registered as non-government organizations in their countries.
You can apply in one of the following languages: Spanish, French, Arabic, English, Portuguese or Russian.
FRIDA grants may be used by groups based on their collectively identified needs. Grants may be used for project support eg: to plan and host workshops or trainings, to fund transport, food and other relevant materials for group activities and may also be used for general support eg: to pay staff salaries/stipends, rent of an office space or relevant utilities. Groups who receive the FRIDA grant will receive more information about the ways the grant can be used in their welcome package.
FRIDA provides flexible, multi-year core financial support, capacity strengthening, and space for movement connections to young feminist collectives across regions, thematics, and strategies. FRIDA supports young feminist collectives to build solidarity networks across movements, exchange knowledge and practices, and co-create advocacy initiatives. FRIDA applies participatory decision-making practices across all of its grantmaking
FRIDA emerged from the collective vision of feminist activists across generations and from around the world who understood the urgent need for a fund that centres its mission around the experience, expertise and needs of young feminist organizers.
We know that “the revolution will not be funded” and that the funding is not what makes social movements persist in their fight for justice, freedom and liberation. Still, oppression is well resourced and extractive capitalist systems are sustaining and thriving on inequalities, imposing economic barriers to dignity, safety and justice and exhausting movements’ capacities and resources. For autonomous, self resourced movements to thrive, we need to fight those systems and transform how we think about and distribute resources. We need to continue to leverage funds that enable feminist movements to organize, resist and move towards the feminist future we are dreaming up. Financial resources are needed to protect feminist organizers’ safety and well-being in volatile environments. However, those resources also need to be in alignment with the needs, interests and lives of movements and detached from top-down funding approaches.
All FRIDA’s grantmaking is facilitated through a young feminist community decision-making process. The Call For Applications process is participatory in allowing the FRIDA community and applicants to decide which groups receive funding and are welcomed to the FRIDA community to begin the grantee partner journey. Within this process, FRIDA changes the power dynamic around who makes funding decisions which centers the expertise and knowledge of young feminists working on the ground.
FRIDA’s grantmaking strategy is created in conversation with young feminist organizers and mirrors the organizing needs and practices of young feminist movements. It includes all the ways in which FRIDA provides financial and non-financial support to young feminist organizers. This strategy allows us to be flexible, creative and reflective about new ways in which we can provide holistic support to young feminist movements. Feedback and analysis following every open call for applications as well as our annual renewal processes for current grantee partners, informs this strategy, as well as our ongoing communication and reflection with grantee partners, advisors and the broader FRIDA community.
After the participatory grantmaking process, selected groups are awarded core funding support grants, meaning groups are able to decide for themselves how best to use their grant. Grant funding can be used over a period of one year. At the end of the year, FRIDA grantee partners are asked to submit a report and are invited to apply for a renewal of their grant.
All FRIDA grantee partners receive a Core Grant upon entry to the FRIDA-verse and upon renewal. All FRIDA core grants are largely flexible and can be used for project expenses or core expenses. For more information, please refer to FRIDA’s Grantmaking Policy. Beyond the core grants, groups have access to the Capacity Strengthening (CS) Grant, which is an additional support grant. This grant is only available to FRIDA’s grantee partners up for renewal to strengthen their organizing by supporting the enhancement of their capacities, skills, and abilities.
Grantees also can have access to a Risk Reserve grant that was born out of FRIDA’s commitment to let grantee partners decide how to respond to their unique and rapidly changing contexts. Similar to the core support grant, the Risk Reserve grant will be offered together with the renewal grant.
Most grantee partners stay with FRIDA for up to 4 years. In the last year of their journey, all grantee partners are eligible to apply for a transition grant that responds to the grantee partner’s journey, needs and context
FRIDA considers the transition of groups who walk with us as important as their onboarding. Once groups transition out from FRIDA, they become part of a network called FRIDA alumni. As former grantee partners, they can stay in touch through this community to receive opportunities of connection, resources from partner organizations, and to share solidarity.
Since its founding, FRIDA has relied on a Global Advisory Committee of young feminist activists worldwide who support the organization in a volunteer role. These Advisors play a key role in the following areas:
- Facilitating FRIDA’s annual participatory grantmaking process by conducting outreach, screening applications, reviewing final results and supporting with due diligence.
- Supporting with grantee partner capacity strengthening and communication of regional strategic priorities with FRIDA.
- Informing strategic and programmatic decisions in various areas of FRIDA’s grantmaking and accompaniment work through thematic and expert input, according to the organization’s needs.
- Informing FRIDA’s Strategic Planning Process and Strategic Plan Review Processes whenever applicable.
- Creating and keeping regional and global spaces for feminist solidarity and collective care.
FRIDA relies on its advisors to build spaces of trust, safety, respect and reciprocal accountability when supporting one another and other FRIDA community members in critically reflecting and building on a combined vision for young feminist organizing globally.
According to the organizational needs, FRIDA conducts an advisory selection process to ensure regional representation and that voices from underrepresented groups based on region, territory, ethnicity, and underrepresented identities, ensuring FRIDA fulfills its mission. Stay tuned to the FRIDA website and social media to have information when a selection process is launched
Your support powers our work. Every donation – big or small – helps sustain our growing community of grantee partners. Flexible, sustained funding enables us to plan strategically and respond to emerging needs. Click here to donate or please reach out to our Resource Mobilisation team at donations@youngfeministfund.org to discuss partnership opportunities.
