Using a participatory grantmaking model, our core grants are awarded as flexible funds and core support, which allows groups to define their own budgets and dedicate funds to where it is most needed.
FRIDA’s core grant has historically been the heart of the organisational support provided to young feminist organizers. Not only is this core, flexible funding the very first grant that every new grantee partner receives in the beginning of their FRIDA journey, but it is also the grant that is guaranteed in each step of the relationship. In other words, with every successful renewal process that a grantee partner undergoes, comes a core grant.
FRIDA’s core grant is flexible, and makes room for grantee partners to respond to their changing community needs without feeling the too often burdensome and unrealistic pressure to ‘stick-to-the-script’. Listening to community needs, adapting, and re-strategizing is part of FRIDA’s culture, and that extends to every member of the FRIDA universe.
FRIDA’s Funding + model was co-created with young feminist organizers, and as FRIDA grows, this process will continue to be evaluated, adjusted, and improved, ensuring that it remains relevant and directly responds to community needs.
Simply put, FRIDA’s Funding+ Model is about providing different types of support and resources to community members in addition to the core grant that they recieve. This model not only contributes to the sustainability of each grantee partner in all the beautiful ways they want to, but also supports them to stay connected with broader social movements. Overall, the Funding + model aims to contribute towards larger feminist movement building in a gloval context. Thus, the grantee partner journey takes off as they receive the initial funding–it is indeed a journey of learning, unlearning, exploring, exchanging and responding to changing needs in the community. Throughout this journey, groups have access to different networking, exchanging, and learning opportunities.
FRIDA believes in multiyear, flexible, and core grants. Therefore we have committed to supporting young feminist groups for up to 5 years; when groups are close to the end of their grantee partner journey at FRIDA, we start accompanying them through their transition process. This approach enables us to redistribute resources to other newly established groups while, at the same time, being intentional in supporting those transitioning out in a way that is sustainable, responsive to their journey, and focused on their autonomy.
FRIDA is committed to mobilizing financial and non-financial resources to ensure groups have a smooth transition and the groups have the opportunity to remain a part of the FRIDA community.
The Transition Strategy includes diverse strategies, such as:
Sustainability is multidimensional, so we are actively creating spaces where groups can openly share their reflections and uncertainties; and also celebrate transitioning groups’ activist work, the achievements harvested, and the gratitude felt.
All FRIDA grantee partners receive a core grant upon entry to the FRIDA-verse and upon renewal. Core grants may be single-year grants which are up for renewal annually or multi-year grants which are up for renewal after two years. 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 and Grantmaking Strategy. FRIDA trusts that grantee partners will make the best decisions about how to spend the grant to achieve the goals and mission outlined in their application. All grantee partners are required to submit a report every year as an official way to share updates with FRIDA. FRIDA is committed to sustaining the amount offered to the group in the previous year. That is, the renewal amount of the core grant will never be less than last year’s core grant amount. If there is an increase, it is usually an additional USD 1,000.
The FRIDA-verse is one with transitory energy and motion. Most grantee partners stay with FRIDA for up to 5 years. In their last year, all grantee partners are eligible to apply for a transition grant of up to USD 15,000 – or an amount that responds to the grantee partner’s journey, needs and context. This is a final core and flexible grant that a group receives to support their sustainability during their transition process. This grant can be offered to a group that is part of the full transition process and also to groups who may be exiting FRIDA for other reasons. FRIDA does not request a report about the Transition Grant offered to the grantee partners.
From supporting groups to increase their capacities, to networking or building alliances and strengthening cross-regional solidarity, FRIDA plays an active role in providing dedicated funding for grantee partners to thrive in the areas and ways groups would like to flourish.
If a grantee partner is eligible for a Core Grant Renewal this year, they will be eligible for the following two grants which should be applied for and will be received together with the Renewal Grant:
The Capacity Strengthening (CS) Grant is an additional support grant of up to USD 2,500. 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. It may also be used to strengthen their knowledge on any group or self-identified priority, topic or work area, including but not limited to healing, safety and collective care, or attending safeguarding training or developing internal policies. Some groups use this grant for staff retreats.
The application for the Capacity Strengthening Grant is completed together with the Renewal Grant application and all interested groups will receive the CS Grant. The reporting of the CS Grant happens together with the Renewal Grant report.
The Additional Grant is a one-time grant with a budget up to USD 2,500. This grant is only being offered to the FRIDA grantee partners being renewed in 2023 but it will not be offered to the FRIDA grantee partners who are transitioning out in 2023. In the past, FRIDA offered grantee partners the opportunity to apply for Special Grants during their FRIDA journey. In 2023, FRIDA is re-evaluating the Special Grant process. As this process will take time, effort, staff capacity, and care, we decided to offer this additional grant to all grantee partners to support the projects they would usually carry out through receiving a Special Grant. We acknowledge that this grant amount is smaller than the usual Special Grant, so we encourage every grantee partner to use this grant for projects that require smaller budgets, such as traveling for conferences, visiting peer collectives for solidarity building, or purchasing softwares and hardwares to upgrade the team’s financial or digital security etc. FRIDA trusts that grantee partners will make the best decisions about how to spend this additional grant based on the needs of the communities and folks they work with.
The application for the Additional Grant is completed together with the Renewal Grant application. All renewed groups who apply will receive the Additional Grant. The reporting of the Additional Grant happens together with the Renewal Grant report.
If a grantee partner is eligible for a Core Grant Renewal/Transition Grant this year, they will be eligible for the following grant which should be applied and will be received together with their Renewal/Transition Grant:
The Risk Reserve grant was born out of FRIDA’s commitment to let grantee partners decide how to respond to their unique and rapidly changing contexts. In the past, grantee partners experiencing wars, natural disasters and other emergency situations have requested emergency grants from FRIDA for healing support. Grantee partners have also applied for a Safety, Security and Healing Special Grant for collective healing for activists as well as for shelters for marginalized communities such as trans people and people with disabilities. Yet, due to the urgent nature of risks in young feminist organizing contexts, FRIDA often feels inadequate in rapid responses.
The Constellation of Flourishing visions FRIDA’s community to take root in a strong culture of joy, trust, responsibility, and confidence. Instead of “evaluating” a crisis once it occurs, FRIDA will model a radical trust for grantee partners to decide how to best use this grant for themselves in the face of risks and crises. From our own experience, FRIDA also recognizes the importance of a risk reserve in safeguarding the wellbeing of a feminist organization. FRIDA has set aside part of the non-restricted donations we received in 2022 for our own risk reserve. Thus, FRIDA will pilot a Risk Reserve Grant: a USD 2,500 grant for all grantee partners receiving a Renewal or Transition Grant in 2023 to strengthen their ability to respond to any potential emergencies and to lead risk prevention work.
Similar to the CS grant and the additional grant, the Risk Reserve grant will be offered together with the renewal grant. FRIDA has budgeted for all the renewed and transitioning groups for the Risk Reserve grant, and all the interested groups can apply to the Risk Reserve grant via their renewal/transition application.
The Accompaniment Program is designed to create a feminist and political solidarity model which is built on a commitment to equal, honest, and open communication.
The more opportunities to collaborate and co-create, the better! This program is designed to strengthen mutual connections, shared learning, experimentation, innovation and leverage knowledge and resources between young feminists that are part of the FRIDA community, over a two year period.
The Accompaniment Program is designed to create a feminist and political solidarity model which is built on a commitment to equal, honest, and open communication. In practical terms, this program is about pairing a grantee partner with an advisor, and having them lead a project of their choice over the course of the program. FRIDA employs a very ‘hands-off’ approach in the way that this collaborative effort manifests. While collectives(grantee partners) bring their unique perspectives and contributions, companions(advisors) play an active role in this learning exchange experience and both work side-by-side on the work plan they co-created. Both companions and collectives are encouraged to challenge the status quo of traditionally hierarchical mentor/mentee relationships and subvert problematic ideas about “expertise” by acknowledging oppression and privilege, and valuing each other as equally important holders of knowledge throughout the process.
The Online Learning Program allows grantee partners and advisors to access key learning opportunities through a series of webinars that are created solely to address the self identified needs of the community.
Whilst FRIDA dedicates time and resources to in-person gatherings, the organisation itself is a virtual office and the primary means of communication between FRIDA and its members is through online platforms. Not only is the FRIDA community working online, but we are learning online too! The Online Learning Program allows grantee partners and advisors to access key learning opportunities through a series of webinars that are created solely to address the self identified needs of the community. While some of these webinars target the overall FRIDA community, regardless of their location and context, others are more contextualized and address specific topics that have been raised by grantee partners, either regionally or thematically. While webinars have been a continuous practice within the organization, FRIDA is committed to deepening and expanding this work by exploring the possibility of developing and exploring different platforms which could contribute to building a stronger community and lay the foundation for potential intra-community support, solidarity and collaboration.
FRIDA organizes regional, international and thematic convenings to strengthen and encourage a community of learning between grantee partners, providing them with opportunities to create new skills, knowledge and networks.
The more opportunities to collaborate and co-create, the better! This program is designed to strengthen mutual connections, shared learning, experimentation, innovation and leverage knowledge and resources between young feminists that are part of the FRIDA community, over a two year period.
The Accompaniment Program is designed to create a feminist and political solidarity model which is built on a commitment to equal, honest, and open communication. In practical terms, this program is about pairing a grantee partner with an advisor, and having them lead a project of their choice over the course of the program. FRIDA employs a very ‘hands-off’ approach in the way that this collaborative effort manifests. While collectives(grantee partners) bring their unique perspectives and contributions, companions(advisors) play an active role in this learning exchange experience and both work side-by-side on the work plan they co-created. Both companions and collectives are encouraged to challenge the status quo of traditionally hierarchical mentor/mentee relationships and subvert problematic ideas about “expertise” by acknowledging oppression and privilege, and valuing each other as equally important holders of knowledge throughout the process.
Subscribe to updates about
FRIDA’s work around the world