Author: Annie Hillar

Annie Hillar is executive director of the Gender Funders CoLab. With over 20 years of advancing feminist movements, she has held leadership roles at Global Fund for Women and Mama Cash, and currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Global Dialogue and Ariadne Network.

The Beijing Conference Was a Victory for Women’s Movements. It’s Time to Believe in Them Again.

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Thirty years ago this month, 45,000 women from around the world converged in Beijing and neighboring Huairou for the historic United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women. In today’s hyperconnected world, it’s easy to miss how groundbreaking the mere fact of this gathering was: The largest number of women at that point in history assembled to lobby the world’s governments for their rights. As Gertrude Mongella, the legendary Tanzanian leader who served as Secretary General of the conference, told the crowd: “The time has come for women to receive their rightful place in all societies and be recognized once and for all, that they are no more guests on this planet. This planet belongs to them too.” 

For funders, governments and individuals—including those gathered at the U.N. General Assembly this week—the message is clear. If you don’t already support and fund women’s movements, start. If you already fund them, stand by your investments, which pay dividends for all the issues you care about. And if you’re marking the Beijing anniversary, know that any progress made since then was no accident. 

The Future of Feminist Funding: It’s Not Just How Much We Get. It’s *How* We Get It.

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This essay is part of a Women & Democracy package focused on who’s funding the women and LGBTQ people on the frontlines of democracy. We’re manifesting a new era for philanthropy—one that centers feminism. The need is real: Funding for women and girls amounts to less than 2 percent of all philanthropic giving; for women of color, it’s less than 1 percent. Explore the “Feminist Philanthropy Is Essential to Democracy” collection.

There has never been a more crucial time for envisioning a new philanthropy. Around the world, anti-rights movements are on the rise. In many places, this concerted effort to dismantle the hard-won gains global feminists have made is succeeding.

The anti-rights movement is incredibly well funded. In comparison, the percentage of global philanthropic giving that goes to organizations focused on women, girls or gender-nonconforming people is miniscule.

We must rise to the challenge this new world presents. That means more money—but it also means better money. Feminist movements need our partnership, as we need theirs, and together we can co-create a more just and equitable world.