Just Associates (JASS) is an international feminist activist organization that operates in the United States, Central America, the Netherlands, Southern Africa, and Southeast Asia. 1 Built upon the theory that collective power can be leveraged to “create fundamental change,” 2 JASS works to organize transnational activists movements that focus on a variety of left-of-center causes including abortion advocacy, sex work, anti-racism, environmental justice, and LGBT issues.
Though formally based in Washington, D.C., JASS has staff around the world. 3 Executive director Shereen Essof is based in Zimbabwe, 3 though she previously worked as a feminist activist in Cape Town, South Africa, focusing on “the gendered nature of neo-liberal, patriarchal systems” and how to “imagine and organize towards alternatives.” 4
Founding and History
Just Associates was founded in 2003 when a collection of activists and members of academia from 20 countries joined together to offer fee-for-service training to international organizations and activists groups aligned with left-of-center causes. 5
The group now operates in 26 countries including the United States, the Netherlands, Mexico, Kenya, South Africa, Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia. 1 JASS helps organize movements based on the principles of feminism and gender theory. 6 JASS also has programming to train women activists, 7 to build connections between left-of-center groups across the globe, 8 and to influence policymaking within the countries where it operates. 6 The organization operates a mobilization fund that seeds money to activists and advocacy groups. 9
Activism
Just Associates advocates in favor of a variety of left-wing positions in the countries where it operates. The organization expresses strong support for abortion and increasing women’s access to abortion clinics at any stage of pregnancy. The organization calls for “abortion on demand, without apology or explanation, for all people who want or need them.” 10
JASS also proactively supports prostitution through advocacy for so-called sex work, calling for protection of the human rights of people to sell sex for profit. 11
Even while supporting the monetization and marketing of sex, JASS nonetheless states that it rejects capitalism. 12
JASS works in favor of what it calls anti-racism, the theory that it is not enough to refrain from judging people on the basis of their race, but that people must remove systems of racism that pervade all aspects of society. 13 The organization links its advocacy for anti-racism to the plight of “women, LGBTIQ people, sex workers, migrants, refugees, and other excluded people.” 13
One of JASS’s top concerns is environmental justice, 14 and it supports the theory that extreme weather events are the direct results of climate change. 15
Other advocacy efforts of JASS focus on LGBT issues, 13 gender justice, 16 and HIV. 17
Funding
According to its 2021 990 Form, Just Associates reported nearly $27 million in net assets, largely in part to significant donations from other organizations. 18 In 2020, JASS received $1 million from the Ford Foundation, one of the largest foundations in the United States that gives significant sums to left-wing organizations. JASS also received over $13 million from Power Up, 19 an organization that trains people in computer science. 20
General support to strengthen the voice, visibility, and collective organizing power of women to create a just and sustainable world and core support for institutional strengthening
To provide core support to JASS, a feminist movement building and strengthening network that works to organise the collective power of women in Southeast Asia, Southern Africa, and Mesoamerica on four strategic agendas: bodies, voices, resources, and safety.
General support to strengthen the voice, visibility, and collective organizing power of women to create a just and sustainable world and project support for institutional strengthening
Core support for JASS’ movement building work in Southern Africa (Malawi, Zimbabwe, South Africa) for collective safety, systemic change and transformative power building.
Core support to develop and implement protection work in Southern Africa using a feminist collective approach to issues of safety and building community-based power.
Support for JASS’ work leading a cross-regional feminist movement-building curriculum that better equips grassroots women’s leadership and organizing capacity.
Three year general operating grant to Just Associates (JASS) to continue supporting their work strengthening and amplifying the voice, visibility, and collective power of women for a just and sustainable world as an international feminist network anchored in the global South.
Three year general operating grant to Just Associates (JASS) to continue supporting their work strengthening and amplifying the voice, visibility, and collective power of women for a just and sustainable world as an international feminist network anchored in the global South.
To provide general operating support for JASS work strengthening and amplifying the voice, visibility, and collective power of women for a just and sustainable world as an international feminist network anchored in the global South.
Strengthening land and territory women defenders and their work
All-time grants given statistics from Candid dataset:
Total Grant Value:$1,865,686
Number of Grants:26
Number of Recipients:7
Selection of highest value grants given from the last seven years:
Amount
Year
Funder
Subject
$558,657
2022
Multiple EAST ASIA AND THE PACIFIC Recipients
TO IMPLEMENT THE POWER UP 'WOMEN ADVOCATE FOR BODIES, VOICE AND RESOURCES PROGRAMME
$537,159
2024
Multiple North America Recipients
TO IMPLEMENT ADVOCACY AND CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES
$204,471
2022
Multiple Sub-Saharan Africa Recipients
TO IMPLEMENT THE POWER UP 'WOMEN ADVOCATE FOR BODIES, VOICE AND RESOURCES PROGRAMME
$53,936
2023
Multiple SOUTH AMERICA Recipients
TO IMPLEMENT ADVOCACY AND CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES
$35,000
2021
Multiple Sub-Saharan Africa Recipients
SUBGRANT TRIANGE PROJECT
$25,000
2023
Multiple SOUTH AMERICA Recipients
TO IMPLEMENT ADVOCACY AND CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES
$25,000
2022
Multiple CENTRAL AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN Recipients
STRENGTHENING OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL INTERACTIONS WITH WOMEN, FEMINISTS, YOUNG PEOPLE IN THEIR DIVERSE OF SEXUAL IDENTITIES AND AS PEOPLES AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTS, TO DEVELOP ACTIONS TO REFLECT AND DEBATE THROUGH CRITICAL THINKING THE CHALLENGES TO FACE THE HETERO PATRIARCHAL SYSTEM AND THE FUNDAMENTALIST LOGICS THAT SUPPORT IT AND AFFECT THE RIGHT TO LIVE AN INFORMED, FREE, HEALTHY AND RESPONSIBLE SEXUALITY IN GUATEMALA
$25,000
2021
Multiple North America Recipients
COALITION OF WOMEN LIVING
$23,000
2022
Multiple Sub-Saharan Africa Recipients
TO PROMOTE WOMEN'S ACCESS TO ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL OPPORTUNITIES BY FACILITATING LINKAGES BETWEEN WOMEN AND SERVICE PROVIDERS
$20,000
2023
Multiple SOUTH AMERICA Recipients
TO IMPLEMENT ADVOCACY AND CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES
$19,000
2023
Multiple SOUTH AMERICA Recipients
TO IMPLEMENT ADVOCACY AND CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES
$19,000
2020
Multiple North America Recipients
GENERAL SUPPORT GRANT
$16,668
2024
Multiple SOUTH AMERICA Recipients
TO IMPLEMENT ADVOCACY AND CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES
$15,500
2022
Multiple Sub-Saharan Africa Recipients
TRANSITIONAL HOUSING AND SKILLS CENTER FOR THE LBQ WOMXN
$15,000
2022
Multiple CENTRAL AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN Recipients
RESISTANCE FOR THE DEFENSE OF THE CAHABN RIVER, TO PRESERVE WATER AND FORESTS IN THE COMMUNITY
$15,000
2022
Multiple Sub-Saharan Africa Recipients
TREATMENT LITERACY TRAINING IN NSANJE, THYOLO & MWANZA
$15,000
2021
Multiple North America Recipients
WOMEN FORUM
$10,000
2023
Multiple SOUTH AMERICA Recipients
TO IMPLEMENT ADVOCACY AND CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES
$6,000
2022
Multiple Sub-Saharan Africa Recipients
TO HOST A COLLABORATIVE ART EVENT TO FACILITATE CONSTRUCTIVE DIALOGUE AND RAISE AWARENESS ON THE IMPORTANT ISSUES OF GBV IN ZIMBABWE
$5,519
2022
Multiple EUROPE (INCLUDING ICELAND & GREENLAND) Recipients
"SUPPORTING FHC IN A RESEARCH TO OUTLINE PRACTICES AND TOOLS FOR FEMINIST DEMOCRACIES, EMBEDDING FEMINIST GOVERNANCE AND COLLECTIVE FEMINIST LEADERSHIP. THE
19. “Financial Statements: Just Associates, Inc for the year ended December 31, 2020 with Summarized Financial Information for 2019.” GFRCPA. June 30, 2021. p. 15
