Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights (UAF) is a grantmaking nonprofit based in California that supports left-of-center women and transgender individuals with rapid-funding grants. UAF funds left-leaning groups and individuals on matters of abortion, transgender issues, sex workers, and the environment.
UAF has written that “we proudly support activists who raise critical issues and work on dismantling patriarchal, racist, capitalist, and other oppressive agendas.” 1
History
Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights is a feminist grantmaking organization that provides funding, up to $8,000, for women and trans/LGBT individuals around the world. 2 UAF was founded in 1997 as a rapid-turnaround grantmaking organization for women and transgender people. 3
UAF claims applicants will receive a decision within 72 hours and have funds delivered to grantees in 1-7 days from application. 4 UAF also acts as a conduit to provide recipients connections with larger feminist nonprofits. 5
Although each is autonomous, UAF has partner Urgent Action Fund organizations in Africa, Latin/South America, and the Asia-Pacific region. 6
Views and Programs
Urgent Action Fund states it provides grants to activists to dismantle what it calls capitalist, racist, and patriarchal agendas. 7 UAF has funded left-leaning grantees that support reproduction rights, transgender rights, environmental issues, sex-worker rights, and LGBTQ matters. 8 UAF has sponsored events and content promoting Palestine in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. 9 UAF has funded groups in Texas fighting to overturn a state law that restricts abortion. 10 UAF funded and supported groups seeking to block the Keystone pipeline in the U.S. 11 UAF has made a large fundraising push during the 2022 Russia-Ukraine conflict, stating it was supporting women, trans, and non-binary individuals in the Ukraine. 12
UAF has claimed the Catholic and Orthodox churches are working in concert to roll back human rights and social justice gains and attack minorities. 13 In Romania, UAF has worked to defeat a referendum that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. 14 In Poland, UAF has opposed laws that would put restrictions on abortion. 15 UAF advocates that global warming or any climate change should be viewed through a human rights issue lens when arguing for left-of-center environmental policy. 16 UAF executive director Kate Kroeger stated that justice and equality must be framed in feminist terms aimed at producing long term structural change. 17
UAF is a partner to Climate Solutions Fund that focuses on providing grants to left-of-center environmental activists to fight perceived climate change, reduce fossil fuel use, and fighting dam and water resource infrastructure. 18 Partners in the fund include Thousand Currents, Global Greengrants Fund, and Grassroots International.
Finances
UAF has total assets of $6,991,180. 19 According to tax returns, in 2019 UAF recorded $7,894,744 in revenue and $6,402,395 in expenses. 20 UAF states it has made over 1,900 grants to activists in 110 countries around the world. 21
In 2022, UAF received an unspecified grant from MacKenzie Scott. 22
Leadership
Kate Kroeger has been executive director of Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights since 2012. 23 Previously, she was director at American Jewish World Service for almost eight years. 24 Prior Kroeger was program officer at NetAid and program manager at SYDA Foundation. 25 Kroeger holds a master’s degree from the University of Oxford and B.A. from McGill University. 26
References
- Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights tweet. www.twitter.com. April 18, 2022. Accessed April 18, 2022. https://twitter.com/UrgentAct/status/1516084280895676417?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Eembeddedtimeline%7Ctwterm%5Eprofile%3AUrgentAct%7Ctwgr%5EeyJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3NwYWNlX2NhcmQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib2ZmIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH19%7Ctwcon%5Etimelinechrome&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Furgentactionfund.org%2Fwhat-we-do%2Fadvocacy-alliance-building%2F
- Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights website. www.urgentactionfund.org. Accessed April 16, 2022. https://urgentactionfund.org/who-we-are/mission-history/.
- Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights website. www.urgentactionfund.org. Accessed April 16, 2022. https://urgentactionfund.org/who-we-are/mission-history/.
- Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights website. www.urgentactionfund.org. Accessed April 16, 2022. https://urgentactionfund.org/who-we-are/mission-history/.
- Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights website. www.urgentactionfund.org. Accessed April 16, 2022. https://urgentactionfund.org/who-we-are/mission-history/.
- Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights website. www.urgentactionfund.org. Accessed April 16, 2022. https://urgentactionfund.org/who-we-are/mission-history/.
- Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights tweet. www.twitter.com. April 18, 2022. Accessed April 18, 2022. https://twitter.com/UrgentAct/status/1516084280895676417?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Eembeddedtimeline%7Ctwterm%5Eprofile%3AUrgentAct%7Ctwgr%5EeyJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3NwYWNlX2NhcmQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib2ZmIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH19%7Ctwcon%5Etimelinechrome&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Furgentactionfund.org%2Fwhat-we-do%2Fadvocacy-alliance-building%2F.
- Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights website. www.urgentactionfund.org. Accessed April 16, 2022. https://urgentactionfund.org/what-we-do/rapid-response-grantmaking/grantee-profiles/.
- Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights website. www.urgentactionfund.org. Accessed April 16, 2022. https://urgentactionfund.org/2021/11/uaf-co-hosted-a-global-solidarity-series-palestine-episodes/.
- Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights website. www.urgentactionfund.org. Accessed April 16, 2022. https://urgentactionfund.org/2021/11/supporting-reproductive-freedom-post-sb8-in-texas/.
- Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights blog. “What Does Advocacy Look Like in the Current Moment, and How Should It Be Funded?” www.urgentactionfund.org. Accessed April 18, 2022. https://urgentactionfund.org/resources/uafblog/.
- Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights Twitter account. www.twitter.com. Accessed April 18, 2022. https://twitter.com/urgentact.
- Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights blog. “Feminisms, Justice, and Urgent Action: Voices from the UAF Community.” www.urgentactionfund.org. Accessed April 18, 2022. https://urgentactionfund.org/resources/uafblog/.
- Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights blog. “Feminisms, Justice, and Urgent Action: Voices from the UAF Community.” www.urgentactionfund.org. Accessed April 18, 2022. https://urgentactionfund.org/resources/uafblog/.
- Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights blog. “Feminisms, Justice, and Urgent Action: Voices from the UAF Community.” www.urgentactionfund.org. Accessed April 18, 2022. https://urgentactionfund.org/resources/uafblog/.
- Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights blog. “Data At the Intersections: Advancing Environmental and Climate Justice Using a Human Rights Lens.” www.urgentactionfund.org. Accessed April 18, 2022. https://urgentactionfund.org/resources/uafblog/.
- Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights blog. “Shifting the Power: Women’s Voices at the Center of Global Justice Conversations.” www.urgentactionfund.org. Accessed April 18, 2022. https://urgentactionfund.org/resources/uafblog/.
- [1] Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights website. www.urgentactionfund.org. Accessed April 16, 2022. https://urgentactionfund.org/what-we-do/climate-defenders/.
- Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights, Return of an Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2019.
- Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights, Return of an Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2019.
- Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights website. www.urgentactionfund.org. Accessed April 16, 2022. https://urgentactionfund.org/what-we-do/advocacy-alliance-building/.
- MacKenzie Scott Medium. www.medium.com. Accessed April 14, 2022. https://mackenzie-scott.medium.com/helping-any-of-us-can-help-us-all-f4c7487818d9.
- Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights website. www.urgentactionfund.org. Accessed April 16, 2022. https://urgentactionfund.org/who-we-are/staff/; Kate Kroeger LinkedIn website. www.linkedin.com. Accessed April 16, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-kroeger-4265585.
- Kate Kroeger LinkedIn website. www.linkedin.com. Accessed April 16, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-kroeger-4265585.
- Kate Kroeger LinkedIn website. www.linkedin.com. Accessed April 16, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-kroeger-4265585
- Kate Kroeger LinkedIn website. www.linkedin.com. Accessed April 16, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-kroeger-4265585.