Alliance for Feminist Movements (Global Alliance) is a coalition of left-of-center advocacy organizations, government organizations, and grantmaking organizations that was created to centralize feminist advocacy campaigns globally. Amongst its members, it coordinates the funding of feminist campaigns as well as activities related to feminist advocacy. ¹

In September 2023, Global Alliance hosted a side event at the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals Action Weekend called “Youth and Adolescent Girls Driving the 2030 Agenda: Building Collective Power, Securing Sustainable Funding, and Demanding Accountability” at which Global Alliance members discussed how feminist groups require more funding and how they can work towards achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. ²

Background

Alliance for Feminist Movements is an international coalition of governmental and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that promote feminism and serves to centralize their fundraising and political advocacy. ^{3 4} It was founded by Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) as the “Host” organization that oversees financial management and operations through its steering committee. ^{5 6} It is reported that the “idea” for Global Alliance was conceived at Generation Equality Forum in 2021 and was officially announced at a September 2022 Ford Foundation event with support from the United Nations’ 77th General Assembly. ^{7 8}

Global Alliance is composed of nonprofit advocacy groups, philanthropy groups, national governments, feminist activists, and other funders of feminist campaigns. It requires members that are advocacy organizations to have their “primary mission” focus on issues pertaining to “women’s, girls’, trans and/or intersex” individuals. Global Alliance states that nongovernmental and nondonor organizations seeking membership that do not meet these criteria can join but “will be identified publicly” and are not eligible to be members of its steering committee. ^{9 10}

Action Coalition 6 on Feminist Movements and Leadership

On Alliance for Feminist Movements “Shared Principles” webpage, it states that the organization is “guided” by Action Coalition 6 on Feminist Movements and Leadership (Action Coalition 6) and is an advocate for reparations for who it deems to be “historically marginalized.” ¹¹ Amongst Action Coalition 6’s “priority actions,” it advocates for defunding military activities such as weapons production and instead funding feminist organizations. It also advocates for government and intergovernmental organizations such as the United Nations to create policies that require women to have a minimum threshold of participation in decision making. ¹²

Activities

Alliance for Feminist Movements members coordinate their campaigns and connect donor groups with campaigns in need of funding. Global Alliance states it has a particular focus on coordinating funding for members from the Global South. It also creates feminist advocacy priorities for members, develops feminist responses to non-gender related crises, and develop strategies for increasing funding of feminist campaigns. ¹³

Alliance for Feminist Movements published a 2022 report titled, “Survey Result Report,” in anticipation of its official launch. The report used survey data of member organization to determine goals of the organization, concluding that members believed there is a dire need for increased funding of feminist groups and agreeing that member groups will coordinate their campaigns to support their goals. Global Alliance’s report lists goals based on a commitment to “gender justice,” human rights, and feminist campaigns. In a “notes” section under the goals, the report states that Global Alliance “needs clarity about what we are hoping to achieve through mutual learning and understanding,” “need[s] clarity about the actors that we envision with this goal,” and asks the question, “What does mobilizing for political support mean?” The notes also suggest that it needs to “be careful” about which political actors are supported, as it does not want to support those that could be categorized as “populists.” ¹⁴

Leadership

Rachel Jacobson is the lead for Alliance for Feminist Movements. ¹⁵ Prior to heading Global Alliance, Jacobson worked as senior program officer of international policy for International Women’s Health Coalition, which included advocacy campaigns proclaiming to represent feminists at the United Nations General Assembly who sought to normalize abortion services. She also worked as Texas state director for Shift, a pro-abortion-access political campaign, and she worked as an intern for Family Care International. ¹⁶

1. “Pillars of Our Work .” Alliance for Feminist Movements. Accessed January 21, 2024. https://allianceforfeministmovements.org/pillars-of-work/.
2. “Youth and Adolescent Girls Driving the 2030 Agenda: Building Collective Power, Securing Sustainable Funding, and Demanding Accountability (SDG Action Weekend, Side Event).” United Nations. Accessed January 21, 2024. https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1e/k1e6ztes9r.
3. “Pillars of Our Work .” Alliance for Feminist Movements. Accessed January 21, 2024. https://allianceforfeministmovements.org/pillars-of-work/.
4. “Shared Principles.” Alliance for Feminist Movements. Accessed January 21, 2024. https://allianceforfeministmovements.org/our-shared-principles-and-commitments/.
5. “Steering Group.” Alliance for Feminist Movements. Accessed January 21, 2024. https://allianceforfeministmovements.org/governance-steering-committee/.
6. “2022 Annual Report.” Association for Women’s Rights in Development. Accessed January 21, 2024. https://www.awid.org/sites/default/files/2023-10/AWID-2022-Annual-Report_ENGLISH.pdf.
7. “Launching the Alliance for Feminist Movements.” unfoundation.org, September 13, 2022. https://unfoundation.org/event/launching-the-alliance-for-feminist-movements/.
8. Nfischer. “The Equality Fund Celebrates the Alliance for Feminist Movements.” Equality Fund Fonds Égalité, September 21, 2022. https://equalityfund.ca/policy/the-equality-fund-celebrates-the-alliance-for-feminist-movements/.
9. “Alliance Membership Criteria.” Alliance for Feminist Movements. Accessed January 21, 2024. https://allianceforfeministmovements.org/constituency-groups/.
10. “Benefits, Opportunities And Responsibilities Of Membership.” Alliance for Feminist Movements. Accessed January 21, 2024. https://allianceforfeministmovements.org/benefits-opportunities-and-responsibilities-of-membership/.
11. “Our Shared Principles and Commitments.” Alliance for Feminist Movements. Accessed January 21, 2024. https://allianceforfeministmovements.org/our-shared-principles-and-commitments/.
12. “Action Coalition 6: Feminist Movements and Leadership.” Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom, February 2021. https://www.peacewomen.org/sites/default/files/Action%20Coalitions%20and%20WPS%20Policy%20Brief%206.pdf.
13. “Pillars of Our Work .” Alliance for Feminist Movements. Accessed January 21, 2024. https://allianceforfeministmovements.org/pillars-of-work/.
14. “Reports.” Alliance for Feminist Movements. Accessed January 21, 2024. https://allianceforfeministmovements.org/reports/.
15. “Reports.” Alliance for Feminist Movements. Accessed January 21, 2024. https://allianceforfeministmovements.org/reports/.
16. “Rachel Jacobson.” LinkedIn. Accessed January 21, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/racheljake/details/experience/.