Women’s Fund Asia

Left-of-center groups such as the Ford Foundation, the Foundation for a Just Society, New Venture Fund, and the Tides Foundation, among others, fund it. It also receives money from national governments such as the Netherlands and Australia. ²

In March 2022, MacKenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, announced that Women’s Fund Asia received a donation from her. ³

Background

Women’s Fund Asia formed in 2004 as South Asia Women’s Fund to support feminists in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Between 2004 and 2017, it supported over 200 initiatives and 30 feminist lawyers. The total amount of grants awarded in that time frame was over $3 million. ¹

Beginning in 2016, the group expanded its operations to 18 countries and changed its name to Women’s Fund Asia on March 8, 2018. ¹

Issue Stances

Women’s Fund Asia supported efforts that seek to end violence against women and as well as aid efforts for women with disabilities. It also supported legalizing abortion, the transgender movement, and increased regulations on the environment. ⁴

Grantmaking

Women’s Fund Asia has three programs. ⁵ Strengthening Feminist Movements makes grants to groups, women human rights lawyers, and subnational, regional, and national networks. ⁵

The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs funds Leading from the South. It supports activism devised, implemented, and led by feminist groups in the so-called Global South. Women’s Fund Asia serves as the program’s official funder in Asia. ⁵

The third program is Linking and Learning which funds travel and conferences for feminist groups. As of October 2023, the group is not accepting grant applications for the program. ⁵

According to the group’s 2021-22 annual report, it made $6,617,129 in grants. ⁴

Advocacy

Influencing Philanthropy

Women’s Fund Asia encouraged other funders including philanthropic networks, media, donors, and sister funds to give more money to feminist groups in Asia. It is a member of the feminist coalition Prospera: International Network of Women’s Funds and serves as the coordinator of its Asian chapter, Prospera Asia. It is also associated with the International Human Rights Funders Group. ⁶

Resilience Fund

Women’s Fund Asia sat on the advisory board for the Resilience Fund for Women in Global Value Chains. The Resilience Fund was a joint initiative of BSR, the United Nations Foundation’s Universal Access Project, and Women Win/Win-Win Strategies in close collaboration with founding corporate partners and investors Gap Foundation, PVH Foundation, H&M Foundation, and The VF Foundation. The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation later announced it was joining the fund. The fund invested in women who made up the global supply chains. Global Fund for Women, the Naz Foundation, and Prospera International Network of Women’s Funds also served on the advisory board. ⁷

Sex Work Legalization

In 2016, Women’s Fund Asia released a report called “Gender and the Right To Mobility In South Asia.” While most of the report’s recommendations focused on protecting women who move for work within a country against violence and abuse, it did recommend legalizing sex work including prostitution. ⁸

Funding

In March 2022, MacKenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, gave away over $3.8 billion to charities, and Women’s Fund Asia was one of the groups that received money. ³

Women’s Fund Asia claimed that left-of-center donor groups Comic Relief, Equality Fund, Foundation Chanel, Ford Foundation, Foundation for a Just Society, Global Fund for Women, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Mama Cash, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, New Venture Fund, Oak Foundation, Prospera – The International Network of Women’s Funds, the Commonwealth of Australia Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Tides Foundation, United Nations Foundation, Urgent Action Fund Africa, Wellspring Philanthropic Foundation, and Women Win were donors. ²

Leadership

Anisha Chugh is the Women’s Fund Asia’s executive director. ⁹

Shaheen Anam is the chairwoman of the board. ¹⁰