Frequently asked
questions

General Questions

Who do you support?

Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism provides fast, flexible support to women, trans and non-binary activists. When individual women, trans and non-binary activists, organizations and movements challenge injustice, they often face tremendous pushback from those who want to maintain an unjust status quo, becoming targets of violence, harassment and intimidation.  Women, trans, non-binary, disabled, LGBTQI+, Black, Indigenous and other activists who are most marginalized by the same oppressive systems they are challenging–capitalism, patriarchy, white supremacy, among others–are even more likely to face dangerous threats and risks to their physical and emotional health.

What is a rapid response grant?

We provide fast, flexible support to women, trans and non-binary activists so they can respond to unexpected risks and opportunities, protect and care for themselves and one another, and nurture feminist movements that are creating a more just and equitable world. Our grants go out within 1-10 days of approval, and every application receives a response within 72 hours. Learn more here.

What does collective care mean?

The UAF Sisterhood asserts a politicized practice of collective care and protection as a way to support women, trans, and non-binary activists, communities, and organizations to continue to sustain their lives and long-term social change work, and to be safe (physically, emotionally, and digitally). We interrogate the root causes of the threats to women, trans, and non-binary activists. Our collective care and protection are grounded in activists, families, organizations, networks, community, society and the environment. We focus on the ways in which our networks can nurture us, and believe fundamentally in the wisdom of women, trans, and non-binary activists to generate solutions to their care and protection needs, and we fund and stand in solidarity and co-responsibility as they do that.

For Grantseekers

How can I apply for a grant?

You can apply for a grant on our website using our online portal, sending your application via email, or by texting or calling our grants hotline. Find out more about the eligibility criteria here. For grant inquiries, email proposals@urgentactionfund.org.

What types of grants do you offer?

We offer security grants, which are intended to support the safety and security of activists at risk. We also offer opportunity grants, which fund efforts to influence policy, raise awareness on important issues, and advocate for change. Occasionally we also call for proposals through our Feminist Innovation Fund, offering funding for certain types of intersectional work, such as gender and environmental justice. More information can be found here.

What size grant you offer?

The maximum size of the grants we award is $8,000.

Where do you fund?

We provide funding to women, trans, and non-binary activists in Canada, Central Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the Balkans, the Caucasus, and the United States. Our Sister Funds in Africa, Asia & Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean are able to support work in other parts of the world.

What is the eligibility criteria for receiving grants?

We support projects that meet the following criteria:

  • Women, trans, and non-binary people are the primary decision makers for the project.
  • There is a focus on supporting the rights of women, trans, and non-binary people for the action or activity.
  • The request is unanticipated and time urgent. Actions must be implemented within 3-6 months of approval of the application.
  • The group has the support of others involved in feminist activism.
  • Networked: The group must have support from local or international feminist activists or networks

How You Can Support Us

What is the best way to support Urgent Action Fund?

The best way to support the work of Urgent Action Fund is to make a donation to help us get resources into the hands of women, trans, and non-binary activists. You can visit our donation page here to make a gift. For additional questions, email donate@urgentactionfund.org.

Do you have volunteer opportunities?

We do not offer volunteer opportunities, but do occasionally offer internships. Please check our careers page for any opportunities. 

What kinds of donations will you accept?

We can accept regular cash or check donations, monthly contributions, stock and bonds, legacy gifts, and matching contributions from employers. We also can work with you to manage donor-advised funds. For more information, click here. For specific questions, reach out to donate@urgentactionfund.org.

What does my gift support?

A donation to Urgent Action Fund supports the safety and security of women, trans, and non-binary people acting now for a more just and equitable world. We support activists who are at risk, under threat, and under-represented, and we support their efforts to not only protect themselves and their communities, but also to stand up for their rights and challenge systems of oppression. UAF is unique in that we provide funding to communities who are often forgotten or left out of traditional grantmaking and humanitarian aid efforts. We fill a niche for fast, flexible, and trust-based funding, getting resources into the hands of those who need it most at critical moments. Make a gift today.

The Urgent Action Sister Funds

Who are the Urgent Action Sister Funds?

There are four independent Urgent Action Sister Funds: UAF-Africa, UAF-Latin America & the Caribbean, UAF-Asia & Pacific, and our organization, UAF for Feminist Activism, which funds in Canada, Central Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the Balkans, the Caucasus, and the United States. Collaborative, co-equal and geographically distinct, the UAF Sisterhood is the only global consortium of independent funds with a mission to sustain feminist activism worldwide by providing rapid response funding to women, trans and non-binary frontline activists. Learn more.

How does the sister fund collaboration work?

What distinguishes the Sister Funds rapid response grantmaking model is our feminist values and practices. These include an unapologetic focus on women, trans, and non-binary activists, the integration of collective care and protection, a movement-driven approach, and solidarity and collaboration in action. The support that activists need to manage the risks and threats they face cannot be addressed by one grant, one organization or one response. Effective crisis response is a multi-faceted continuum of efforts, with an ecosystem of actors offering a web of holistic support to activists at different points in time. This is what our Sisterhood provides.

How do I support the Sister Funds as a group?

You can make a donation to the Urgent Action Sister Funds here.

team member photo

Chinyere Ezie

Pronouns

Role

Chinyere Ezie is a Senior Staff Attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights, where she advocates for racial justice, gender justice, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex (LGBTQI+) rights, and challenges governmental abuses of power. Chinyere previously worked at the Southern Poverty Law Center where she brought cases defending the rights of LGBTQI+ Southerners. She also served as a Trial Attorney at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, where she litigated employment discrimination cases and secured a $5.1 million jury verdict on behalf of workers subjected to unlawful treatment. Chinyere is a William J. Fulbright Scholar, a White House Fellows Program Regional Panelist, and a cum laude graduate of Yale University. She also received a Juris Doctorate from Columbia Law School, where she was an Alexander Hamilton Scholar and served as Editor in Chief of the Journal of Gender and Law. Chinyere serves on the Board of Directors of the Transgender Law Center and the feminist grant-making organization the Urgent Action Fund. She was also a Founding Board Member of the National Trans Bar Association.In 2018, she was named one of the nation’s Best LGBTQI+ Lawyers Under 40.