Urgent Action Fund announces new name in honor of commitment to feminist values

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Urgent Action Fund announces new name in honor of commitment to feminist values

At Urgent Action Fund, we know that the more we center, trust and resource the leadership, power and care of feminist activists across gender, race, class, ability and other identities for which people are marginalized, the more just and inclusive our solutions, and our world, will be.

Alameda, CA – September 12, 2023 – Today Urgent Action Fund is officially changing our name from Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights to Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism. The name change is the result of our desire for a more inclusive name that aligns with our values, as well as the current context and scope of our work. 

Why “feminist activism” instead of “women’s human rights”? The frontline feminist movements we have long funded – and of which we are also a part  – are led by visionary women, trans and non-binary activists who take and face extraordinary risks to imagine and realize a just world. Trans and non-binary activists are essential members of feminist movements and are leading some of the most transformative organizing worldwide.

And why “for activism” and not “human rights”? While today’s frontline feminist movements do often – and at times crucially – use the language and legal framework of human rights, their activism is inclusive of but not tethered to this approach. From digital organizing and public protests to legal advocacy and mental health support, movement activists draw on a range of ever-creative strategies to demand equity and center care in the face of systemic injustice and overlapping crises – from armed conflict and climate disaster to the erosion of democracy and human rights. 

“Today, more than ever before, Urgent Action Fund is for feminist activism,” said Kate Kroeger, Executive Director of Urgent Action Fund. “We are supporting feminist activists who are challenging oppressive systems, resisting repressive regimes and developing intersectional solutions to overlapping crises. We want our name to reflect this work.”

Twenty-five years after Urgent Action Fund was founded, the organization continues to mobilize funding to those at risk, activists who are moving the needle towards a more just and equitable future. As the feminist movement has changed and evolved, so has our organization. 

“We stand in solidarity with feminist activists leading movements with extraordinary ingenuity, creativity and care who know best how to keep each other and their communities safe, to navigate risk and opportunity in ever-shifting political landscapes, and to bring about a world of justice, equity and liberation for all,” said Shalini Eddens, Deputy Executive Director of Urgent Action Fund.

Our new name – Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism – reflects our ongoing commitment to feminist values and our support of activists and movements bravely leading the way towards justice. 

For more information, contact Alex Grossman, Senior Communications Officer – press@urgentactionfund.org.

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ABOUT URGENT ACTION FUND FOR FEMINIST ACTIVISM: Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism provides fast, flexible funding to women, trans and non-binary activists who take and face enormous risks to challenge oppressive systems and build a more just and equitable world. Our holistic approach enables frontline feminist movements to respond to real-time threats and opportunities, protect and care for themselves and one another, and sustain and propel solutions to the most critical crises and injustices of our time.