Mission & History
ABOUT URGENT ACTION FUND
Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights is a feminist fund that protects, strengthens and sustains women and transgender human rights defenders at critical moments. We intervene quickly when activists are poised to make great gains or face serious threats to their lives and work. We respond to requests from women’s human rights defenders within 72 hours and have funds on the ground within 1-7 days.
Urgent Action Fund builds the resilience of women’s rights and LGBT rights movements in three ways:
- Rapid Response Grantmaking: We award rapid response grants to women and transgender human rights defenders in Central Asia, the Middle East, Western and Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus, Russia, Turkey, the United States, and Canada. Activists apply for grants of up to $8,000 USD in any language on any day of the year and are guaranteed a response within 72 hours.
- Advocacy & Alliance-Building: We leverage the power we have as a funder to advocate for women and transgender human rights defenders.
- Global Consortium of Urgent Action Funds: We are one of four Urgent Action Funds. Together with our sister funds: Urgent Action Fund-Africa, Urgent Action Fund-Latin America, and Urgent Action Fund-Asia Pacific we collectively support gender justice and human rights movements globally.
Our Mission
What are “women’s human rights defenders”?
Urgent Action Fund supports women’s human rights defenders (or WHRDs) throughout the world. This term “human rights defender” is used by the United Nations and many international organizations to recognize and protect activists who take on some of the most challenging issues in their communities and countries.
According to the United Nations, a human rights defender is someone who acts “to address any human right (or rights) on behalf of individuals or groups. Human rights defenders seek the promotion and protection of civil and political rights as well as the promotion, protection and realization of economic, social and cultural rights.”
The United Nations provided human rights defenders with international recognition and protection through the passage of the United Nations Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (commonly known as the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders). The UN General Assembly adopted this document in December 1998 after 14 years of negotiation.
While the United States projects a pro-human rights image to the world, the U.S. often fails to advocate for human rights defenders when they are working in countries with substantial energy resources or that are of geopolitical or military importance to the U.S.
In addition to the challenges human rights defenders face, women’s human rights defenders often face serious backlash not only from government authorities, but also from within their own communities, because they are transgressing traditional gender norms. Furthermore, funding is not prioritized for women’s human rights defenders. Both Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights, and the Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition (WHRDIC), were founded to provide support and advocacy for women’s human rights defenders. WHRDIC writes: “Those advocating for women’s human rights – no matter what gender or sexual orientation they claim – are in fact human rights defenders. Their gender or the nature of their work has made them the subject of attacks, requiring gender-sensitive mechanisms for their protection and support.”
Urgent Action Fund partners with women’s movements worldwide to support women’s human rights defenders striving to create cultures of justice, equality and peace.
Our Values
- Justice. We work towards a world in which all human rights, including women’s and trans people’s rights, are upheld and regarded as equal. We are committed to removing systemic barriers that WHRDs and THRDs face in their fight for justice. We apply a human rights and social justice lens to all aspects of our work by focusing on particularly marginalized groups and critically analyzing unequal power structures and how they operate.
- Feminisms. We recognize and respect a multiplicity of feminist traditions, and affirm diverse approaches to achieving equality for all genders. We honor local wisdom and self-led activism.
We commit to addressing challenges faced by feminist movements and human rights defenders, while holding space for authentic discussions that build our collective learning.
- Courage. We proudly support activists who raise critical issues and work on dismantling patriarchal, racist, capitalist, and other oppressive agendas. We stand with activists and join our
voices to theirs in philanthropic and advocacy spaces. We respond immediately to the pressing needs of activists and movements and bring gendered perspectives to all platforms.
- Integrity. We value integrity, which includes the practices of transparency, honesty, reliability, and accountability—especially in challenging moments. We think critically and actively listen to
grantees, donors, advisors, partners, and movement allies, with whom we build relationships based on mutual respect and trust. We learn and grow from their constructive feedback.
- Mindful engagement. Conscious of the exploitive history and present reality of resource accumulation, we fund activists and connect them with resources in ways that upend rather
than reinforce traditional power dynamics and empower marginalized voices. We trust the leadership of local activists and their lived resilience.
- Wellbeing. We promote holistic care within our institution and in activist spaces. We understand that self-care is an important political tool in our ability to fight for justice. For us,
the practice of wellbeing, both individually and collectively, is a central tenet to sustaining feminist movements.
Theory of Change
Urgent Action Fund is led by activists, rooted in feminism, and strengthened through solidarity. We believe that the best way to support activists seeking to effect systemic change is to adopt a flexible, participatory, grantmaking approach that supports the creativity and vision of grassroots leaders and a diversity of tactics. This is because grassroots activists are constantly devising new methods for creating change. Flexible grantmaking allows activists to innovate and respond to unanticipated situations as they arise.
Within this flexible framework, what then are the ingredients of systemic change? First, we believe that grassroots leadership and community action are crucial. Urgent Action Fund supports long-term change efforts by supporting the vision, creativity, and agency of local activists – and not telling them what they should be doing.
Second, we believe that women have a unique contribution to make. The link between women and peace-building is well known but poorly supported. Women are often excluded from peace-building and post-conflict reconstruction processes. Urgent Action Fund supports women as agents of change in their communities.
Third, it is critical to recognize that changing oppressive systems often results in violent backlash. As one of our grantees and advisors, Almut Rochowanski, said: “Women fighting for women’s rights challenge the underpinnings of patriarchal society – and that elicits a violent reaction. If you want social change, you have to have security. UAF understands this, that investing in activists’ security is not only a moral imperative – it is critical to social change… And it’s also a good investment! These women have built networks and knowledge; they’ve raised money to continue the work. If their work falls apart because of a security threat, you lose all that. But if you make a small investment in security, you keep all of these assets, all the potential, all the momentum.” Urgent Action Fund provides Protection & Security grants to women’s human rights activists.
Fourth, funders, politicians, and policymakers play an important role in systemic change. Therefore, Urgent Action Fund leverages the power we have as a funder to advocate on behalf of our grantees with larger foundations and in political and policy circles.
And finally, we believe funders must see ourselves as part of movements for change, and hold ourselves accountable accordingly. Funders, then, have an opportunity to play a role in shifting the power dynamics between funder and grantee and between the global north and global south. This includes everything from how, where, and from whom we raise money, down to the daily interactions we have with activists and our donors. Urgent Action Fund trusts activists on the ground to identify effective strategies that we are committed to financially supporting and advocating for. We respect their knowledge and honor their autonomy and dignity in all that we do. As Rauda Morcos, a Palestinian queer activist who lives in Israel, told us, “Urgent Action Fund listens, communicates, and adapts to the needs of activists. When you speak with UAF, you’re speaking at eye level: activist to activist.”
Our values and concept of change are inextricably intertwined, and all of our programming flows from this source.
Our History
In 1997, activists from around the world said they needed a Fund that provides grants quickly and with very little bureaucracy in order to respond to critical human rights situations. Most funders required several months to process a grant request, but many interventions had only a small window of opportunity in which they could be effective. This was especially true in areas experiencing armed conflict or escalating violence.
To respond to this need, our co-founders, Ariane Brunet, Margaret (Mudge) Schink and Julie Shaw worked with eighty activists and donors from around the world to design the Rapid Response Grantmaking model. Urgent Action Fund’s first grant was made within a week of receiving the first donations. Since then, Urgent Action Fund’s annual budget has grown from $100,000 to $1.5 million USD. We have provided well over a thousand grants in 97 countries; we have grown our grassroots global advisory network. Our unique philanthropic strategy has served as a model for other funds, and we are responding faster than ever to the needs of women’s human rights activists.
By 2001, a significant portion of Urgent Action Fund’s Rapid Response Grants were going to women’s rights groups in conflict-affected areas of Africa. African activists called for the establishment of an autonomous Urgent Action Fund in Africa, pointing out that this would be the most empowering and just model of global grantmaking. Kaari Betty Murungi, a Kenyan lawyer and former Urgent Action Fund Board member, became the Director and co-founder of Urgent Action Fund-Africa, and a unique model of sisterhood was born. Urgent Action Fund – Africa supports all grant requests on the African continent and develops strategic initiatives relevant to the African context.
In October 2009, Fondo de Acción Urgente de América Latina (Urgent Action Fund-Latin America) launched in Bogotá, Colombia. Urgent Action Fund – Latin America is led by Eleanor Douglas, a former Urgent Action Fund Board Member. The Fund supports all requests coming from Latin America and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean and develops strategic initiatives relevant to these regions.
In 2017, UAF-Asia Pacific was launched. UAF A&P is a regional hub that implements Urgent Action Fund’s core model of rapid response grantmaking and builds capacities among defenders on the ground in Asia and the Pacific. In preparation for the launch, Urgent Action Fund and the members of a Steering Committee for UAF-Asia Pacific consulted with over 163 women’s groups, advisors and activists in the region to assess the role that UAF-Asia Pacific should play. These conversations revealed that many WHRDs raise their voices despite discrimination and retaliation. With the persistent rise of fundamentalisms in the region, women who speak out, organize and take leadership positions pay a high price. At the same time, momentum is building for change and through UAF A&P, activists have created a new resource for human rights work in the region.
We are proud of this unique Sister Fund model and believe it is one of our greatest strengths. Each organization is autonomous and handles grantmaking and fundraising for its particular region. It is through these deep, sisterly relationships that we practice sharing power, challenge hegemony, and collaborate on advocacy, strategy, and fundraising while adapting to the unique circumstances in different regions of the world.
ABOUT URGENT ACTION FUND
Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights is a feminist fund that protects, strengthens and sustains women and transgender human rights defenders at critical moments. We intervene quickly when activists are poised to make great gains or face serious threats to their lives and work. We respond to requests from women’s human rights defenders within 72 hours and have funds on the ground within 1-7 days.
Urgent Action Fund builds the resilience of women’s rights and LGBT rights movements in three ways:
- Rapid Response Grantmaking: We award rapid response grants to women and transgender human rights defenders in Central Asia, the Middle East, Western and Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus, Russia, Turkey, the United States, and Canada. Activists apply for grants of up to $8,000 USD in any language on any day of the year and are guaranteed a response within 72 hours.
- Advocacy & Alliance-Building: We leverage the power we have as a funder to advocate for women and transgender human rights defenders.
- Global Consortium of Urgent Action Funds: We are one of four Urgent Action Funds. Together with our sister funds: Urgent Action Fund-Africa, Urgent Action Fund-Latin America, and Urgent Action Fund-Asia Pacific we collectively support gender justice and human rights movements globally.
Our Mission
What are “women’s human rights defenders”?
Urgent Action Fund supports women’s human rights defenders (or WHRDs) throughout the world. This term “human rights defender” is used by the United Nations and many international organizations to recognize and protect activists who take on some of the most challenging issues in their communities and countries.
According to the United Nations, a human rights defender is someone who acts “to address any human right (or rights) on behalf of individuals or groups. Human rights defenders seek the promotion and protection of civil and political rights as well as the promotion, protection and realization of economic, social and cultural rights.”
The United Nations provided human rights defenders with international recognition and protection through the passage of the United Nations Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (commonly known as the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders). The UN General Assembly adopted this document in December 1998 after 14 years of negotiation.
While the United States projects a pro-human rights image to the world, the U.S. often fails to advocate for human rights defenders when they are working in countries with substantial energy resources or that are of geopolitical or military importance to the U.S.
In addition to the challenges human rights defenders face, women’s human rights defenders often face serious backlash not only from government authorities, but also from within their own communities, because they are transgressing traditional gender norms. Furthermore, funding is not prioritized for women’s human rights defenders. Both Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights, and the Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition (WHRDIC), were founded to provide support and advocacy for women’s human rights defenders. WHRDIC writes: “Those advocating for women’s human rights – no matter what gender or sexual orientation they claim – are in fact human rights defenders. Their gender or the nature of their work has made them the subject of attacks, requiring gender-sensitive mechanisms for their protection and support.”
Urgent Action Fund partners with women’s movements worldwide to support women’s human rights defenders striving to create cultures of justice, equality and peace.
Our Values
- Justice. We work towards a world in which all human rights, including women’s and trans people’s rights, are upheld and regarded as equal. We are committed to removing systemic barriers that WHRDs and THRDs face in their fight for justice. We apply a human rights and social justice lens to all aspects of our work by focusing on particularly marginalized groups and critically analyzing unequal power structures and how they operate.
- Feminisms. We recognize and respect a multiplicity of feminist traditions, and affirm diverse approaches to achieving equality for all genders. We honor local wisdom and self-led activism.
We commit to addressing challenges faced by feminist movements and human rights defenders, while holding space for authentic discussions that build our collective learning. - Courage. We proudly support activists who raise critical issues and work on dismantling patriarchal, racist, capitalist, and other oppressive agendas. We stand with activists and join our
voices to theirs in philanthropic and advocacy spaces. We respond immediately to the pressing needs of activists and movements and bring gendered perspectives to all platforms. - Integrity. We value integrity, which includes the practices of transparency, honesty, reliability, and accountability—especially in challenging moments. We think critically and actively listen to
grantees, donors, advisors, partners, and movement allies, with whom we build relationships based on mutual respect and trust. We learn and grow from their constructive feedback. - Mindful engagement. Conscious of the exploitive history and present reality of resource accumulation, we fund activists and connect them with resources in ways that upend rather
than reinforce traditional power dynamics and empower marginalized voices. We trust the leadership of local activists and their lived resilience. - Wellbeing. We promote holistic care within our institution and in activist spaces. We understand that self-care is an important political tool in our ability to fight for justice. For us,
the practice of wellbeing, both individually and collectively, is a central tenet to sustaining feminist movements.
Theory of Change
Urgent Action Fund is led by activists, rooted in feminism, and strengthened through solidarity. We believe that the best way to support activists seeking to effect systemic change is to adopt a flexible, participatory, grantmaking approach that supports the creativity and vision of grassroots leaders and a diversity of tactics. This is because grassroots activists are constantly devising new methods for creating change. Flexible grantmaking allows activists to innovate and respond to unanticipated situations as they arise.
Within this flexible framework, what then are the ingredients of systemic change? First, we believe that grassroots leadership and community action are crucial. Urgent Action Fund supports long-term change efforts by supporting the vision, creativity, and agency of local activists – and not telling them what they should be doing.
Second, we believe that women have a unique contribution to make. The link between women and peace-building is well known but poorly supported. Women are often excluded from peace-building and post-conflict reconstruction processes. Urgent Action Fund supports women as agents of change in their communities.
Third, it is critical to recognize that changing oppressive systems often results in violent backlash. As one of our grantees and advisors, Almut Rochowanski, said: “Women fighting for women’s rights challenge the underpinnings of patriarchal society – and that elicits a violent reaction. If you want social change, you have to have security. UAF understands this, that investing in activists’ security is not only a moral imperative – it is critical to social change… And it’s also a good investment! These women have built networks and knowledge; they’ve raised money to continue the work. If their work falls apart because of a security threat, you lose all that. But if you make a small investment in security, you keep all of these assets, all the potential, all the momentum.” Urgent Action Fund provides Protection & Security grants to women’s human rights activists.
Fourth, funders, politicians, and policymakers play an important role in systemic change. Therefore, Urgent Action Fund leverages the power we have as a funder to advocate on behalf of our grantees with larger foundations and in political and policy circles.
And finally, we believe funders must see ourselves as part of movements for change, and hold ourselves accountable accordingly. Funders, then, have an opportunity to play a role in shifting the power dynamics between funder and grantee and between the global north and global south. This includes everything from how, where, and from whom we raise money, down to the daily interactions we have with activists and our donors. Urgent Action Fund trusts activists on the ground to identify effective strategies that we are committed to financially supporting and advocating for. We respect their knowledge and honor their autonomy and dignity in all that we do. As Rauda Morcos, a Palestinian queer activist who lives in Israel, told us, “Urgent Action Fund listens, communicates, and adapts to the needs of activists. When you speak with UAF, you’re speaking at eye level: activist to activist.”
Our values and concept of change are inextricably intertwined, and all of our programming flows from this source.
Our History
In 1997, activists from around the world said they needed a Fund that provides grants quickly and with very little bureaucracy in order to respond to critical human rights situations. Most funders required several months to process a grant request, but many interventions had only a small window of opportunity in which they could be effective. This was especially true in areas experiencing armed conflict or escalating violence.
To respond to this need, our co-founders, Ariane Brunet, Margaret (Mudge) Schink and Julie Shaw worked with eighty activists and donors from around the world to design the Rapid Response Grantmaking model. Urgent Action Fund’s first grant was made within a week of receiving the first donations. Since then, Urgent Action Fund’s annual budget has grown from $100,000 to $1.5 million USD. We have provided well over a thousand grants in 97 countries; we have grown our grassroots global advisory network. Our unique philanthropic strategy has served as a model for other funds, and we are responding faster than ever to the needs of women’s human rights activists.
By 2001, a significant portion of Urgent Action Fund’s Rapid Response Grants were going to women’s rights groups in conflict-affected areas of Africa. African activists called for the establishment of an autonomous Urgent Action Fund in Africa, pointing out that this would be the most empowering and just model of global grantmaking. Kaari Betty Murungi, a Kenyan lawyer and former Urgent Action Fund Board member, became the Director and co-founder of Urgent Action Fund-Africa, and a unique model of sisterhood was born. Urgent Action Fund – Africa supports all grant requests on the African continent and develops strategic initiatives relevant to the African context.
In October 2009, Fondo de Acción Urgente de América Latina (Urgent Action Fund-Latin America) launched in Bogotá, Colombia. Urgent Action Fund – Latin America is led by Eleanor Douglas, a former Urgent Action Fund Board Member. The Fund supports all requests coming from Latin America and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean and develops strategic initiatives relevant to these regions.
In 2017, UAF-Asia Pacific was launched. UAF A&P is a regional hub that implements Urgent Action Fund’s core model of rapid response grantmaking and builds capacities among defenders on the ground in Asia and the Pacific. In preparation for the launch, Urgent Action Fund and the members of a Steering Committee for UAF-Asia Pacific consulted with over 163 women’s groups, advisors and activists in the region to assess the role that UAF-Asia Pacific should play. These conversations revealed that many WHRDs raise their voices despite discrimination and retaliation. With the persistent rise of fundamentalisms in the region, women who speak out, organize and take leadership positions pay a high price. At the same time, momentum is building for change and through UAF A&P, activists have created a new resource for human rights work in the region.
We are proud of this unique Sister Fund model and believe it is one of our greatest strengths. Each organization is autonomous and handles grantmaking and fundraising for its particular region. It is through these deep, sisterly relationships that we practice sharing power, challenge hegemony, and collaborate on advocacy, strategy, and fundraising while adapting to the unique circumstances in different regions of the world.
