We are dedicated to supporting the sustainability of feminist and LGBTI+ organizations in Türkiye. We are developing a participatory grantmaking model shaped by the movement’s needs, building a community of practice to strengthen collective learning and solidarity, and advocating for a feminist approach to funding that challenges power imbalances in philanthropy.
Feminist Fund Initiative
Our Story
Our journey began in the aftermath of the February 6, 2023 earthquakes in Türkiye, with a simple but urgent question: how could we mobilize international resources for feminist and LGBTI+ organizations operating in the earthquake zone? It quickly became clear to us that these organizations are not only central to the struggle for gender equality and justice in Türkiye, but also among the most vital forces sustaining solidarity in times of crisis. Where the state falls short or overlooks gendered realities on the ground, they develop rapid, creative, and solidarity-based responses that recognize and address the gendered needs of women and LGBTI+ people. And they do so in the face of increasing political repression, shrinking civic space, and a deepening funding crisis. The earthquakes made both their vital role on the ground and the increasingly difficult conditions under which they are trying to sustain that role far more visible.
FFI was born in precisely these conditions: to collectively build a flexible and participatory grantmaking model responsive to Türkiye’s rapidly changing context and the intersecting crises that shape it, and to co-create spaces for collective learning and solidarity. In August 2024, we formalized this solidarity effort by establishing an association.
What We Do
Our work focuses on three main areas. First, we are developing a flexible and participatory grantmaking model that is responsive to the context of Türkiye and shaped by the needs of feminist and LGBTI+ organizations. We view this model not simply as a technical mechanism for resource distribution, but as a way of building relationships centered on power-sharing, transparency, and accountability to the communities.
Beyond grantmaking, we are building a ‘Community of Practice’ that strengthens collective learning, experience sharing, and solidarity among feminist and LGBTI+ organizations and human rights defenders. We imagine this space as a shared ground for collaboration, shaped collectively by the movement’s needs, expertise, and contributions.
As FFI, we view feminist funding as a space for intervention aimed at transforming established relationship patterns within philanthropy. While advocating for a feminist and participatory grantmaking approach, we also aim to build an alternative philanthropic language and practice through our own work. On this journey, while drawing strength from feminist solidarity, we are committed to nurturing that solidarity and to walking side by side with other movement actors as part of the movement itself.
The Feminist Fund Initiative Feasibility Report is coming soon!
In May, we will publish our feasibility report, A Feminist Fund in Türkiye: Needs, Challenges, and Possibilities, in both Turkish and English. Based on interviews with 30 women’s, feminist, and LGBTI+ organizations across 11 provinces in Türkiye, the report explores the barriers to organizational and financial sustainability faced by feminist and LGBTI+ organizations, and discusses the feasibility of a feminist fund in Türkiye.
Contact
As we continue to develop our participatory grantmaking model, please reach out to us at info@feministfon.org if you would like to learn more about us, become part of our Community of Practice, or support our work.