Nurturing the Beating Heart of Feminist Movements: Lessons Drawn from Womankind’s Movement Strengthening Fund (MSF)

“Feminist movements are places of human engagement, which, through courageous activism and audacity, hold open spaces for the new, transformative and creative to emerge. Their activities change reality,” writes feminist activist Hope Chigudu in Womankind’s new learning paper.

‘Nurturing the Beating Heart of Feminist Movements: Lessons Drawn from Womankind’s Movement Strengthening Fund (MSF)’ is based on evidence from nine initiatives delivered by Womankind partners through its MSF between October 2021 and March 2022.

From a focus on wellbeing and continuous learning, to building a solid movement infrastructure, leadership strengthening and ensuring diversity and inclusion, the report shares invaluable lessons on how to strengthen feminist organising so that movements can continue to secure political victories, shift mindsets, and unravel the social norms and structures at the core of women’s inequality and social exclusion.

As our recent new strategy shows, Womankind follows feminist funding principles and places resources in the hands of women’s rights groups to meet the needs they identify as critical to sustaining their work and lives. Womankind’s Movement Strengthening Fund (MSF) is a direct example of feminist funding and our commitment to strengthening anti-racist, feminist movements.