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Shifting power in philanthropy: The Mama Cash model

Case study

A feminist fund born from activism

In 1983, five feminist lesbians in the Netherlands created Mama Cash, the first international women’s fund in the world. Their aim was to support feminist action across borders in a way that preserved autonomy and agency. More than four decades later, Mama Cash continues to resource grassroots groups and movements led by women, girls, trans, and intersex people, particularly in the Global South, while challenging traditional power dynamics in philanthropy.

Based in Amsterdam, Mama Cash currently funds over 130 initiatives globally each year, supporting them financially, but also providing platforms for knowledge sharing and advocacy for feminist, impactful funding. In total, the organisation has awarded €140 million in funding to women’s movements in over 60 countries to feminist activists, self-led groups and movements advancing environmental justice, democracy, human rights, gender equity, and more.  

“Five women got together around a kitchen table to invent a new way to support other women, across national borders. It had never been done, so they did it.” 
Zohra MoosaED Mama Cash 2013-2022

A model grounded in trust and participation

Mama Cash’s model is based on the belief that those most affected by injustice should have the power to decide how funding is allocated. Mama Cash has transitioned to a participatory grantmaking model, where communities most impacted, not staff, make the funding decisions. 

Funding decisions are made by rotating regional advisory committees, which are composed of activists and community leaders responsible for shaping funding priorities and reviewing proposals, bringing diverse perspectives. Mama Cash’s five funds – Resilience, Revolution, Solidarity, Spark, and Radical Love – follow a six-month process to onboard new advisors.​​ This participatory process allows for both responsiveness to global feminist movements and space for political judgment, emerging needs, and innovation.

Mama Cash’s work is focused on three core pillars: grantmaking, advocacy, and network building.

  • Their grantmaking is flexible and long-term, with most grants being multi-year and unrestricted. As of 2023, 83% of Mama Cash’s funding goes directly to grassroots groups.
  • Their advocacy focuses on influencing donors to fund feminist movements directly, and to adopt more equitable, trust-based practices.
  • Through network building, they connect grantee partners across regions and issues, for example, by facilitating peer learning opportunities and supporting the creation of regional feminist funds. 

Funding those closest to the issue

One way Mama Cash’s model shifts power is by funding groups that traditional donors often overlook – and its funding criteria makes this clear. Mama Cashʼs largest fund, the Resilience Fund, outlines that applications should be from initiatives and collectives that are founded, led, and/or run by people from the communities whose rights they seek to advance. This means that the groups Mama Cash funds are led by those most affected by the issue, and also the ones who often face barriers to accessing traditional funding sources.

For instance, Diverse Voices and Action (DIVA) for Equality, a collective of lesbians, bisexual women, transgender men, and gender non-conforming people in Fiji, received €60,000 in flexible funding from Mama Cash in 2021. This has enabled them to advocate for ecological and economic justice through social mobilisation, feminist networking, and lobbying nationally and globally, including in climate justice spaces where such voices are often underrepresented. As DIVA themselves put it, “[our] members are building confidence in themselves to learn, share information, negotiate and influence decisions in communities and villages settings and in trying to access state and non-state services [while preparing for LGBTQI+ inclusive and just climate adaptation]” (source).

How Mama Cash’s model shifts power

1. Communities decide where the money goes

The participatory approach ensures that applicants themselves help shape funding priorities, while activist-led committees and global advisors decide who gets funded. This two-step approach puts lived experience at the heart of resource allocation, ensuring resources go where they are most needed.

2. Empowering movements and shifting donor norms

Mama Cash both resources feminist movements and advocates for better funding practices. Through initiatives like the ‘Funding our Future: Resourcing the feminist movements driving climate action’ brief and the Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action  (GAGGA) consortium, it promotes flexible, long-term, movement-led funding and has helped influence global commitments, such as the Generation Equality Forum’s pledge to double funding for feminist organisations by 2026.

3. Transformative change cannot be rushed

Mama Cash provides flexible, multi-year funding that lets grantees set their own priorities and adapt to changing contexts. In Zambia, Women Environs has used this long-term support to advance rural women’s rights, promote sustainable farming, and influence national agroecology policy, work impossible under short-term grants. With such flexible and long-term support, grantees can not only drive climate adaptation and mitigation solutions, but can also respond to climate-related shocks long-term, and advance lasting transformation within local movements.

4. Partnership, not charity

Mama Cash positions itself as a partner rather than a donor.  Instead of ‘giving aid’ or ‘funding’, they describe their role as resourcing movements. This language shift reflects a broader change in practice where grantees are recognised as experts in their own struggles and solutions. Reporting requirements are thus lighter and built around learning and dialogue, not compliance.

5. Support goes beyond the grant

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Mama Cash pairs funding with strategic support to strengthen grantee capacity and leadership. In Bolivia, it helped RENAMAT denounce environmental violence against women and train Indigenous and campesina leaders. In 2022, Mama Cash also helped shape the Alliance for Feminist Movements (AFM) and convened donors to advance participatory funding practices.

A case for just philanthropy

Research consistently shows that when communities are given the power to identify challenges and propose solutions, these efforts are more likely to address the root causes of problems in a sustainable way. According to a 2023 report by Peace Direct, less than 1% of international humanitarian funding is directed to local actors. This imbalance not only perpetuates historical inequities but also undermines the ability of local movements to drive their own development and transformation. By addressing these funding disparities, the shifting power model seeks to challenge deeply ingrained systems of inequity and injustice. It calls for a critical reflection on the economic, political, and financial systems that continue to disadvantage communities in the Global South. 

At the heart of this approach is a rethinking of what philanthropy can and should be. Shifting power requires moving away from hierarchical, donor-driven models to a more collaborative and trust-based framework. Funders must embrace flexibility, risk-taking, and support for local priorities, rather than imposing predetermined outcomes. So, shifting power then reimagines the role of the funder. It’s not just about where money goes, but how relationships are built. Funders are asked to step back, listen more, and trust partners to define priorities and take risks. 

As Mama Cash exemplifies, philanthropy should be based on trust, not control. In doing so, philanthropy becomes not just more equitable, but more effective, empowering communities to shape their own futures.

Lessons for funders: SHIFT!

Support local voices to lead, ensuring solutions are community-driven.

Harness long-term, flexible funding that empowers innovation and adaptability.

Invest in equitable partnerships where control is shared, not dictated.

Focus on decolonising philanthropy to address historical power imbalances.

Take bold steps to reimagine funding practices and shift power to the grassroots.

Further learning