From talking to walking

Policy Brief

This policy brief examines how feminist foreign policy can drive transformative funding practices to strengthen feminist movements worldwide. Despite widespread government commitments to gender equality, less than 1% of gender-focused official development assistance (ODA) currently supports women’s rights organisations and feminist movements—leaving critical actors underfunded in the fight for democratic resilience and social justice.

Drawing on two innovative feminist funding mechanisms supported by the Dutch and French governments—both pioneers in feminist foreign policy—this policy brief identifies best practices for how ODA can effectively finance feminist organising. By comparing these mechanisms, it highlights essential lessons and provides actionable recommendations to increase financial support for feminist movements. Key proposals include dedicating at least 10% of bilateral ODA to feminist organising and leveraging upcoming global processes, such as the 2025 Financing for Development process in Spain, to catalyse change.

This policy brief is a call to action for governments and donors to empower them to foster concrete commitments that centre feminist voices and leadership in policymaking. By linking feminist foreign policy with sustainable funding, we can unlock the potential of feminist organising to build a more equitable and inclusive future for all.

FEMINIST FOREIGN POLICY SERIES

This study is part of the Feminist Foreign Policy Progressive Voices Collective (FFPPVC), led by FEPS and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, which questions traditional approaches to foreign policy to enable an alternative account of foreign relations from the standpoint of the most disadvantaged.

The project aims to advance concrete policy recommendations and will build on a multistakeholder feminist foreign policy community, which will gather feminist policy experts