Women's Media & Technology Fund

For over twenty years, the Global Fund for Women has worked to connect innovative women and their organizations with the resources they need to create a better world. Central to this work is funding and promoting groups that are using media and technology as tools for advancing women’s human rights. To date, the Global Fund has awarded nearly $11.5 million in grants to organizations that are using media and technology to amplify the voices of women and girls striving for change.

The Women's Media and Technology Fund was established in 2002 by media producers Dorothy Abbott and Julie Parker Benello as a way to bring together the resources of donors and activists who are passionate about funding international media work. The fund supports a wide range of activities—community radio, newspapers and magazines, digital media, websites films and street theater. Additionally, the fund generates resources for Global Fund projects educating the public about women’s rights issues. 

Beyond providing crucial financial resources, the Women’s Media and Technology Fund connects activists, donors and media professionals from around the world with one another, creating a space for learning about and leveraging the impact of women’s media work globally.

To become a member of the Fund, a minimum $10,000 donation is requested. Members have unique opportunities for education and engagement with media grantees and Global Fund staff, including periodic phone calls, lunches and travel opportunities. However donations in any amount are welcome to the Women’s Media and Technology Fund.

Highlights of some Women's Media Fund Grantees 

Eleven years after the Balkan war officially ended, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the other six Balkan states continue on the path to recovery from the political, economic and humanitarian toll of the war. In this challenging climate, a promising group of young, media-savvy feminists are dedicated to raising awareness about gender inequality in post-war Sarajevo. Fueled by courage and creativity, CURE uses bold strategies to change public attitudes towards women, performing impromptu street skits about women’s rights and carrying out guerrilla marketing campaigns that highlight the discrimination present in everyday life. In 2006 CURE launched the PitchWise Festival—the first event of its kind celebrating women artists in Bosnia and Herzegovina and beyond through multimedia exhibits, films, interactive workshops, music and literary performances. 

Rural radio has tremendous influence in Togo, where literacy rates are low and few people have access to televisions. Le RéseauInternational des Femmes de l’Association des Radios Communautaires—Togo (RIF) encourages and promotes women's participation in radio broadcasting by equipping the country’s growing number of female producers with the technical skills to produce quality radio programs on issues affecting women. RIF also trains women in a range of information technologies, including computer use,digital production and online media. Through its radio programs conducted inlocal languages, RIF has educated the population on human rights issues including HIV/AIDS, gender-based violence and child rights. 

From Hollywood to Istanbul, the world’s film industries are largely dominated by men. In 2001, a group of Turkish feminists involved in cinema production created the Filmmor Women's Cooperative to encourage women to take a more active role in filmmaking and increase the representation of women’s challenges, achievements, experiences and ideas in cinema. The group also provides support and solidarity for women who want to make their own films. After hosting an annual International Women’s Film Festival in Istanbul for the past five years, Filmmor recently took their show on the road. The“Festival on Wheels” brought 30 films to locations across Turkey, where free screenings reached an audience of over 10,000. Due to Turkey’s vast geography and the cultural chasm between cosmopolitan Istanbul and more traditional rural areas, the traveling festival is a valuable tool in bringing women’s rights to the forefront of conversations in communities across the country.

To learn more about the Women's Media and Technology Fund or to become a member, please contact Kelly McVicker by email - This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it or by phone 415-248-4800.