Our Mission
The Global Fund for Women plays a leading role in advancing women’s rights by making grants that support and strengthen women’s groups around the world. We mobilize and redistribute resources that enable women to develop creative solutions to local, regional, and transnational challenges. We bring grantees and donors together in an international network that promotes women’s action for social change, equality, peace, and justice worldwide.
Our Vision
The Global Fund for Women envisions a just, compassionate and equitable world in which all people, regardless of their gender, class, age, ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation or physical ability may live free of poverty, violence, and all forms of discrimination. Each person and all peoples are guaranteed their fundamental human rights – civil, cultural, economic, political, and social. Women everywhere have a voice, have choices, and are able to realize their full potential within their societies.
History of the Global Fund
The Global Fund for Women was founded by three ordinary but bold women from Palo Alto, California who dreamed of creating a different way to connect people and ideas around the globe: Anne Firth Murray, Founding President, Frances Kissling and Laura Lederer.
They were convinced that women’s human rights and dignity were essential to the advancement of global agendas for social, economic, and political change. They believed that by putting resources into the hands of grassroots women leaders, women would change the world. Frustrated by traditional philanthropy’s lack of interest in funding women’s groups and human rights, these three women founded the Global Fund for Women—and made the first contributions.
By funding and linking grantees, donors, activists, and policymakers, we can proudly claim to have fostered a truly global network of women and men committed to a world of equality and social justice.
The Global Fund has been a catalyst in the global women’s rights movement since 1987 by mobilizing nearly $85 million from 20,000+ diverse individuals and institutions and in turn, providing grants to 4200 groups in 171 countries. In 2010 alone, our efforts reached 125,000 women and girls and benefited thousands more.
See a timeline of our first 20 years (PDF) »
Mary Ripley spent 18 months traveling the world with her mother via boat, train, car and rickshaw. She camped u