Are you a feminist activist in the Netherlands, Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, or Sint Maarten (the ABCSSS islands)? Are you part of a group of women, girls, trans people, or intersex people? And do you need funding for your work?  

Mama Cash supports up-and-coming feminist activism in the Netherlands, Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten with small grants. (For a short definition of feminist, see the bottom of this page.) These grants from Mama Cash’s Spark Fund are intended to strengthen the bold work of self-led groups in the Netherlands and the ABCSSS islands working to secure the rights of women, girls, and trans people and intersex people. Mama Cash will accept applications for funding from 1 to 31 August 2023, 11:59 pm CEST. Groups that apply during this grantmaking window will receive a response from Mama Cash by 25 October 2023. The grants range from €1,000 to €3,000 per project. 

If you wish to apply, please see the Spark Fund’s selection criteria and priority first. 

The criteria for eligibility for the Spark Fund are as follows: 

  • Groups led by women, girls, and trans and intersex people. The people whose rights are at stake are the decision makers in the project. 

Example: If a group is working on trans rights, trans people should be the ones deciding upon the group’s activities and how the group’s money is spent. The spokespersons for the group, as well as those being paid, should be trans people. Non-trans people can also work for the group in different capacities providing they are not the ones leading it. 

  • Groups working from a feminist and/or a women’s, girls, and trans or intersex rights perspective. 

Example: A proposal for a project to work on women and housing issues puts the experiences of women at the core of its work. The group identifies the specific barriers women face in accessing decent and affordable housing. They also speak to the challenges of different groups of women (e.g. both urban and rural) in accessing housing. The experiences of women and the issues they face are at the core of the project, rather than being included as just one of many elements, and the proposed solutions reflect this perspective. 

  • Groups working on urgent and contested political issues in the Netherlands or the ABCSSS islands.  

Example: A group of Muslim women organise for their rights and try to make their concerns heard in an environment where wearing a hijab, niqab or similar covering is contested by both state bodies and members of the public. 

  • Groups working on structural and systemic change.  

Example: A migrant women’s group provides shelter services to other migrant women in order to respond to their immediate needs. But the group also works to tackle the fundamental barriers to accessing such services so that other migrant women who they do not or cannot reach will also benefit in the longer term. 

In addition, the Spark Fund will prioritise: 

  • Non-formalised/non-registered, nascent groups that have a budget below €30,000 per year, and that have limited resources (e.g. no paid staff, no office space, etc.)  

Please note that you do not need a bank account, residence permit or any other form of identification to apply. In addition, your organisation does not have to be registered as a ‘foundation’. 

You can submit your application via an online form, or as a video or voice recording. Mama Cash accepts applications in English and Dutch. If you prefer to submit your application in a language other than English or Dutch, you can contact us at spark@mamacash.org and we will work with you to submit the application in your preferred language. 

Click here to learn about the Spark Fund and groups that have received a grant from the Spark Fund in the past. 

How to apply: 

Mama Cash’s 2023 online grantmaking window for the Spark Fund is open for applications from 1 August – 31 August 2023, 11:59 pm CEST. The links to the online application form, video, or voice recording will be activated on our website on 1 August 2023. 

Applicants are also part of making decisions about Spark Fund grants. If your application is shortlisted, your group will be asked to vote online on your top 10 Spark applications from a list of shortlisted proposals. This will be announced on 27 September 2023. The final decision about your application will be shared by 25 October 2023. 

We define feminism as being very multifaceted, but at its core we see it as work that addresses or combats sexism and patriarchal gender norms (relating to sexuality, class, ethnicity, race, migration status, disability and so on) with the aim of ending inequality and injustice.