Because feminist activism does not only happen in organisations, collectives or groups
Launched in August 2022, the Radical Love Fund is Mama Cash’s only participatory grantmaking fund designed to support the pioneering work of individual feminist activists. The fund supports individuals whose work is connected to feminist movements and contributes to feminist social change.
Social change is secured through movements, but not all activists hold formal positions within them.
Many individual feminist activists are doing visionary movement work, without occupying formal positions in any organisation or institution. This is particularly true of activists who may be pushing the boundaries of feminist activism, or who lack the types of privileges that facilitate access to a formal role or employment within an organisation.
Most funders still provide support almost exclusively to groups and networks.
The health and strength of feminist movements depend on a variety of actors, including individuals. Funding individuals, however, is often avoided as individuals are sometimes seen as less accountable to funders or movements. This perception must be challenged, because funding individuals contributes to the strengthening of feminist movements that our changing our world.
Eligibility Criteria
- Work from a feminist, women's, girls, trans rights and/or intersex rights perspective
- Self-led by the women, girls, trans people and/or intersex people they serve
- Push for structural and fundamental change
- Focus on issues that are under-addressed and/or contested
- Receive a nomination from Mama Cash
- *Demonstrated significant personal and/or professional experience in feminist communities and movements they are part of
- *Be engaged in work that will advance the agenda of the movement(s) they are a part of
Frequently Asked Questions
The Radical Love Fund supports individual feminist activists who are coordinating or catalysing projects such as:
- consciousness-raising personal-political work,
- creative enterprises,
- learning and documenting feminist histories and realities,
- facilitating networking that strengthens bonds across other groups or movements,
- building just realities and futures through practice and sharing, and
- other visionary feminist work
Any individual feminist based anywhere in the world, that:
- Identifies as a woman, girl, trans person or intersex person;
- is directly affected by under addressed and/or contested issues in their context;
- has demonstrated significant personal and/or professional experience in the feminist communities and movements that they are part of;
- is engaged in work that will advance the agenda of the movement(s) they are a part of; and
- is engaged in work that pushes for structural and fundamental change.
A Radical Love grant can be used on any professional or personal project of fellows. A few examples of the rich variety of work Radical Love Fund fellows have done:
- political-personal projects;
- creative and artistic endeavours;
- learning and documenting feminist histories;
- sabbaticals, rest periods or other work focused on activist wellness
- building bridges across groups or movements; and/or
- articulating and sharing imagined realities and futures.
We understand feminism as being very multifaceted, but at its core we see it as activities that address or combat 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.
There is no way to apply to the Fund directly. The Radical Love Fund is entirely nomination based. Nominations are exclusively made by current Mama Cash staff members, Board members or Global Advisory Network members. Even though nominators can nominate anyone they believe fit the criteria, they are advised and encouraged to only nominate individuals whose work they are already familiar with. Mama Cash Advisors, staff and Board members cannot nominate themselves, nor colleagues, partners and/or relatives.
Please note that it is not possible for Mama Cash to respond to requests from individuals looking to be connected to members of our staff, Board or Global Advisory Network for the purpose of soliciting a nomination.
At the centre of our participatory grantmaking system is the Global Advisory Network. It consists of feminist activists based in different geographic areas, from different constituencies, with diverse thematic expertise, experience and connections. For the Radical Love Fund in 2024, there is a Committee composed of Mama Cash staff who will shortlist eligible proposals. The final selection from this shortlist is made by our advisors from our Global Advisory Network.
All Radical Love Fund fellows receive a one-time grant of €10.000 euro. The fellowship period will last one (1) year and is renewable, if needed, for up to a second year with no additional funding.
In 2024, we will be accepting nominations to the Radical Love Fund between 1 July and 30 September. If you are a current Mama Cash staff member, Board member, or Global Advisory Network member, and you want to make a nomination, you can start the application process here.
If you have any additional questions about the Revolution Fund, please contact us at RadicalLoveFund@mamacash.org.
Nomination – All Radical Love Fund applications are nomination based. Currently, only Mama Cash staff members, Board members and Global Advisory Network members can nominate an individual activist for a Radical Love Fund grant. It is not possible for activists to directly apply on their own behalf, and we do not accept proposals via email. We cannot put activists in touch with staff, Board members or Global Advisory Network members to ask them to nominate any specific individual – they need to already be familiar with potential nominees’ work.
Online application – Nominators submit an application on behalf of their nominees, in any of our five working languages, via this online nomination portal.
Screening – A committee of staff screen all nominations to ensure that they meet the Radical Love Fund’s eligibility criteria and creates a shortlist of eligible applications.
Award – The shortlisted applicants will be shared with the advisors from Global Advisory Nework for final decision-making.