Collective Care has become a key focus for women’s funds. This collaborative group is united by the goal of integrating the politics of care into their organizational policies and practices. Their motivation stems from addressing staff burnout, the need for care and protection for activists, and coping with ongoing crises. Among the five participating funds, some have started institutionalizing collective care, while others are still defining its meaning. They highlight why collective care is crucial for women’s funds:
Collective care is often overlooked in philanthropy. Feminist funds can lead the way, as many organizations adopt capitalist norms of productivity and expendability. Even when organizations aim to incorporate collective care, institutionalizing it can be challenging. Additionally, feminist approaches often overlook loss and grief.
Inspiration
This journey explores centering collective care in the five funds’ work and organizations. In regions such as Asia, the Middle East, the Pacific, and South America, collective care practices are deeply rooted in culture and identity. Each fund is uncovering, redefining, and reclaiming these traditional practices.
Facing the pandemic and other crises, the funds aim to value nurturing relationships and mutual support. By sharing their experiences, they benefit from collective problem-solving, which enhances staff well-being and the effectiveness of their support for movements.
Women’s funds, linking donors and movements, can model a transition from stress and exhaustion to a care-centered approach. As feminist funders, they view collective care as integral to their various roles, including development practitioners and caregivers. They aim to embody the essence of feminism—care and justice—by prioritizing the well-being of their teams and the movements they support.
The Process
The collaboration focuses on three key pillars:
- Institutionalizing Collective Care: Each fund will conduct internal audits to define collective care, review and amend their values and policies, and create mechanisms for resilience and support.
- Strengthening Practices Through Learning: Funds will convene quarterly to exchange insights, resources, and challenges. They also plan a Collective Care Festival with movement partners to explore and advance collective care practices.
- Advocating for Collective Care: The collaboration will develop and share advocacy materials to promote collective care as a core value in philanthropy.
Ways of Working
The five funds will manage their work collectively:
- Coordination will rotate amongst the participating funds to ensure shared ownership.
- Funds will handle individual aspects and share progress with the larger group.
- Responsibilities for organizing the festival will be distributed based on skills and availability.
- Doria Fund will manage the budget for joint activities, including the festival, and consultant contracts. They will also receive additional resources for coordination and logistics.
The group also agreed that decisions will be made by consensus, guided by a shared value of trust to support effective communication.
What Does Success Look Like?
Institutionalized Collective Care: Each fund integrates collective care into their practices and policies.
Sustainable Culture: Future generations will continue this work, with a culture of learning and reflection on collective care.
Philanthropic Acceptance: The collaboration will build donor support for collective care and advocate for it as a legitimate budget expense.
Between the lines
This collaboration benefits from the diversity of its members (national, regional, and global funds). Their varied contexts and experiences enrich shared learning. FRIDA, a global fund with established collective care practices, contrasts with Doria, an emerging fund exploring care practices. TEWA adds experience managing healing spaces that integrate local practices.
The collaboration will support each member in deepening their commitment to collective care. FRIDA plans to implement and refine its care policy, while Women’s Fund Fiji is finalizing its policy. TEWA, MONES, and Doria will map existing initiatives, document the process, and develop their own policies. Each fund will contribute insights from their journey to benefit the collective.
To foster meaningful connectivity, funds will make tangible changes to align their values with their practices, allocating resources for joint learning with their communities, staff, and boards.