Two collaborations—the Alliance of Women’s and Feminist Funds of Latin America and the Caribbean (the Alliance) and On the Right Track (OTRT)—illustrated different approaches to narrative power in feminist movements. The grant enabled the Alliance to document its history and shape the narrative of its contributions, while OTRT supported the work of three European and two Latin American funds. OTRT has worked for five years to shape narratives that expand democracy and oppose fundamentalisms, fake news, and hate speech. Both collaborations were preexisting but support from Fenomenal Funds provided resources to further solidify their relationships, allowing them to intentionally move towards their shared goals and vision.
Impact: Meeting the Purpose of Better Serving Movements
The Alliance strengthened its collective voice globally, particularly in funding spaces, during a time when other regions were prioritized over Latin America and the Caribbean. The Alliance’s collaborative approach caught the attention of a donor who funded a digital violence project, despite not traditionally supporting these geographies. Additionally, the Alliance contributed to movement building in the region by hosting the AWID Hub in Latin America in 2024.
OTRT’s regional coordination sharpened its collective strategy, honed communications, and advanced political objectives across Europe and Latin America.
Insights for Women’s Funds and Other Funds
1. Navigating Politics and Power with Patience and Trust
- Successful narrative collaborations require patience, trust, and deep listening. Finding common ground can take time, but it is essential for framing shared initiatives. Trust, power sharing, and collective decision-making are the foundations of successful collaborations. Reframing narratives for different audiences is both political and challenging.
2. Crafting Powerful Narratives for Transformative Political Projects
- It’s difficult to craft a resonant message that conveys regional identity while still respecting individual identities and can also be used for resource mobilization. The Alliance worked with consultants to construct both historical and future-oriented narratives of its work but communicating the internal context of women’s funds to external consultants was challenging. That being said, the process broadened the Alliance’s vision, honored past contributions, showcased achievements, and strengthened its collective identity.
- Members also reflected on the limitations of their visual identity—particularly logos—and explored non-traditional communication tools that reflected their collective, politically grounded narrative. This process of strengthening the collective identity was invaluable, enabling deeper relationships and improved strategic decision-making.
- It was also the first time they had the opportunity to focus on strengthening the collective (as opposed to implementing collective work). While the process was difficult, it was also invaluable.
- Rich discussions that were focused on both who they are and who they are not were helpful in evolving the Alliance’s narrative.
- Engaging both leadership and communications staff from each member deepened relationships and understanding of the Alliance.
- Documenting the past also enabled members to learn from the past, rather than reinventing the wheel.
- The joint work also strengthened the clarity and speed of strategic decision-making, including the advancement of collective resource mobilization.
3. Politicized Regional Collaboration and Coordination
To strengthen cross-regional collaboration, it’s crucial to align diverse priorities while acknowledging and unpacking differences, even when language and contextual barriers complicate the process and external pressures moderate your stance. Treat communication efforts and research not just as support tools but as strategic actions that position funders and organizations as active partners in driving meaningful social transformation.
- OTRT focused on strengthening regional cooperation between Europe and Latin America. This involved strategic planning, operational adjustments, and ongoing collaboration to share power, make collective decisions, and distribute resources across regions. Aligning priorities across diverse contexts and unpacking commonalities and differences was complex. Language barriers and diverging issues made collaboration difficult, but finding shared priorities was crucial.
- OTRT faced external pressure to moderate their language and tone, but they argued that analyzing the harm caused by anti-gender and anti-human rights discourse was essential. OTRT’s wide scope—spanning Latin America and Europe—became a strength, enabling them to track regional commonalities and deepen their political commitment.
- OTRT’s work included creating messaging calendars, hosting webinars, redesigning websites, translating materials, and exploring new research directions. Through these initiatives, they were reinforcing the role of funds not only as resource providers but also as partners in social transformation.
4. Building Trust Across Regions
- When trust is genuine, collaboration flourishes without constant oversight, leading to better outcomes. This trust building is essential in enabling greater creativity and progress.
- OTRT recognized the transformative power of trust within Fenomenal Funds. Despite challenges, OTRT saw remarkable success in fostering a genuine atmosphere of trust.
Leçons pour les donateurs
1. Resourcing Relationships, Regranting, Regional Reach, and Interconnection
- For donors, resourcing collaborations means investing not only in activities but in the relationships and trust building that enable impactful work. Regranting is essential to support work across different collaboratives and partners. Fenomenal Funds’ approach reduced competition for resources and fostered cross-regional collaboration, even as some donors deprioritized certain regions. This interconnectedness supports the global movement, especially in the face of rising right-wing politics.
2. Supporting Collective Struggles
- Collaboration and articulating the interconnectedness of struggles are essential to resisting the extreme right. Donors can support movements by recognizing the shared goals across different regions and backing efforts that amplify marginalized voices. Fenomenal Funds’ approach enabled women’s funds to work collaboratively, lifting the entire movement and pushing back against divisive forces.
The work of the Alliance and OTRT demonstrated the power of narrative and regional collaboration in advancing feminist movements. By focusing on collective identity, shared priorities, and relationship building, these collaborations fostered political and cultural change. These efforts show that trust, patience, and coordination are essential in shaping transformative narratives. For women’s funds, donors, and movements, these insights offer a blueprint for supporting sustainable, interconnected work to confront the challenges of a rapidly changing political landscape.