Doria Feminist Fund: Fourth Grantmaking Cycle

Funding Priorities

• They seek to respond to the feminist movement's needs as articulated by the activists on the ground and they strive to support feminist groups at various levels to make autonomous decisions that benefit their communities.
• They welcome applications from groups focused on Women & LGBTQ+ Groups, and working on 4 interconnected issues:
  • Advancing Human Rights
    • In a tumultuous region ravaged by militarization, authoritarianism and religious conservatism like MENA, the human rights of women are constantly under threat and undercut by state and non-state actors. Young girls are often the first to be pulled out of school and forced into early marriage to support their family's needs which deprives them of their inalienable right to education. Women are often regarded as lacking the skills necessary for decent employment and leadership positions, or worse yet, many believe that women belong only in the home not the workplace, which deprives them of opportunities for upward mobility in the workplace and for economic independence.
  • Peacebuilding, Security & Wellbeing under Armed Conflict
    • Armed conflict has also become a reality that hundreds of thousands of women and LGBTQ+ groups in the region are forced to live with in countries like Yemen, Libya, Syria, Iraq and Palestine.
    • In addition to lacking access to basic health needs like water, food and sanitation, women living under conflict are subject to gender-based violence and they bear the double-burden of family/child-care and income generation. They also suffer from immense traumas as a result of the conflict and of rape being used as an instruments of war and genocide.
    • In the absence of decent work opportunities and pay and the active cancellation of any feminist campaigns or convenings, women are also further entrenched into a reality where they lack the means to organize or break cycles of oppression.
  • Combatting Violence against Women & LGBTQ+ Groups
    • Violence against women and LGBTQ+ groups in the MENA region occurs at different levels, whether they be institutional, domestic, political, legal or social; it permeates different areas of their lives and acts as a significant hurdle against their safety, security and wellbeing.
    • Issues like female genital mutilation, forced marriage, sexual violence and discrimination in the law are realities for too many women in the region. In addition, women's human rights defenders are subject to various forms of violence by state and non-state actors. They are often the target of smear campaigns, domestic violence, travel bans, unlawful arrests and torture in prison due to their outspoken work.
    • It is a priority for them to ensure that WHRDs in the MENA region have the space and resources to safely and effectively advocate for the rights of different vulnerable groups and to spread a culture of respect for human rights.
  • Economic Empowerment
    • Because of legal constraints, violence in both the public and private spheres, poor employment generation policies, deficient economies as well as the burden of care and social reproduction, women in the MENA region face difficulties in being economically autonomous. This increases their dependence and subordination as well as their vulnerability to exploitation and abuse.
    • They seek to support feminist initiatives that seek to challenge and disrupt the main causes which undermine women’s economic empowerment and contribute to their disenfranchisement.

What kind of grants does Doria provide?

• Doria Feminist Fund supports new and emerging feminist groups, collectives, and individuals with flexible funding in three main areas: Core, Flexible Grants, Knowledge Production Grants, and Collaborative Project Grants. Doria grants are open to any feminist group or collective in the MENA region, however, Doria will prioritize applications from groups that have not received funding or financial support in the past.
  • Core, Flexible Grant: Groups may apply for core grants through Doria Fund. Core grants are flexible funds that groups may use to sustain the general operations of their group’s activities. Core, Flexible Grants are tailored to enable groups to lead decision-making for how their funding is used to support their operations. Core, flexible grants may be used for office rent, equipment/supplies, salaries, project activities, capacity building, and more. In addition to receiving the grant, Doria grantees will receive direct support and mentorship from the Doria community to support with building and strengthening capacities that will ensure the sustainability of the group after receiving Doria funding. Core, Flexible Grants range between $5,000-$7,000 USD.
  • Knowledge Production Grant: Groups, collectives, and individuals may apply for Knowledge Production Grants as part of Doria Fund’s commitment to fostering unique narratives of the feminist movement in the MENA region by and for feminists in the region. Working within the Creative Commons framework, content produced through the grant will be shared publicly, and accessible to the public, while remaining under the ownership of the content creators. Knowledge Production Grants are open to projects that highlight the lived experiences and realities of the feminist movement in the MENA region, through any medium including creative writing, translation to Arabic, convenings/workshops on feminist themes, publishing educational materials on women, gender, and feminist issues in the MENA region, and more. Knowledge Production Grants are awarded up to $10,000 USD.
  • Project Grants: The Project Fund is a $5,000 - $10,000 USD grant to established feminist groups seeking to provide technical and political support that may enable groups who are seeking to establish new programs or start a new activities. Project Grants aim to encourage groups that have ongoing, funded, activities to keep up with changing political contexts and community needs by supporting them financially and technically as they mindfully expand their work. Doria Fund encourages groups to broaden the scope of their work and to adopt new feminist practices and mechanisms that further their current work as well.

Funding Information

• Between $5,000-10,000 depending on the type of grant.

Eligible Countries

• Algeria, Jordan, Oman, Sudan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Palestine, Syria, Egypt Lebanon, Qatar, Tunisia, Libya, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Morocco, Somalia and Yemen.

Eligibility Criteria

• Doria invites feminist activists and feminist movement builders to apply for any of their core funding, project funding, or knowledge production grants. Doria Fund will prioritize applications from:
  • New and emerging groups, individuals, and collectives in the MENA region
  • Groups, individuals, and collectives who have never previously received funding
  • Established groups, individuals, or collectives seeking funding to launch a new project
• Doria Fund seeks to support groups, individuals, and collectives working from a feminist lense, that contribute to feminist movement building, knowledge production, and solidarity. Doria will prioritize:
  • Projects and applications led by women and trans groups, individuals, and collectives
  • Projects and applications from any country or sub-region in the MENA region
  • Arabic, French, and English language applications (however, Doria will make reasonable accommodations for applicants who are unable to submit in one of the three languages)