2004-2024
In 2004, a group of diverse actors planted the seeds of the first regional feminist women’s fund in Asia. The idea took root, beginning in South Asia, and eventually expanded to 22 countries across the region.
In 20 years, Women’s Fund Asia invested over USD 30 million to more than 500 groups and 240 individual activists working on some of the world’s most pressing challenges from climate crises to wealth inequality, and domestic violence to armed conflict.
Who We Are
We believe in a just, gender-equal and democratic region where women, girls, trans, and intersex people’s participation, leadership and enjoyment of human rights is ensured and irrevocable.
Women’s Fund Asia addresses the paucity of resources for gender equality, especially for smaller grassroots leaders and groups. We provide strategic funding as well as non-financial support to grassroots feminist1 movements, organisations and activists across South, Southeast, and East Asia.
1 Being feminist is a key value for WFA. We are Feminist. We believe in agency, leadership, autonomy and decision making and are committed to supporting interventions that advance rights of women, girls, trans, and intersex people.
Who We Work With
Women, girls, trans, and intersex people face discrimination in laws and policies as well as social and political marginalisation and violence within their families, communities, schools, hospitals, and more. Their lived experiences make women, girls, trans, and intersex people critical drivers of change and innovation.
WFA supports these changemakers to advance gender equality at the local, national, regional, and global levels.
We invest in their organisations and leadership because when their lives improve, the larger society also benefits. The more inclusive development processes can be, the faster and greater the transformation is for the world. These are key principles of a human rights-based approach and are reflected throughout the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework and its principle of ‘leave no one behind’.
What We Support
We structure our grantmaking around key themes and strategies that reflect the critical priorities of feminist movements across Asia and the intersectional2 nature of their work.
2 We recognise a full range of identities, including but not limited to marginalised identities based on gender, sex, sexuality, age, caste, disability, minority identity, indigeneity, location, citizenship, health status and pregnancy status, amongst others. We invest organisational resources to support interventions and learning approaches that are inclusive to these ways of being.
Sexual and reproductive justice
Economic justice
Environmental justice
Access to justice
Crises and changing contexts
These focus areas are closely aligned with the global frameworks that set international benchmarks and guide our collective progress to a more just and peaceful world, including: the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action, the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and the SDGs framework, ILO C-190, among others.
Strengthening grassroots organisations
Linking and learning
Cuts across all of the above thematics to accelerate progress towards the SDGs at the local level, by strengthening capacities and connections.
How We Work
Drawing from over 20 years of experience, we see that long term transformative change is best led by local communities who are rooted in their knowledge, experiences, and priorities
We support these changes by providing flexible, multi-year core funding that enables our partners to:
Claim rights, resources, and opportunities
Demand and contribute to changes in rules and policies
Share life-changing knowledge and skills
Influence cultures and attitudes
Adapt and innovate as necessary
Strengthen their effectiveness and resilience
Alongside direct funding, we also:
Invest in capacity-building, strategic convenings, and policy insights—to enhance partners’ resilience, collaboration, and impact.
Amplify the work of grantee partners to other funders and interested communities, inviting them to join us in addressing the world’s most critical challenges.
Partner and influence to bring more and better resources to the overall ecosystem so that it is thriving and even more effective.
Where We Work
Afghanistan
Funding Since: 2019
Funds Disbursed: $138,500
# of organisations and activists supported: 7
Bangladesh
Funding Since: 2006
Funds Disbursed: $1,450,819
# of organisations and activists supported: 58
Bhutan
Funding Since: 2021
Funds Disbursed: $35,250
# of organisations and activists supported: 3
Camboodia
Funding Since: 2017
Funds Disbursed: $900,849
# of organisations and activists supported: 17
India
Funding Since: 2006
Funds Disbursed: $4,550,593
# of organisations and activists supported: 176
Indonesia
Funding Since: 2019
Funds Disbursed: $1,907,734
# of organisations and activists supported: 64
Laos
Funding Since: 2018
Funds Disbursed: $11,100
# of organisations and activists supported: 3
Malaysia
Funding Since: 2017
Funds Disbursed: $3,449,123
# of organisations and activists supported: 34
Maldives
Funding Since: 2022
Funds Disbursed: $18,000
# of organisations and activists supported: 2
Mongolia
Funding Since: 2017
Funds Disbursed: $615,087
# of organisations and activists supported: 23
Myanmar
Funding Since: 2019
Funds Disbursed: $272,382
# of organisations and activists supported: 13
Nepal
Funding Since: 2005
Funds Disbursed: $3,555,663
# of organisations and activists supported: 122
Pacific
Funding Since: 2021
Funds Disbursed: $1,086,275
# of organisations and activists supported: 3
Pakistan
Funding Since: 2005
Funds Disbursed: $1,996,096
# of organisations and activists supported: 57
Philippines
Funding Since: 2017
Funds Disbursed: $1,934,923
# of organisations and activists supported: 51
South Korea
Funding Since: 2021
Funds Disbursed: $959,082
# of organisations and activists supported: 1
Sri Lanka
Funding Since: 2005
Funds Disbursed: $1,762,765
# of organisations and activists supported: 84
Taiwan
Funding Since: 2022
Funds Disbursed: $77,260
# of organisations and activists supported: 2
Thailand
Funding Since: 2017
Funds Disbursed: $3,176,015
# of organisations and activists supported: 29
Timor-Leste
Funding Since: 2019
Funds Disbursed: $272,018
# of organisations and activists supported: 6
Vietnam
Funding Since: 2017
Funds Disbursed: $79,217
# of organisations and activists supported: 8
How We’ve Grown – At a Glance
5X increase in our geographical reach
from operating in 5 countries in 2004, we now operate across 22 countries and territories in South, Southeast, and East Asia, with smaller vines reaching into the Pacific region.
12X increase in average annual disbursement
in our first five years, we disbursed an annual average of USD 123,000; by the end of 2024, we had disbursed over USD 30 million—averaging USD 1.5 million per year.
11X increase in the number of grantee partners
in the first five years, we supported a total of 40 organisations; by the end of 2024, we had supported 522 organisations, 244 activists and counting.
14X growth in the number of funding partners
from 1 donor in 2004 to 14 in 2024.
15X increase in language justice
in 2004, grantee partners could submit applications in just one language; now, our partners can apply in 15 Asian languages, helping to increase resources for smaller, grassroots groups.
20X increase in feminist partnerships
our partnerships with global, regional, and national feminist funds and networks grew from zero in 2004 to 20 in 2024, helping to inform our programming and increase our geographic reach.
Our Journey So Far
2004
South Asia Women’s Fund formally transitioned into Women’s Fund Asia (WFA), with a greater identity, strategy, vision and mission for women, girls, trans, and intersex activists across Asia.
2018
South Asia Women’s Fund was created by group of committed feminists who envisioned an institution to resource human rights of women in South Asia
South Asia Women’s Fund was created by group of committed feminists who envisioned an institution to resource human rights of women in South Asia
2016
The fund expanded its geographic grantmaking mandate to support Southeast Asia and Mongolia.
2018
South Asia Women’s Fund formally transitioned into Women’s Fund Asia (WFA), with a greater identity, strategy, vision and mission for women, girls, trans, and intersex activists across Asia.
Two decades on, we remain grounded in purpose: listening to the voices of women, girls, trans and intersex people and resourcing them with financial capital, connections, and capacity.
The impact of their leadership ripples across borders and generations, making waves across space and time. We remain steadfast in our commitment, moving with the tide and charging up the currents of progress.
In 2020, Women’s Fund Asia Limited (WFAL) was registered as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee in Australia with registration under the Australian Charities and Not for Profit Commission. WFAL is a subsidiary of WFA, and its operations are controlled by WFA. WFA is the sole member of the Company. The Executive Director of WFA serves as its Executive head, with the responsibility of making it fully operational in a way to serve the mandate of WFA.
Contact
For general inquiries: info@wf-asia.org
For grant-related concerns: grants@wf-asia.org
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