Women’s and girls’ organizations continue to make progress for gender equality

As we mark International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month this March, women’s and girls’ organizations celebrate the achievements of women and recommit to the work of achieving gender equality while navigating an increasingly challenging landscape. From the rise of anti-rights movements that threaten hard-won progress to persistent funding constraints, organizations are having to adapt quickly to sustain and advance their work.

According to the Women’s Philanthropy Institute’s 2025 Women & Girls Index, just 2.04% of overall U.S. charitable giving in 2023 went to organizations dedicated to women and girls. Now, that limited pool of funding is shrinking even further. A March 2025 rapid response survey by UN Women found that 90% of women-led and women’s rights organizations operating in humanitarian crises were financially impacted by recent foreign aid cuts.

As a result, many groups are being forced to close or scale back—at a time when their work is becoming more urgent. This moment calls for innovation and adaptability, but funding scarcity undermines organizations’ ability to create fresh approaches and strategies. Nonprofit leaders are also having to devote increasing time and energy to fundraising, diverting attention away from core programs and the communities they serve.

Despite these difficult circumstances, progress is not only possible but happening. Women’s and girls’ organizations are finding ways to create meaningful change.

Diverse coalitions are resilient

Continued progress requires collaboration. Diverse and leaderful movements—movements that distribute power across many individuals, rather than concentrating it in a single person or group—are more resilient and difficult to silence.

For example, in Washington State, the Washington Coalition to End FGM/C tapped into a network of survivors and activists to help pass a ban on female genital mutilation (FGM) in 2023. Survivors shared their stories in frank conversations with legislators about the impact of the issue, and an array of individuals, from health care providers to advocates, joined discussions on what the draft bill should include, such as education and outreach.

By working together, organizations are amplifying their impact, reducing duplication, and making better use of limited resources. Harnessing the collective power, knowledge, skills, and networks of diverse coalitions is more efficient and effective, and creates opportunities for shared learning, leadership, and capacity building. Coalitions also provide solidarity that helps sustain changemakers and human rights defenders working in challenging contexts.

Solidarity for African Women’s Rights (SOAWR) is a pan-African coalition of more than 80 women’s rights organizations that have worked together for more than 20 years to advance the Maputo Protocol, one of the most comprehensive frameworks for protecting women and girls’ human rights in the world. SOAWR has been the driving force behind 49 of the 55 African Union member states signing and 46 ratifying the protocol, embedding binding regional standards governments must meet to ensuring women and girls’ human rights are protected. By providing solidarity and support and sharing lessons learned from one African state with others, SOAWR has created momentum and is actively working to ensure that governments live up to their commitments for women and girls. Most recently, they supported efforts in the Central African Republic, leading to the government’s ratification of the Maputo Protocol in July 2025 and greater legal protection for the country’s 2.8 million women and girls.

Flexible, multiyear funding enables women’s and girls’ organizations to pivot

Women’s organizations are also thinking strategically about where change is possible. Opportunities may feel limited in certain political climates, but there are always pockets of space where this essential work can take root and grow.

Take, for example, The Gambia, where Equality Now and partners mobilized in 2024 to defend the country’s FGM ban. Together, they:

• led a comprehensive media advocacy campaign to share accurate information about FGM and amplify survivor voices;
• engaged in legal advocacy, developing legal opinions and arguments to highlight the importance of an anti-FGM law; and
• strategically and financially supported local organizations to convene, coalesce, and engage communities, traditional and religious leaders, journalists, and Members of Parliament to discuss the negative effects of FGM.

This rapid and coordinated response would not have been possible without strong local civil society partnerships and flexible funding from donors who offered unrestricted support that could be mobilized at a moment’s notice. Flexible funding allows organizations to respond to emerging needs and adjust strategies when circumstances shift. Similarly, multiyear commitments help nonprofits think bigger and plan strategically for the future.

Gender equality benefits everyone

Women and girls deserve equal opportunities, rights, and protections, but the far-reaching benefits of gender equality should inspire us all to support global movements for gender equality. Research consistently shows that gender equality delivers better outcomes across economies, health systems, peace processes, and democratic resilience. For example, Moody’s Analytics suggests that closing gender gaps in labor force participation and management in OECD countries alone could add $7 trillion to global output. When women rise, entire communities thrive.

Yet, women’s and girls’ organizations still struggle to attract funding. According to UN estimates, at the current pace of progress, it will take more than 280 years to close gaps in legal protection and remove sex and gender discriminatory laws.

By working together through diverse coalitions and with the support of flexible, multiyear funding, women’s and girls’ organizations can speed up that timeline and ensure a gender-equal future for all.

Photo credit: WCIC