Please support Lyric Thompson’s Collaborative. They lost a funder and would appreciate your support!

**MEET THE MOMENT, SUPPORT THE COLLABORATIVE TODAY**

**A Letter from Lyric Thompson, Founder and CEO of the Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative**

Today, we mark [GivingTuesday](https://www.givingtuesday.org/about/), an occasion to support organizations and initiatives doing good work in the world today to deliver us a better tomorrow. We hope that you count the Collaborative among those organizations, and that you will consider [donating to our campaign to close our 2026 budget gap](https://www.every.org/feminist-foreign-policy-collaborative/f/this-season-we-need-your). 

[Like many nonprofits](https://t.devex.com/dc/kyXVoDpAY__Vu56MNr4POo4RzZa_p26mD3oh66l6A8OLjY9_fXY1vfAjPdGgLwjB5J84Ymr6buVhEfnRSGn0C4cSnMSX22UVQUzoPxjlOxS43HNYPPt2FTqcR6VXvJaO2-R7FdVE_q-vPkM0L_1-FXlPXcoqPdxqkjV_295jp9rpWB6bZyeK74o_91ATJfKI3aihMr6Ymnc-E6ap9xg-o8qPbXmAT4wnNSWoBvnTE16vlymLTnyU9T_tNl9xpzFfmBoVNWIiEEQjIdZ3jfStKb2tDdqjPL0mAFjVWbbAj8SjcxbF6y8Pv24EBn0OefIt/Njg1LUtCTC03NjUAAAGeMKt8FJmo_H7zfpmJMiLgEAK9XT_7ABWG_PcOfDz9yu0kLF3AeilgxnyuC_zfMrJ8XXBY5iE=), we find ourselves facing an uncertain financial future in this highly-polarized environment. For the first time in our history, we have had donors pull funds, citing the uncertain political context and concerns about attacks on philanthropic and charitable institutions in the global “war on woke.” Words like “feminist” have attracted negative attention from right-wing media and online trolls, posing such threats that we are considering changing our name to ensure our survival. 

[As I told *PassBlue*](https://passblue.com/2025/11/05/feminist-foreign-policies-are-fighting-for-their-life/)’s Maria Luisa Gambale and [*Foreign Policy*’s Ravi Agrawal](https://www.ffpcollaborative.org/news-and-views/1is11brejxja33ebb2e0p1zs6romj1-dnrs6), “It’s pretty dire.” 

We’re not alone. [A report by UN Women](https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2025/05/at-a-breaking-point-the-impact-of-foreign-aid-cuts-on-womens-organizations-in-humanitarian-crises-worldwide) earlier this year found that, due to unprecedented cuts to official development assistance, half of women’s rights organizations working in crisis settings are likely to close their doors within six months. The Alliance for Feminist Movements [presents a similarly stark analysis](https://allianceforfeministmovements.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/A-Snapshot-in-Time-Data-Highlights-for-the-Feminist-Funding-Ecosystem-March-10.pdf), zooming out to include budget cuts from private philanthropies as well. 

However, we are not without hope. As our [Senior Fellow Beth Woroniuk](https://www.ffpcollaborative.org/our-senior-fellows) found in [her research](https://www.ffpcollaborative.org/ffp-dev-finance-for-ge-2025), feminist foreign policy countries outperform other donors in their levels of investment in gender equality and specifically support for women’s rights organizations at a roughly 5:1 ratio. Women philanthropists like Mackenzie Scott and Melinda Gates [are doing their part,](https://scholarworks.indianapolis.iu.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/37b6e23d-6139-47bb-a9a7-aab08c0e66dc/content) channeling more resources to charities and to women’s funds, organizations and advocates than their male counterparts. 

And on a more personal level, we have been humbled and inspired by the incredible ways in which our community is showing up for us in this uncertain time. When we lost funding from a donor shifting away from supporting U.S.-based organizations in the current climate, our longtime French partner, [Equipop](https://equipop.org/en/), agreed to take on our France-based staff member and continue the work on our behalf. Where some funders have had to step back, others are stepping forward, increasing support as they are able. For the first time, we are experimenting with government partnerships, supporting the Government of France to [build an accountability mechanism](https://www.ffpcollaborative.org/news-and-views/press-release-ffpc-accountability-mechanism) for the annual [ministerial conferences on feminist foreign policy](https://www.ffpcollaborative.org/news-and-views/newsletter-hope-beyond-the-headlines). And while our work on foreign policy has not traditionally been of as much interest to individual philanthropists, a few have responded to our call and are beginning to help us build an individual giving program (Thank you [Pete Proimos](https://filotimofoundation.org/about/board-of-directors/) and [Stacey Keare](https://womenmovingmillions.org/stories/meet-stacey-keare/)!).

The lessons we are taking from this moment are clear: 

- Despite the precarity, [this is a moment of real progress](https://www.ffpcollaborative.org/news-and-views/newsletter-hope-beyond-the-headlines) and [hope beyond the headlines](https://www.ffpcollaborative.org/past-event-recaps/beyond-the-headlines-the-state-of-feminist-foreign-policy-today-launch-of-defining-feminist-foreign-policy-2025). Feminist foreign policy is emerging as the framework we need to meet this moment.
- But that progress is under real threat as [critical resources for this work dwindle](https://www.ffpcollaborative.org/ffp-dev-finance-for-ge-2025). An infusion of political and financial support is urgently needed.
- Feminists have built a transnational ecosystem that is nurturing and providing strength to its members, who are stepping up and innovating with new strategies to find our way forward together. It won’t be easy, but it's our unity, hope and commitment to this work and to each other that will sustain us. (To wit: please also support our amazing members who are making foreign policy feminist [in the U.S](https://www.ffpcollaborative.org/the-coalition-for-a-feminist-foreign-policy-in-the-united-states). and [around the world](https://www.ffpcollaborative.org/global-partner-network-members)).

I know you’re probably receiving a lot of these solicitations, given the dire state of funding for gender equality today. As you consider where to invest, it can be hard to decide which initiatives to support. So, in closing, I’ll make our case by sharing a powerful endorsement from a former ambassador for feminist foreign policy who I was interviewing for a project documenting lessons learned from different contexts on how to sustain feminist foreign policy gains in the face of  backlash. This is a diplomat who had experimented widely with various tactics, from building community-based support for FFP across her country; to soliciting support from regional partners to expand the work regionally; to building buy-in through diplomatic associations and political leaders in her government and conducting media outreach to build buzz and intrigue. 

When I asked her to pick one thing that she thought had done the most to sustain this work, she didn’t hesitate: 

**“The best instrument to preserve and protect feminist foreign policy is the Collaborative,” she said. “Write that down.”**

In solidarity,

Lyric Thompson

Founder and CEO, Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative

We urgently need your help bridging our 2026 budget gap

We curate space for feminists across sectors to advance people, peace and planet-centered approaches to foreign policy.

At the Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative, we know it is possible to achieve global equality, sustainability and peace. The Collaborative is a unique space for people working inside and outside of government to convene, research and advance feminist approaches to foreign policy. Operating as a secretariat, we support two coalitions: the Global Partner Network for Feminist Foreign Policy and the Coalition for a Feminist Foreign Policy in the United States. The Global Partner Network is an informal body of more than 100 organizations, governments and individuals working on feminist foreign policy around the world; the U.S. Coalition unites more than 80 organizations advancing a more feminist foreign policy in the United States.

Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative

Research

Environment

Women's Health

Humans

Curated with [Amplify Her Foundation](https://www.amplifyherfoundation.org/) and the [Women’s Philanthropy Institute](https://philanthropy.indianapolis.iu.edu/institutes/womens-philanthropy-institute/index.html) to raise awareness and funding for women and girls.

Women & Girls

Gender Equality

Join us in supporting women-led nonprofits.

Women Led

148788709

1578280819

1873740264

2052641908

2088874155

We are a nonprofit, so instead of charging fees we rely on the generosity of donors like you.

Choose a donation for Every.org

2109878826

2140519340

2310049938

2551237796

2576076625

2594001433

283252266

2883383521

3026174861

316638097

3170054231

338811242

3705164611

3842241318

3934974605

4167807122

440668958

1287028958

2729980760

2939442496

3440869557

671754822

87081813

1014384873

1112422858

153399038

2028390811

220342792

2266630408

2519810400

2539558839

2826465835

2843798242

2898624300

3259439560

339774024

3642494300

3902459442

4250940449

472232120

585491400

641510716

91682487

Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative

Join Gabrielle to support Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative

Join Gabrielle to support Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative

Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative

Donors

Become a supporter!

Become a supporter!

Turn this donation into a movement

Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative

.css-y50z3g{display:inline-block;--textSize:1.25rem;--lineHeight:1.5rem;line-height:var(--lineHeight);font-size:var(--textSize);width:100%;}Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative

Join Gabrielle to support Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative

Join Gabrielle to support Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative

Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative

Donors

Become a supporter!

Become a supporter!

Turn this donation into a movement

Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative

Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative