Rebecca Gill, Rosa’s CEO, shares her thoughts on the power of the women and girls sector and the need for greater funding for campaigning and influencing work.
Rosa recently launched its sixth round of funding through Voices from the Frontline, a charitable fund designed to support organisations to amplify the voices of women and girls in the UK at a local, community or national level.
“At Rosa, we continue to believe passionately in the collective power of women’s and girls’ organisations to drive progress for women and girls across the UK as the creators and agents of change.
We are the pioneers, the torchbearers and the marshals of progress. This is the value of women’s and girls’ organisations across the UK and across the world.
If you look at every progress in culture, law and practice in women’s and girls’ lives over the last two hundred years, these have been pioneered by women and girls, organising and mobilising. So much of what we take for granted now – whether it’s equal pay legislation, support for women prisoners, domestic violence refuges, rape crisis helplines, childcare and maternity support, pensions for part time workers, or the simple right for women to have their own bank accounts – every single one of these has been fought for, won and sustained by the collective effort of women.
Rosa is proud to champion the campaigning and influencing work that women’s and girls’ organisations do. These organisations are at the forefront of addressing social issues and give a voice to the women and girls who have lived experience of injustice and inequality.
If there is one thing I have learnt over the last 25 years of working for women’s and girls’ rights it is that the price of progress is eternal vigilance.
This is the superpower of our sector. It is not just that we create change, but that we steward it, preserve it and champion it.
This is why we have launched our Voices from the Frontline fund, which is now in its sixth year of running. The fund offers one-year grants of up to £7,000 to women’s and girls’ organisations to support campaigning and influencing work that enables women and girls to use their voice to achieve change.
Our own research conducted earlier this year highlighted the extent to which the women and girls sector is underfunded – with it receiving just 1.8% worth of grants in 2021 – and the need for more investment to ensure that it is able to continue its valuable work.
With this funding, we want to enable organisations to amplify the voices of women and girls in the UK at a local, community or national level and to use their campaigning expertise to influence change. Together we can make the UK a fairer, safer place for women and girls.”
Rosa’s Voices from the Frontline fund is accepting applications until 11th October. Find out how to apply HERE.
Discover more about Rosa’s funding and where it goes HERE.