There are many ways to embed feminism in a funds’s work and structure. In its grant-making practice, filia has opted, among other approaches, for the advisory board model. In concrete terms, this means that for each funding region, a committee is convened to make recommendations on the allocation of grants that are as equitable as possible. This approach has emerged from years of processes and experience and has since proven effective in practice.

The Principle Behind It

A key principle of filia’s fund work is participation. This means that filia always strives to work in a way that allows the target group of a grant program to have a say and participate in the decision-making. In this way, the fund empowers others by not treating them as inferiors. Participation signals: We listen, value intersectional perspectives, and turn words into action.

Furthermore, the involvement of experts ensures that well-informed and effective decisions are made that take into account the actual, on-the-ground conditions. For example, activists know best which programs are most well-received in their communities, or which activities are still safe to carry out under an increasingly authoritarian regime.

The Recommendation Committee

For the focus area of Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia, filia has invited thirteen activists from filia’s networks to join the Recommendation Committee. As experts on feminist struggles in their countries and regions, who understand the challenges and can identify potential solutions, we have once again asked them to submit grantee recommendations for 2026.

Feminist Work connects

Members gathered in Hamburg just in time for March 8 to consult with one another in person and network. A key aspect of their collaboration is what is known as “context sharing.” This first item on the agenda during the three-day event in Hamburg lays a strong foundation for mutual understanding.

„We want to be able to speak for one another.“ – Member of the Recommendation Committees

One by one, all participants share their individual perspectives: where they come from, whether they live in exile, the communities and coalitions they are active in, and the causes they personally champion. For even though everyone is committed to feminist and intersectional causes, they do not automatically know the current political situation and specific circumstances of a region. Not to mention the personal experiences with discrimination or migration that others have faced. The greater the diversity, the more caution and information are needed to work together respectfully.

After three days of intensive work, it is not only the group that has emerged stronger. They have also agreed on 42 recommendations for filias’s funding program in Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia, which support outstanding feminist work and address urgent needs.

Context Sharing

Of course, these snapshots were also documented in Context Sharing. The activists discussed 1. the current situation in the regions, 2. vulnerable groups, and 3. what would help strengthen them at this time.

A Critical Approach to Power in a Fund´s Work

filia’s advisory boards are part of the foundation’s process of opening up and critically examining power structures. Through a variety of measures, participation, equity, and care are strengthened in the foundation’s work. Delegating funding recommendations and decisions is just one of the many measures that filia actively pursues. Examples include shared leadership in program management, allyship workshops, support structures for colleagues affected by racism, and protection mechanisms for activists. Steps like these are intended to ensure the participation of marginalized individuals and increase the legitimacy of decisions. In the future, filia aims to make this process even more visible and to invite dialogue with organizations that are pursuing similar paths. filia is constantly evolving to build resilient and inclusive structures and sustainable networks.

© Fotos von Claudia Höhne