Deadline: 31 August 2022 at 11:59 pm CEST
Mama Cash 2022 Spark Fund Grants
Mama Cash 2022 supports up-and-coming feminist (1) activism in the Netherlands, Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao Saba, Sint Eustasius or Sint Maarten (ABCSSS islands) with small grants. These grants from Mama Cash’s Spark Fund are intended to strengthen the bold work of self-led groups in the Netherlands and the ABCSSS islands working on the rights of women, girls, and trans and intersex people. Mama Cash will accept applications for funding between 1 – 31 August at 11:59 pm CEST. The grants range from €1,000 to €3,000 per project.
If you wish to apply please see the selection criteria and priority first.
The criteria for eligibility for the Mama Cash 2022 Spark Fund Grants are as follows:
- Groups led by women, girls, and trans and intersex people. Those whose rights are at stake are the decision makers in the project.
Example: If a group is working on trans rights, trans people should be the ones deciding upon the group’s activities and how the group’s money should be spent. The spokespersons for the group, as well as those being paid, should be trans people. Non- trans people can also work for the group in different capacities providing they are not the ones leading it.
- Groups working from a feminist and/or a women’s, girls, trans or intersex rights perspective.
Example: A proposal for a project to work on women and housing issues puts the experiences of women at the core of its work. The group identifies the specific barriers women face in accessing decent and affordable housing. They also speak to the challenges of different groups of women (e.g. both urban and rural) in accessing housing. The experiences of women and the issues they face are at the core of the project, rather than being included as just one of its many elements, and the proposed solutions reflect this perspective.
- Groups working on urgent and contested political issues in the Netherlands or the ABCSSS islands.
Example: A group of Muslim women organise for their rights and try to make their concerns heard in an environment where wearing a hijab, niqab or similar covering is contested by both state bodies and members of the public.
- Groups working on structural and systemic change.
Example: A migrant women’s group provides shelter services to other migrant women in order to respond to their immediate needs. But the group also works to tackle the fundamental barriers to accessing such services so that other migrant women they do not or cannot reach will also benefit in the longer term.
In addition, the Spark Fund will prioritise:
Non-formalised/non-registered, nascent groups that have a budget below €30,000 per year, and that have limited resources (e.g. no paid staff, no office space, etc.)
Please note that you do not need a bank account, residence permit or any other form of of identification to submit an application. In addition, your your organisation does not have to be registered as a ‘foundation’.
You can submit your request via an online application form, as a video recording or audio recording. Mama Cash accepts applications in English and Dutch. If you prefer to not submit your application in English or Dutch, you can contact us at [email protected] and we will work with you to submit the application in your preferred language.
Click here to learn about groups that received a Spark Fund grant in 2020.
How to apply:
Mama Cash’s 2022 online grantmaking window for the Spark Fund is open for applications from 1 August – 31 August 2022, 11:59 pm CEST. You can submit an application in one of the three formats below.
Written application form
Video recording form
Audio recording form
Applicants will also play a role in making decisions about Spark Fund grants. If your application is shortlisted, your group will be asked to vote online for your top 10 Spark applications from a list of shortlisted proposals. This will be announced on 27 September 2022. The final decision about your application will be shared by 25 October 2022.
- Our understanding of feminism is that it comes in many forms, but at its core we see it as work that address or challenges sexism and patriarchal gender norms (in relation to sexuality, class, race, migration status, ability, and so on) with the goal of ending inequality and injustice.
