Collective Action Needed to Navigate Funding Crises and Build Just Futures

Deuba, Fiji —The Executive Director of the Fiji Women’s Rights Movement (FWRM) and Co-Chair of Women’s Fund Fiji (WFF), Nalini Singh, delivered a compelling keynote address at the Women’s Fund Fiji Annual Reflection and Learning Workshop titled “Navigating Funding Crises: Building Sustainable and Just Futures.”

In her address, Singh spoke candidly about the growing challenges facing feminist and women’s rights organisations as global and regional funding for gender justice continues to shrink.

“Let’s be honest. The funding landscape for women’s rights is shrinking,” Singh said. “When governments that fund gender justice also support wars or destructive industries, it is the smaller feminist organisations, those led by young women, disabled activists, and gender-diverse people who are often the last to be supported.”

Singh stressed that funding is more than financial assistance, it is the backbone of sustaining advocacy, building capacity, and creating safe spaces for women and gender-diverse communities.

“Without it, our ability to respond, innovate, and sustain movements is deeply constrained,” she added.

Despite these challenges, Singh called on organisations to adopt a “funding lens, not a scarcity lens,” encouraging feminist movements to think strategically about where resources lie, who controls them, and how to access them without compromising their values.

She highlighted Women’s Fund Fiji as a model of feminist funding in the Pacific, one that ensures grassroots voices are heard and that communities driving change have the resources and trust they deserve.

Drawing on stories from across Fiji and the Pacific, Singh shared examples of women’s groups using traditional knowledge and digital tools to tackle gender-based violence and build climate resilience — often with minimal external funding.

“Even in scarcity, imagination and solidarity create impact,” Singh said.

She also outlined four key strategies for building sustainable feminist futures:

1. Strengthening solidarity and partnerships across movements and borders;
2. Mobilising local resources through community ownership;
3. Diversifying funding sources to reduce dependence on single donors; and
4. Enhancing visibility of grassroots impact through storytelling and advocacy.

In closing, Singh reaffirmed feminism’s role as a collective movement for justice, dignity, and inclusion.

“Feminism is about dignity, respect, and lifting each other up,” she said. “When we lead with solidarity, creativity, and conviction, we are already shaping the just futures we seek.”

ENDS