COVID19 Resilience Fund: Governing Council approves financing for 20 grassroots groups
In light of the global CODVI19 pandemic, the Huairou Commission recognized the urgency to respond in our community of grassroots organizations. The Governing Council met at the outset of the global quarantine and decided to establish a COVID19 Community Resilience Fund of 100, 000 USD to strengthen grassroots women’s organizations links to local and national government as partners in relief and economic recovery.
The Community Resilience Funds (CRF) were established as an innovative and flexible finance mechanism to channel resources directly to grassroots women’s groups living in risk prone poor communities. With lockdown measures exacerbating the economic hardship associated with the health crisis, the need for support is unquestionable. After receiving over 50 applications for relief funds, a committee reviewed the applications for eligibility and need. Priority was placed on member groups that have not previously benefited from CRF funding. So far, 20 member groups have been approved for funding.
The evaluation process was adjusted, first looking at criteria such as membership involvement and obvious need, then recognizing the difference in need and capacity of the member groups. The Governing Council committee, composed of grassroots women leaders have led the evaluation process, drawing from their knowledge of on-the-ground crisis response and recovery organizing to determine room for flexibility in allocating funds, and evaluating the feasibility of funding for submitted proposals.
Through this process, grassroots women’s organizations are able to identify the needs they believe to be most pressing and use community knowledge to address them. Grants were awarded to groups in order to fund activities that build socio-economic and heath resilience to pandemic, including security of food, health care support, enhancing basic services to improve hygiene, support for caregivers and healthcare workers, and reducing domestic violence. To best support member organizations, the review committee decided to support several groups with additional capacity building and technical assistance in addition to funding.
A peer learning exchange process was proposed to reduce vulnerabilities and enhance economic recovery following the crisis. Currently, we are working with regional coordinators to finalize the agreements with the approved groups and continuing to work with others to strengthen their applications and best support them.
The initial $100 000 COVID19 Community Resilience Fund is just one piece of funding of grassroots women’s on-going effort to build long-term community resilience to crises, such as pandemics, and the Huairou Commission will continue to direct flexible funds to support the effort. In this regard, we are also soliciting matching contributions to ensure the on-going flexible financing to grassroots women’s groups.