3. Collaboration and solidarity is an essential strategy for systemic change in crisis response 

In the face of mounting global crises—from armed conflict and displacement to climate disasters—no single actor or institution can meet the scale or complexity of need alone. Through deep, values-driven collaboration, we can deliver responses that are truly transformative. It is possible to embody solidarity and complementarity between funders. Our very existence depends on it. Collaboration is not optional—it is essential for crisis response rooted in community needs and for systemic change. We are not building empires but reciprocal systems of co-existence. Agility, candid collaboration, shared labour, and transparent risk assessment have been crucial in situations where every moment counts. This means working in this way shows how unlikely partners can operate collaboratively to respond to unprecedented challenges.  

Over the last five years, GRF has worked with partners to practically define what complementarity looks like and how our approach looks different in each crisis.  During the pandemic, GRF partnered with ELAS Social Investment Fund on a dedicated round of grants in Brasil, where decisions were made by the GRF Advisory via our participatory decision-making model, while grants and relationships were held directly with ELAS. In our work with Madre, which has well-established grantmaking to Afghanistan, we chose not to move money directly but in partnership with them. Embodying reciprocity, as the GRF has established grantmaking in Libya, Madre moved money through the GRF after the floods in 2023. Funding in this way ensures we complement rather than compete. 

GRF has moved funds on behalf of private philanthropy and feminist funds in times of need, or chosen not to move money when others are well placed. In these cases, they take on a supporting role of outreach, referrals and accompaniment of girls. This approach has allowed us to keep money moving, focusing on our strengths rather than competing. Our resilience stems from our interdependence and our ability to lift each other up and hold each other accountable. 

GRF has been an important collaborative partner in Numun’s work to support feminists responding to situations of crises, particularly in relation to the work around connectivity in Gaza. The trust, commitment to shared learning and direction from the ground are key values that have anchored this collaboration, and we are glad to be in this continued journey of support and learning."

– Jac Sm Kee, Numum

4. As systems ‘reset’ or collapse, portals open to reimagine practice and deepen accountability to girls and young people  

Over the past few years, we have been in dialogue with the humanitarian sector, working alongside feminist and women’s funds and allies within the formal system. Traditional humanitarian response efforts often fail to reach adolescent girls and young women and make their powerful work in crises invisible. In a moment of dismantling and transforming the humanitarian system, the GRF and our peers have been able to cultivate relationships, open new doors, and strengthen the visibility of girls and young feminists and the value of feminist funding. Our advocacy efforts include presentations at the Wilton Park Series and the Good Humanitarian Donorship initiative, as well as successful collaboration with UNICEF to incorporate girl-led organisations into the updated IASC Policy on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and Girls in Humanitarian Action. The GRF was also highlighted as an exemplary model of effective pooled fund management and has joined the Pooled Fund Community of Practice.

5. Clear connection to your core constituency is essential for relevant and effective crisis response

The Fund works with girls and young feminist community advisors representing and assessing the response to crises across their contexts. This strategy has proven that flexible, context-specific approaches are essential for meaningful crisis response. No two crises are the same, especially in places facing overlapping or forgotten emergencies like Gaza, Myanmar, and Sudan. Rigid, one-size-fits-all responses fail to address the complex realities on the ground, underscoring the value of flexible, highly adaptive, tailored approaches. 

Through the creation of collective learning spaces with advisors and partners in the contexts we fund, we have learned the importance of funding not only in moments of distress but with long-term sustainability in mind. The fund has developed a longer-term funding approach for supporting girls and young feminists before, during, and after crises, with a focus on protracted crises in five contexts. Advisors provide critical insight into the needs and funding landscape at the hyper-local level, surfacing the very real practical and legal challenges of moving money to girls and young feminists amidst crisis, whilst strengthening our political analysis of the macro landscape (e.g. spotlighting hidden or ignored crises where funding gaps exist). 

With this regional insight over the last five years, we were able to identify funding gaps in contexts that are not prioritised by funders, which led us to build the 20% Solidarity amount into the money we were receiving for more well-known crises, and redirect this to groups in these contexts. This continues to be a political act of ensuring resources reach all crises.