Strategies
Fund what movements and communities actually need
Restricted resourcing often fails to reflect the holistic needs of communities living in and responding to crises. Donors must be open to supporting a wide variety of crisis and care infrastructures – from survival and safety to care to healing.
Why It Matters
Philanthropy tries to fit the work of movements into neat categories or approaches. But crises rarely have a single cause or simple fix.
We must support communities in ways that they can truly thrive and sustain themselves holistically, centering human dignity.
What It Looks Like In Practice
The Urgent Action Sister Funds invests significant resources in nurturing connection and solidarity infrastructures. For example, in 2019, at the height of the revolution in Sudan, Urgent Action Fund-Africa resourced a collective care convening for feminist activists. The convening was a chance for activists to connect, to share space and experiences, heal, and bond. In another example, Urgent Action Fund-Latin America & the Caribbean organised a convening in 2024 in response to the democratic and economic crisis in Argentina following the election of an anti-rights government. Many activists in the country were struggling to continue their work because of the stripping back of LGBTQI+ rights, gender affirming care, sexual and reproductive rights, and migrant rights, alongside the closing of civic space. In response to requests from activists, Urgent Action Fund-Latin America & the Caribbean brought thirteen groups from different provinces in Argentina together to talk, strategise, and find space for respite and joy together.