Grantmaking Strategy Development Consultancy

About Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism

Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism partners with frontline feminist movements to support women, trans, and non-binary activists who take and face enormous risks to challenge oppressive systems and build a more just and equitable world. Our holistic, flexible approach enables frontline feminists to respond to real-time threats and opportunities, protect and care for themselves and one another, and sustain and propel solutions to the most critical crises and injustices of our time.

Founded in 1997, Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism is one of four independent Urgent Action Sister Funds that share and build power collectively on behalf of frontline feminists worldwide. Based in the United States, Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism supports individuals, organizations and movements in the Middle East, Europe, the Balkans, the Caucasus, Turkey, Central Asia, Russia, Canada and the U.S. Together with our Sister Funds – who resource feminist activists in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean – we seek to provide an interconnected tapestry of flexible support to feminist movements globally.

Background

Over the past two years, the Programs Team has engaged in a series of internal planning discussions to articulate the purpose, vision, and desired outcomes of a long-term grantmaking strategy. These discussions established the rationale for strategy development, the outcomes it should achieve, and the collaborative principles that will guide its development. Additionally, UAF has begun processes to develop an overarching organizational strategy, including the refinement and articulation of UAF’s political identity, vision, values, and voice. The grantmaking strategy will be both an expression of an emerging broader organizational strategy and an important input into its future development. Furthermore, the grantmaking strategy is pivotal to ensuring that in the current institutional moment, UAF can continue to make strategic progress while recognizing that the broader organizational strategy will continue to develop as we learn from implementation, the changing environment, and our institutional experience.

The consultant/s will support UAF in translating this foundation into a comprehensive, future-oriented grantmaking strategy that reflects the organization's feminist values, movement partnerships, operational realities, and long-term vision.

Purpose of the Assignment

The purpose of this consultancy is to support UAF in developing a five-year grantmaking strategy that:

• articulates a clear grantmaking vision and strategic direction;

• strengthens organizational decision-making during periods of uncertainty and crisis;

• clarifies grantmaking priorities, approaches, and funding modalities;

• aligns grantmaking with feminist organizational values and broader institutional priorities;

• supports learning, adaptation, and continuous reflection;

• positions UAF to respond effectively to evolving movement, political, and philanthropic contexts.

Objectives

• Design and facilitate an inclusive, participatory, and feminist strategy development process.

• Review and synthesize existing organizational strategies, grantmaking data, evaluations, and learning products to reflect our institutional knowledge.

• Conduct environmental scanning and landscape analysis relevant to feminist philanthropy, crisis response, movement ecosystems, and emerging global trends.

• Develop and facilitate meaningful approaches to internal and external engagement, ensuring that relevant perspectives from staff, leadership, movement, partners, advisors, and other stakeholders inform the strategy throughout the process.

• Surface strategic opportunities, assumptions, tensions, and decision points requiring organizational discussion.

• Support future-oriented scenario planning.

• Translate emerging strategic decisions and iterative feedback into a coherent five-year Grantmaking Strategy.

• Support the development of an implementation approach, learning framework, and adaptation process.

Scope of Work

The consultant will support UAF through a collaborative strategy development process spanning approximately 15 months.

UAF expects the consultancy to encompass the broad areas of work outlined below. While they are presented in a general progression, UAF recognizes that an effective strategy development process is likely to be iterative rather than linear. These areas reflect the key outcomes and deliverables UAF expects the process to address and are not intended to prescribe a specific methodology, sequence, or duration.

Applicants are encouraged to propose how they would structure the process within the overall consultancy period, including the sequencing and potential overlap of work areas, the time allocated to different components, methods, and engagement approaches, and any interim outputs they believe would strengthen the process. In particular, UAF does not expect internal or external engagement to occur only at a single stage of the process. Relevant perspectives may need to be engaged at different points to inform discovery, explore strategic questions, test emerging directions, and refine the strategy.

The final methodology, workplan, timeline, sequencing, and engagement approach will be refined and agreed upon with UAF during project initiation.

Project Initiation and Alignment

This area of work will establish a shared foundation for the strategy development process and ensure alignment between UAF and the consultant on the purpose, scope, approach, roles, and expectations for the work.

Key Outcomes

• A strong shared understanding of UAF’s organizational context, previous planning, and relevant background informing the strategy development process.

• An agreed methodology that reflects UAF’s context, needs, and intended outcomes for the strategy development process.

• Clear roles, responsibilities, governance, commu