Rosa, the UK Fund for Women and Girls

We are recruiting a new Chair to lead the Board of Trustees at Rosa. After nearly seven years as Chair, Cath Dovey CBE is stepping down and we have embarked on a search for her successor. We are looking for a Chair with strong personal qualities and attributes that align with our organisational values and goals. It is an exciting time to join us and help lead our growth, working with a passionate and committed Board and executive team. The Chair will work closely with the our Chief Executive to achieve our vision of a society in which women and girls are safe, healthy, and equal. They will drive governance, and guide strategic planning and stakeholder engagement. This pivotal role is crucial in advancing our mission and ensuring organisational sustainability. For more information about Rosa and the Chair role, please click through to our Work With Us page and read our Role Description. To apply please send a CV and covering letter to Bunmi Onile-Ere at rosachair@sapphirepartners.co.uk. Applications will be accepted until 3rd October 2024: https://lnkd.in/erkwDVfS

BLOG: We're part of the Institute For Voluntary Action Research Open and Trusting Grant-making learning community. Here our Trustee Sheila Jane Malley writes about what trusting your grantees *really* means: "It is an absolutely mutual relationship between us and those we fund, and we need to recognise the scale of that interdependence."

So important to raise voices like Ghadah Alnasseri's in the discussion on tackling #VAWG; the type of funding that is desperately needed and the Black and minoritised women who are otherwise being let down:

This timely article by Alexandra Topping in The Guardian highlights that one of the key factors to ensuring Labour deliver on their pledge to halve violence against women and girls is, you guessed it, funding. The article references our mapping research and highlights the dire funding situation in the women and girls sector: the sector received just 1.8% of a total £4.1bn-worth of grants awarded to charities in 2021. Compare that with the estimated £40bn that #VAWG costs society each year, and it's no wonder we feel as though we're fighting a losing battle: we are. The sector is desperate, and those women most in need, who often require specialist services, are being severely let down: “We need money ringfenced for organisations like ours to continue to provide vital support,” Ghadah Alnasseri, co-director at Imkaan. Read more here: https://bit.ly/3NqNhod

A report released this week based on the data from the Women's and Girls Index (WGI) reveals that giving to women’s and girls’ organisations in the US represents just 1.9% of charitable giving - a strikingly similar figure to the paltry 1.8% that goes to the sector in the UK, as we uncovered in our sector mapping report: https://bit.ly/3UHP0IH The US report provides a comprehensive look by The Women's Philanthropy Institute at Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy into a full decade of charitable giving to women’s and girls’ organisations. The index captures data from 54,588 organisations and provides a thorough analysis of giving to the sector in the decade 2012 to 2021: https://bit.ly/4eB18Ej This similarity in the statistics highlights the continued need for greater philanthropic investment and support across the full spectrum of causes that improve the lives of women and girls in both regions.

If you feel helpless faced with the scourge of men's violence against women in our society, you are not alone. But there is another side to the story: there are people in women's and girls' organisations working tirelessly every day to address the issue. The depth and breadth of the work done by women’s and girls’ organisations working to address male violence cannot be overstated. You can support them with funding and see REAL IMPACT: https://lnkd.in/dHrfX4-x The Stand With Us Fund Impact Report that we released this week gives concrete examples of how collective action and the investment in women’s and girls’ organisations can transform lives and create lasting change. The organisations that received grants from the Fund *quadrupled* Rosa’s investment, raising £4 for every £1 invested, to a total of £2.1 million: https://bit.ly/3XN0WdT These organisations provide emergency help for women and children and a safe space to escape to. They offer unique and critical services, such as employment training, psychological and legal support, confidence building, and relocation help, such as with tenancies or finding new schooling, to help women and children to stay safe. We are currently fundraising for the next round of the fund which will open for applications later in 2024. You can be part of the collective action to end men's violence against women: https://lnkd.in/dHrfX4-x

This week we launched the Stand With Us Fund Impact Report which details the impact of the Fund and gives concrete examples of how collective action and the investment in women’s and girls’ organisations can transform lives and create lasting change: https://bit.ly/47K0XUL We're also delighted to share an event that Jamie Klingler, co-founder of Reclaim These Streets will be speaking at. Reclaim These Streets came to us with the initial funds raised after the murder of Sarah Everard and together we established the Stand With Us Fund which empowers and strengthens organisations which address male violence against women and girls by investing in organisational development work. Don't miss what promises to be a great event discussing women's safety in hospitality:

Important research released this week by UK Women's Budget Group projects that by 2027/28, the poorest women in the UK will see their living standards drop by a shocking 21%, unless public spending increases. Since 2010, changes to welfare and public services have disproportionately impacted women. Key findings demonstrate: ➡️ Women from Black and Asian backgrounds face losses of 13% ➡️ Disabled women's living standards will decline by 11% ➡️ Lone mothers are set to lose 18% of their living standards Read more in this analysis in The Guardian 👉 https://lnkd.in/edKu7YAz 📑 Read the full report here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eASpi_dz

Rosa is hiring! We are looking for a Philanthropy & Partnerships Manager: an experienced high-value fundraiser with excellent relationship management skills, to engage and attract new donors and strategic partners. You will drive growth by building a community of donors connected in their ambition to improve the lives of women and girls in the UK. We are looking for someone who is committed to gender equality and could support our work to create a society in which women and girls are safe, healthy and equal. Find out more about Rosa, the Philanthropy & Partnerships Manager role, and how to apply below. ⬇ 📅 Apply by 13th September. https://lnkd.in/erkwDVfS

Rosa stands in solidarity with women's & girls' organisations. We see your tireless work to support communities dealing with the toxic impact of male violence & racism playing out on our streets. We know you do this work every day with little funding and even less recognition. We value you.