Renewal of the Women’s Voice and Leadership Program: What we heard report

On April 27, 2023, Canada announced $195 million over five years and $43.3M annually thereafter for the renewal and expansion of the Women’s Voice and Leadership (WVL) Program. Canada first launched the WVL Program in 2017.

As a flagship initiative of Canada’s then new Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP), Canada committed $150 million over five years to local women’s organizations in developing countries. The WVL Program continues to be implemented with a feminist approach (Feminist approach - Innovation and effectiveness guidance note).

Women’s rights organizations (WROs), LBTQI+ led groups, feminist movements and women human rights defenders are vital to breaking down barriers to gender equality around the world. This is especially so in times of crisis and conflict.

This continued investment highlights Canada’s commitment to ensuring these organizations have the resources and support they need to carry out their important work for years to come.

Canada recognizes the need to build on lessons from the first five years of WVL Program implementation as experienced by members of the WVL community. The WVL community includes implementing partners, WROs/grantees and Global Affairs Canada (GAC) staff involved in WVL.

We are also aware of the changed global context on gender equality (GE) since 2017. The renewed WVL Program must respond to the current global context of multiple and intersecting crises. These crises profoundly affect local WROs and LBTQI+ led groups and feminist movements.

As such, Canada sought to gather insights and lessons to inform the design of the renewed program. We gathered these from organizations that are part of the first phase of WVL. We also heard from others with experiences and learning related to effectively supporting WROs.

Thank you to all who took part in the series of stakeholder events held by GAC between April and November 2023. Your feedback is helping to inform the design of the Renewed WVL (RWVL) Program.

Find out below what you and other members of the WVL community and the feminist funding ecosystem had to say about the renewed Program in this “What We Heard” report.

Consultation and feedback processes

This report draws on what we heard in targeted stakeholder events and from other sources of feedback we have received since the program’s inception. In many ways, the findings of the Formative Evaluation of the WVL Program, completed in 2022, provided a starting point for discussions on the renewed program.

The evaluation concluded that WVL effectively integrated good practices for feminist programming and was truly relevant to the needs of local WROs in diverse contexts. It also highlighted that Canada’s requirements of contracting, due diligence and reporting were particularly challenging for new partners, especially local organizations.

The WVL Program was not as inclusive as hoped for in the selection of local organizations, especially as implementing partners.

In addition, the evaluation found that there was a strong need to better adapt GAC’s systems and processes to feminist programming and direct support to local WROs.

These themes dominated our targeted stakeholder events with many exciting and innovative solutions being suggested by stakeholders.

In addition to the formative evaluation, this report draws on the following:

1. The event to announce the Renewed WVL Program held in Ottawa in April 2023 provided a first opportunity to hear directly from WROs. They shared their hopes for the future of WVL. They raised critical issues such as locally led development, sustainability of WROs and feminist movements. They also spoke of the global backlash against gender equality and women’s rights.

   This hybrid event brought together approximately 250 members of the WVL community. It included grantee WROs, Women’s Funds, Local and Canadian implementing partners, and the feminist funding ecosystem more broadly.

2. The announcement of the renewed program mobilized the WVL Community of Practice (CoP). This group is comprised of both Canadian and Non-Canadian implementing partners. The CoP undertook to gather lessons and devise recommendations to inform future programming in support of WROs.

   The CoP report summarizes findings based on a survey and two consultative meetings, in which 19 of the 30 WVL projects represented in the CoP participated.

3. The renewal announcement also prompted the moderators of the WVL Learning Hub to take action. This virtual community currently includes over 600 WVL members, the majority local WROs. The Hub moderators undertook an online survey “Moving Forward with WVL - Have your Say”.

   The survey received 136 responses (63 per cent of which were grantee partners). The results of the CoP and Learning Hub surveys/reports were shared with us in June 2023.

   Formal presentations to GAC’s senior management and broader teams responsible for coordination and technical guidance on WVL about the results of the CoP report and the Hub survey.

4. Canada also conducted three targeted stakeholder events, one in person and two on-line:

   • In July 2023, at Women Deliver, we hosted a Stakeholder Consultation Roundtable on the renewal and expansion of the WVL Program. The session engaged 70 participants who shared lessons learned on programming to WROs.

     Though the discussions were wide-ranging, the session focused primarily on two themes:

     • effective strategies for the RWVL Program to reach WROs in conflict and crisis affected situations, and
     • effective strategies to better support feminist alliances, networks, and movements, particularly at national and sub-regional levels.

     About half the moderators, speakers, and participants included representatives from current WVL implementing partners and grantee WROs. The other half were from organizations that are part of the feminist funding ecosystem.

   • Following Women Deliver, we held additional targeted discussions to hear from structurally excluded groups on their experiences of WVL and their hopes for the renewed program. In October 2023, two virtual sessions were held:
     • one with Disability Rights WROs (with 50 participants), and
     • one with LBTQI+ organizations (with 15 participants).

     Both events were co-organized and co-moderated by WVL partners.

Beyond the targeted stakeholder events noted above, this report draws on what we heard through more informal channels. These included feedback shared by the WVL community with Program Team Leads (PTLs) and Missions since the renewal was announced in April 2023.

Feedback from internal consultations within GAC is broadly aligned with what we heard through our targeted stakeholder events.

The main highlights

We heard 9 main themes:

1. Build on what is working well.
2. Reinforce strategies in support of localization.
3. Apply an intentional and intersectional approach to reach the most structurally excluded.
4. Strengthen strategies to support WROs and LBTQI+ groups in conflict- and crisis- affected situations.
5. Expand the support to institutional capacity strengthening and sustainability of WROs.
6. Apply a more targeted approach to networking, alliances and movement strengthening.
7. Strengthen feminist MEL (monitoring, evaluation, and learning) approaches to guide WVL learning and impact, including how results are reported.
8. Streamline and simplify GAC’s systems and processes.
9. Apply a consistent approach to feminist programming across the RWVL Program.

The sections that follow elaborate what we heard on each of these themes. We include practical ideas and recommendations that were put forward during the various events. The closing section of the report provides an overview of ways we are responding to what we heard.

Details of what we heard

1. Build on what works in the WVL Program design

Canada heard clearly that the WVL Program is valued and appreciated by WROs and other grantee partners. Feedback highlighted specific aspects that are working well. These aspects should be continued in the renewed program:

• The 4 program modalities – multi-year core funding, rapid and responsive funding, institutional capacity strengthening, and alliance, network, movement strengthening – are considered “the right ones”. These 4 modalites support WROs and LBTQI+ groups in the increasingly complex environments they are working. These should be maintained with some adaptations.

• A positive feature of the WVL Program is that it does not impose thematic areas of focus or “projectize” funding. The flexible, multi-year budgets allow local WROs to determine how funds will be allocated according to their own priorities and context-specific solutions.

  This aligns with the spirit of feminist programming and should be maintained.

• The adoption of a feminist MEL approach and learning orientation via the WVL Community of Practice, the WVL Learning Hub, and the regional learning events was appreciated. More could be done to deepen this work.

  Participants affirmed that these spaces allow the WVL community to share information, success stories and “to learn from each other.”

• Direct funding provided to WROs and LBTQI+ groups through the WVL Program is important and highly valued by them. The RWVL Program should continue to maximize the amount of project funds flowing directly to local WROs and LBTQI+ groups and Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs).
• The hosting of smaller and unregistered WROs by larger WROs with legal registration and adequate staffing was described as an effective strategy for increasing access of smaller, nascent groups to WVL funds. This should be encouraged in the RWVL Program. Canada should also rethink risk tolerance thresholds that create barriers for local WROs.
• The rapid and responsive funding modality was appreciated as a mechanism to channel additional funds in response to emerging crises. The feedback mentioned COVID-19 and floods. This modality should be continued and expanded in the RWVL for crisis contexts.

2. Reinforce strategies that shift power to local WROs and feminist movements

Feedback reaffirmed that the WVL Program is seen as supportive of locally-led development. This happens through the flexibility offered for local grantee partners to design and deliver initiatives that respond to their own priorities.

Participants also urged that Canada could do more in the RWVL Program to support localization.

They pointed to the barriers which existing due diligence and compliance mechanisms create for small, local WROs and LBTQI+ groups. They reminded us that the first iteration of the WVL Program had fallen short of its aspirations to select WROs based in the Global South as implementing partners.

Participants acknowledged that this is also an important moment for Canadian NGOs to think about how to operationalize “shifting of power” in the work they do.

On the topic of localization and shifting power to WROs and networks in the Global South, we heard that the RWVL Program should:

• Clarify the definition of “local WROs” to make selection criteria more transparent.
• Consider the selection of implementing partners in the Global South.
• Prioritize the selection of implementing partners with experience in and commitment to feminist principles and feminist programming. Canada should keep in mind that context will determine the extent to which these partners can explicitly use these terms.
• Build on existing collaborations and networks among local WROs rather than creating new structures for channelling resources.
• Sometimes the selection of a local implementing partner is simply not feasible. Canada should consider alternative or hybrid models with INGOs/Canadian NGO partnering with a local organization(s).
• Include resources for local implementing partners to strengthen their own organizational capacity.
• Look for opportunities to shift power, resources, capacity, and project management to local WROs. Options include co-design of the proposal, budget, Project Implementation Plan (PIP) and decentralized governance.
• Continue and encourage the flexibility for unregistered groups to be supported through fiscal sponsors.
• Address the low risk tolerance of Canada as a barrier to locally-led development. This needs to change if local WROs are to benefit fully from the RWVL Program.

3. Apply an intentional and intersectional approach to reach the most structurally excluded

The discussions offered insights into how the RWVL Program can be more effective in reaching smaller, more informal, and unregistered groups.

These groups tend to represent the most structurally excluded communities, including LBTQI+ people, women with disabilities, sex workers, migrant or refugee women, Indigenous women, and women who are HIV+. All of these communities also experience intersecting forms of exclusion.

The challenges these groups face in accessing funds were characterized as part of broader challenges related to Canada’s risk tolerance levels, due diligence, and compliance mechanisms. Feedback on this topic is described later in the report.

Participants also emphasized the need for more intentional strategies. Intentional strategies are based on solid intersectional analysis to increase reach to structurally excluded groups.

On the topic of reaching structurally excluded groups, we heard that the RWVL Program should:

• Take a stronger intersectional approach.
• Partner and work closely with local organizations or networks representing structurally excluded groups.
• Mainstream participation of structurally excluded groups, for example, Women with Disabilities (WWD). This should happen not only in the design and grantee selection stages. This should happen throughout the project implementation process.
• Disability-inclusive budgeting should be a financial requirement in project design. This will ensure there are resources to accommodate for the participation of WWD.
• Consider encouraging specific calls, or quotas, for specific structurally excluded groups. This could be included under the multi-year core funding and rapid and responsive funding modalities.
• Tailor and ease the application and reporting processes for funding calls for multi-year core funding and rapid and responsive grants. Ensure proposal templates and processes are simple, easier to read and understand, and accessible to all.
• Recognize the stress, trauma and burn-out experienced especially by LBTQI+ groups, women human rights defenders and activists. This is a result of the increasing global restrictions on LBTQI+ rights and the constant threat of violence.
• The RWVL should encourage and support the inclusion of care and well-being under all four WVL modalities. This could include healthcare for staff members, including psycho-social support, and training on self-care.
• Allocate resources and time to collect and analyze disaggregated data. This should include tracking the numbers of organizations representing structurally excluded groups that access RWVL funding. It should also include tracking the impact of the RWVL Program on these groups.
• The involvement and role of men in the RWVL Program needs further discussion. There are examples of current WVL grantee partners doing work on positive masculinities. This includes how men show up as allies for structurally excluded women’s voice and leadership.

4. Strengthen strategies to support WROs in conflict- and crisis-affected situations

The announcement in April 2023 specified that the RWVL Program would expand support in conflict- and crisis-affected contexts. The targeted stakeholder discussions sought feedback on what support WROs and LBTQI+ groups working in these contexts most needed.

Participants affirmed that the rapid and responsive funding modality was valued and could provide some flexibility in responding to emerging crises. Participants strongly emphasized that greater flexibility was required along with less cumbersome and time-consuming delivery mechanisms.

Participants provided feedback in the context of the growing power and influence of anti-gender movements and the backlash against human rights. They highlighted the importance of rethinking how “conflict and crisis” is defined in the RWVL Program.

On the topic of expanding support to WROs in conflict- and crisis-affected situations, we heard that the renewed WVL Program should:

• Expand the RWVL Program in countries and regions where democratic space is closing.
• Increase budgets for rapid and responsive funds in higher risk contexts. GAC should also streamline systems to improve access to faster, simpler, rapid responsive grants for local WROs and other local groups.
• Allow more flexibility to allocate funds in response to crisis. One suggestion put forward was the option to include “crisis modifiers” in RWVL project budgets.
• More flexible budgets “would allow implementing partners and WROs to respond to crises more efficiently and effectively without having to go through additional approval steps”.
• Continue to invest in institutional capacity strengthening and accompaniment to WROs in crisis settings. Capacity strengthening and alliance strengthening were described as critical in crisis and conflict affected situations.
• Encourage allocations under WVL projects for Gender Based Violence (GBV) risk prevention, protection, and mitigation strategies. Such strategies could include structural support for GBV prevention and services, including shelter resources. It could also include cybersecurity training and developing individual and group protection strategies.
• Encourage allocations in budgets for collective care and well-being and access to funds for security and protection in crisis contexts. Consider a centralized mechanism at GAC for implementing partners to propose urgent adaptations. These could be used to prevent and mitigate risks and protect WHRDs and their organizations.

5. Expand support to institutional capacity strengthening and sustainability of WROs and networks

Feedback affirmed the institutional capacity strengthening modality of WVL is highly valued and WROs want more of this in the renewed program.

We heard that WROs appreciate the time, space, and resources to focus on their self-identified capacity needs. These included strategic planning, gender responsive financial planning and management, resources mobilization and MEL. Other areas included feminist leadership, succession planning, networking and advocacy, and wellness and care.

On the topic of institutional capacity strengthening and sustainability, we heard that the RWVL Program should:

• Reaffirm that long-term, flexible, core funding is critical to the sustainability of WROs and movements.
• Allocate additional resources to institutional capacity strengthening. This support should be expanded to include local implementing partners, WROs, LBTQI+ groups and other local groups beyond those who are recipients of multi-year core funding.
• Take an expanded approach to how sustainability of WROs is defined and assessed. This expanded approach should include non-financial dimensions of capacity that are seen by WROs as critical to their sustainability. This approach would ensure that assessment of capacity and sustainability of WROs does not assume a linear trajectory of growth and development.
• Continue to allow and encourage multi-year core funding to be allocated by grantee partners to cover staff costs. Having core staff in place is essential to institutional capacity strengthening activities and the sustainability of WROs.
• The challenges faced by local WROs in retaining staff, often linked to higher remuneration being offered by INGOs, was raised consistently. This should be considered in determining budget guidance for the RWVL Program.
• Build on tried and tested feminist capacity strengthening approaches of the WVL Program.
  • These centre on realities and perspectives of WROs.
  • These are identified through a self-directed needs assessment.
  • They go beyond a cookie cutter approach to training.
  • They support accompaniment through the mentoring of nascent organizations by more seasoned ones.
  • They include peer to peer learning processes, tailored group and individual training, and contributions of local and regional expertise.
• Explore options for allowing local WROs to use a portion of multi-year core funding for investments and longer-term financial planning. This could include alternative economic opportunities.

6. Apply a more targeted approach to networking, alliances and movement strengthening

Advocacy by networks, alliances, and movements to affect positive policy, legal and social change on gender equality and the rights for women/girls, trans and non-binary individuals is a key pillar of the WVL Theory of Change.

Participants to the discussions reminded Canada that this kind of change takes time.

In the current climate of regression of human rights, there is a very real danger that past gains on gender equality may be lost and holding the ground can be considered a win.

This makes it even more critical that women’s rights, feminist and LBTQI+ movements are sustained and strengthened so they can “push back against the pushback.”

As such, participants emphasized the critical importance of specific investments in strategies that allow movements to stay connected, collaborate and sustain themselves in their role as frontline defenders of women’s rights and gender equality.

On the theme of movement strengthening, we heard that the RWVL Program should:

• Prioritize the selection of implementing partners with a strong understanding of movement building and a track record in supporting WROs and LBTQI+ groups.
• Focus on strengthening already established connections and do not force or impose alliances.
• Encourage support to existing networks, including regional networks. This includes acknowledging that many of these are often informal and unregistered. Work at regional levels is considered to have a multiplier effect on national level work of WROs and movements.
• Consider including in budgets sufficient resources to convene events for joint learning, knowledge creation and exchange activities. This could include feminist strategizing, trust, and solidarity building, collective and self-care, and wellbeing.
• Look for opportunities for local movement actors to be connected to national, regional, and global spaces. Ensure funds to pay for their participation at events such as the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), Association of Women in Development (AWID), Women Deliver.
• Include resources to cover all costs related to virtual and face-to-face meetings. This could include connectivity/power packs, travel costs, interpretation, and other accommodations required to create inclusive collective spaces.

• Resource collaborations that foster linkages and coalitions across women’s, disability justice, LBTQI+ movements. Support these connections at different levels (local, national, regional, global).

  There was acknowledgement that cross-movement, intersectional spaces (feminist, LBTQI+, disability) are still rare.

  It cannot be assumed that women’s networks, alliances, and movements are inherently inclusive of disability justice and LBTQI+ groups and people. RWVL projects may need to include inclusion training and awareness raising. These could build shared values and foster common agendas across movements.

• Take seriously concerns of feminist movement actors about their work being compromised or co-opted. Canada could consider less stringent requirements for visibility/logo on materials or at events. 

7. Strengthen feminist MEL approaches to guide WVL learning and impact, including how results are reported

The WVL Program is the first GAC Program to take an explicitly feminist approach to MEL.

Participants in the discussions strongly affirmed the value of a feminist MEL approach. They valued WVL learning components including the Community of Practice, Learning Hub, and regional learning events.

Participants urged that these efforts to be expanded and strengthened. The RWVL needs a strategic approach to programmatic learning, evidence synthesis and knowledge translation across the breadth of the program.

Participants also strongly emphasized the poor fit between Canada’s results-based management (RBM) reporting requirements and feminist MEL. They told us this makes it harder for WROs to demonstrate their impact.

On the topic of MEL, we heard that the RWVL Program should:

• Expand opportunities for on-line and in-person peer-to-peer WVL Program learning and exchanges at different levels. These could connect RWVL grantees within a country, within regions, across regions.
• Revamp the WVL Learning Hub to ensure that it is more interactive, accessible, and user-friendly for RWVL community members.
• Provide clearer guidance on feminist MEL. This guidance needs to be adapted to different implementing contexts, including contexts where using the term “feminist” is problematic.
• Strengthen capacity of WROs to report on outcomes. Offer trainings on participatory and feminist MEL, as well as RBM. Ensure more MEL tools are available in different languages.
• Expand partnerships to organizations or foundations that specialize in gender equality data collection and analysis, and knowledge management/sharing.
• Invest more in capacity at the program level for collection, analysis and dissemination of program data, evidence and research.
• Allocate sufficient funding and consider contracting of an external feminist organization to coordinate learning components. This organization should have feminist MEL experience.

Specifically on the topic of reporting, we heard that the RWVL Program should:

• Reduce the number of performance indicators. Build in time to enable implementing partners to consult grantee partners on outcomes and indicators that are meaningful for them.
• Reduce the frequency of reporting.
• Simplify reporting requirements and templates. Streamline narrative reporting. Allow for more innovative, flexible reporting approaches. This could include one-to-one conversations between implementing partners and grantee partners. It could also include one-to-one conversations between implementing partners and Project Team Leads (PTLs).
• Offer options to report in language of choice where possible.
• Encourage the use of qualitative data, storytelling, and change stories in reporting on performance and impact.
• Organize grantee convenings to hear stories of impact.

8. Streamline and simplify GAC systems and processes in support of feminist programming

The discussions provided additional perspectives on how we could become “fit for purpose” for supporting feminist programming and providing direct support to local partners. These built on a key introduced in the Formative Evaluation of the WVL Program.

Participants challenged us to look closely at how to make resources easily accessible and less burdensome administratively.
Participants also strongly encouraged more streamlined, consistent, and transparent communication with implementing partners.

The main message on this theme was for Canada to rethink its approach to risk.

On the topic of WVL Program Management, we heard that the RWVL Program should:

• Extend the timeframe of RWVL projects. Ideally, funding should be for 7 to 8 years.
• Simplify processes such as the application process, due diligence, and compliance mechanisms, financial and results reporting. These would make it easier for local WROs to access funding and spend more time doing what they do best.
• Allow more flexibility in the proposal format. Use light, easy to read and easy to understand application processes and templates. Encourage IPs to do so too.
• Streamlined and standard approval processes and timelines for Program Management aspects such as Project Implementation Plans (PIP) or No-Cost Extension (NCE). This will help to minimize delays and reduce requests for additional information by individual PTLs.
• Encourage implementing partners to reassess their approach to risk tolerance. This approach limits the access of smaller, more informal WROs to WVL funding opportunities.
• Put in place a standardized and streamlined management approach for Project Team Leads (PTL) to manage all WVL projects. This should include clear communication guidelines to ensure that all WVL implementing partners receive the same information at the same time.
• Build in more flexibility in budgets to allow resources to be moved more easily across the four program modalities. Provide clear guidance on implementing partners’ flexibility around funding streams.
• Simplify and streamline WVL monitoring and reporting. Reduce the frequency of reporting and ensure alignment of frequency among all WVL implementing partners. Feedback indicated that some WVL implementing partners were reporting more frequently than others.
• Allow WROs and implementing partners to grant visibility to the Government of Canada as they see fit. Remember that highlighting links between a local organization and an international partner in some contexts might put that organization at risk.
• Integrate feedback mechanisms to allow WROs and implementing partners to give their feedback to GAC for continued improvement.

9. Apply a consistent approach to feminist programming across the RWVL Program and within GAC

We heard that:

• Steps should be taken to build and communicate a shared understanding of feminist programming within GAC. This would serve as a basis for consistent application by our staff across WVL projects.
• Steps should be taken to support the capacity of our staff and consultants including WVL third party project monitors and evaluators.
• They should have a clear understanding of feminist programming.
• They should have a basic understanding of the feminist movement of the countries their portfolio operates in.
• They should have a commitment to the core values and feminist approach inherent in the WVL design.

Moving forward

We were pleased and encouraged by the level of engagement during the stakeholder discussions and feedback to inform the design of the RWVL Program.

We listened carefully to what we heard.

Many of the practical suggestions outlined above are being incorporated into the design of the RWVL Program. A few examples of what this looks like are offered below.

We have reframed the core feminist principles underpinning the RWVL Program, from participatory, inclusive, and empowering (for the first WVL iteration) to Transformative, Intersectional, Locally-led and Flexible.

These feminist principles will inform the design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and learning of the renewed WVL projects.

In addition:

• Implementing partners and PTLs will receive the same sets of “WVL Program design packages” at the same times in the design and inception processes.
• Additional support will be available to improve understanding among GAC staff of RWVL’s feminist approach. This includes onboarding tools, a mentorship program and coaching.
• A simplified performance measurement framework (PMF) will be used for RWVL projects. This has fewer common indicators and encourages fewer project-level indicators.
• More time is built in for implementing partners to co-develop the final PMF with grantee partners.
• The approach to RWVL results reporting and related templates will be streamlined and simplified.
• The collection and analysis of disaggregated data will be more systematic. This includes disaggregated data by structurally excluded groups.
• The inclusion of budgets for capacity strengthening of local implementing partners. If this is of interest to them and according to their own identified priorities.
• Longer timeframes for projects.