Syndicate: Mama Cash - funding resource for women's projects

[Andreas Broeckmann <abroeck@v2.nl>]

MAMA CASH - CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE


INTRODUCTION

Mama Cash is an independent women's funding organization in
the Netherlands. The organization supports feminist groups
that want to change for women oppressive traditional norms and
work for a society in which there is equal access to wealth,
(natural) resources, education and health care. Mama Cash
recognizes the reality of situational differences and therefo-
re acknowledges that women know best how change can be achie-
ved in their local situations.

Mama Cash relies on private donations and loans from individu-
als. The organization is run by a small paid staff and active
boardmembers, all together twenty women who all have thorough
experience in the (international) women's movement.

Mama Cash has four fields of activities:
- she supports women enterpreneurs in the Netherlands with
  guarantees for bankloans;
- she gives loans and grants to feminist cultural and socio-
  political projects in the Netherlands;
- she gives grants to women's activities concerning legal,
  cultural, socio-political and sexual rights' issues in the
  Global South.
- she gives grants and loans to feminist groups who want to
  change the socio-political and cultural position of women
  and/or who work for womens' legal and sexual rights in
  Central and Eastern Europe.

PROJECTS in Central and Eastern Europe

Because of limited resources, Mama Cash has to make choices as
to which groups can be financially supported:
- Mama Cash gives 'seed funding' for the establishment of new
  womens' groups and/or new projects of women;
- Mama Cash supports groups that encounter difficulties in
  raising money for controversial issues from other sources.
- Mama Cash concentrates on groups that have organizational
  independence from state, political parties or religious
  institutions.

POLICY:

- activities should be undertaken by and directed towards wo-
  men;
- womens' groups must have organizational and policy inde-
  pendence, and control over their financial means;

AREAS FOR SUPPORT

WOMEN'S HUMAN RIGHTS
basic civil and human rights:
the struggle to achieve basic civil and legal rights, for
example equal pay, equal positions, more women in political
power.
sexual rights:
the struggle for sexual independence, protection against
(sexual) violence, the battle for reproductive rights; empo-
werment of sexworkers and lesbian women.

COMMUNICATION
feminist periodicals, documentation centers, publications,
communication technology and internet, newsletters etc.

INTERNATIONAL NETWORKING
the organization of or attendance at international women's
conferences.

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES BY WOMEN
theater productions, festivals, exhibitions.
establishing women's centers/meeting places.


HOW TO APPLY FOR A GRANT

Grants range in size between US$ 500.- to US$ 7.000.-

Contact information:
* Name of the group, contact person, address, telephone, fax,
  e-mailnumbers;
* how and to whom the grant may be sent: bank-accountnumber,
  bankadress, accountholder, and (if available) Swiftnumber
and
  telexnumber of the bank;
* an independent person or organization (if possible in the
  Netherlands) who can give additional information about the
  group.

Organizational information:
* purpose, vision and history of the group; background of par-
  ticipants;
* structure of the group;
* activities and programs;
* financial situation of the group.

Information about the grant:
* purpose and amount of the grant requested;
* plans for implementation, how the grant will be used;
* other sources of funding.

PROCEDURE

Suitable and fully completed proposals are reviewed by the
Board of Directors. Decisions are made five times a year.
Normally the entire procedure will take three to four months.

MAMA CASH
P.O.Box 15.686
1001 ND Amsterdam
The Netherlands
phone : 31-20-6893634
fax   : 31-20-6834647
e-mail: mamacash@mamacash.nl

Mama Cash bank: MeesPierson, Amsterdam, acc.# 21.30.00.555

Stichting Mama Cash was founded in 1982 in Amsterdam, the Ne-
therlands as a non-profit foundation. It is recognized as a
public charity with tax facilities.

(This brochure is also available in the German language).