Think the world needs an intervention? We do.
Today, we’re launching a new website for a new era of the Equality Fund, a global fund investing in people with local solutions for the world’s most complex problems.
Why now? We have a window of opportunity. As foreign aid systems are crumbling, our model has proven to be durable, unique and robust. We were built for this moment.
Around the world, women are driving climate resilience, strengthening democracy, reducing violence and advancing human rights while remaining underfunded and underacknowledged. Fixing that, with flexible and long-term resources, is a simple but overlooked strategy – until now.
Our gender-aligned investment approach has generated $90 million in cumulative investment returns, which is reinvested into grantmaking and operations, moving money again and again to local leaders driving systemic change in their communities.
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Have you read our Year 5 Report?
Learn about our impact and how we do it. As you can see, we have big ambitions, big impact and we don’t do this work alone.
Read the full report to learn more about our partners. Design by @studiowyse Link in bio.
Introducing our new Year 5 Report, “All Systems Go: How the Equality Fund is delivering at Year 5.” In 2025, we are in a moment of massive disruption but our mission as a global fund remains the same – to invest in women, girls and trans people, enabling communities to thrive. This work is ambitious but together, we are transforming systems of finance, policy and crisis response.
This year, we reached full independence, a huge milestone, but we don’t do this work alone. If you are a partner or collaborator, please share this post. Our achievements are shared with you and we invite new allies to join our community of change. Art by @savinamonet Design by @studiowyse Read our full report to learn about our impact. Link in bio
Achieving #genderequality at scale requires collaboration, not competition. So how do we do that? Here are some takeaways from @women_deliver in Melbourne from Maria Wong (@equalityfund ) and Júlia Libório from Co-Impact.
In this post, they share key insights on what we heard at #WD2026 (and every day) as we work together to resource gender equality around the world.
🧩 Understand how organizations complement each other:
For example, Equality Fund flows money to feminist movements by directly funding women-led organizations and feminist funds. Co-Impact brings together local changemakers and funders to make systems work for everyone—especially those most marginalized. Gender equality is central to both our missions.
🔄 Resource differently:
Better resourcing and philanthropy means moving beyond short-term funding toward long-term, flexible support. It means trusting movements to lead and shifting decision-making power closer to the communities driving change.
🤝 Act collectively:
Real change requires partnerships built on shared power, trust, and solidarity—where risks are taken together. In other words, we need to “build the village,” connecting people, movements, and resources to drive change.
Moments like Women Deliver matter. When we convene as leaders, advocates, and partners from around the world, it helps us align, learn, and move forward together.
Who else is creating systems change by building “the village”? Share with us in the comments how you’re doing it 👇
On International Women’s Day, we stand with women human rights defenders. We honour the work they do in the face of threats to their own safety. Globally, women human rights defenders – all those who fight for women’s rights to political participation, education and rights to our own bodies – are facing escalating threats. Activism that challenges the status quo, traditional gender roles and notions of culture is dangerous work in many places around the world.
Yanar Mohammed was a public, feminist leader despite death threats from the start, beginning by helping women and girls escape violence in Iraq, over two decades ago. Yanar was killed in front of her home in Baghdad less than a week ago. She deserved so much better. Yanar dedicated herself to her work because she knew women and girls in Iraq, and the world over, deserve better, too.
On International Women’s Day, we reflect on the reality that Yanar’s death was not an isolated incident and that it fits what Amnesty International documents as “a chilling pattern.” As we grieve, we reflect on her courage, clarity and conviction. We have so much work to do. Yanar has shown us the way.
Yanar led with laughter and joy and enjoyed life as much as she strove to improve the lives of others. Read more about Yanar’s life and work here equalityfund.ca/en/updates/media-and-press
This is a photo of our dear friend and ally, Iraqi Canadian feminist leader Yanar Mohammed, at our event in Vancouver in November. On March 2nd, Yanar was killed in a targeted attack in front of her home in Baghdad, Iraq. We are still processing the shock and sadness.
Our staff held a Zoom call to light candles and share memories.
“I met Yanar in 2003,” said Natalia Caruso. “She was the most incredible activist I’ve ever known.”
In 2003, Yanar left her life in Canada, returning to her home country to help women and girls. She grew a network of safe houses for women escaping honour killings, enforced sexual slavery, violence and discrimination.
“Yanar was really clear that the hostility against women’s human rights didn’t exist in a vacuum,” said Beatriz Gonzalez. “The US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 had left a vacuum of power and from that, emerged other de facto powers and militias on the ground. The one thing they had in common, according to Yanar, was that you control communities and instill fear by controlling the women.”
Yanar was sharp in her analysis. And she was very special to us as a global feminist fund with roots in Canada.
“Yanar brought conviction and clarity to the most consequential policy spaces. She pushed us to aim higher. She was essential to advancing Canada’s feminist objectives, and her impact will endure," said Jess Tomlin.
Yanar’s powerful work came at a steep cost. Her death was not an isolated act. Globally, women human rights defenders face escalating threats. In 2024, 56 killings were documented in conflict-affected countries.
Amnesty International wrote this week that Yanar’s death fits “a chilling pattern of targeted killings” that they have been documenting in Iraq since 2019. “Human rights defenders, including women’s rights defenders in Iraq must be protected — not silenced and killed.”
We remember Yanar Mohammed – her work, determination, sweetness and her love of sushi and jazz.
If you have a comment or memory, share it with us. If you have a candle, please light it today to honour Yanar Mohammed, her loved ones, and the work of women human rights defenders around the world.
Today, we learned of the untimely death of Iraqi Canadian feminist leader, Yanar Mohammed.
We honour her life as we grieve and condemn her targeted killing. Our staff were deeply shocked and saddened to hear that on the morning of March 2, 2026, she was killed in a targeted attack in front of her home in Baghdad, Iraq.
To the world, Yanar Mohammed was one of the most courageous human rights defenders of our time. To us, at the Equality Fund, she was a friend and ally whose work was grounded in unflinching moral and political clarity. We saw, through working alongside her, what it means to bring joy to the challenging work of human rights activism. She did this despite threats to her personal safety from the very start, as she co-founded the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI).
Her bravery and commitment were unparalleled and recognized by human rights organizations around the world.
We send our deepest condolences to her family and friends in Canada, Iraq and the world over.
Read our statement at equalityfund.ca/en/updates/media-and-press
Our new era deserves a new website. Have you seen it? Here’s the TLDR: Our world needs an intervention. We have a window of opportunity. We built the Equality Fund for this moment. And our model is working. Click through to explore our impact: equalityfund.ca
This week, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said we do not have a feminist foreign policy. Actually, Canada does. And we are proof that it works.
Our origin story includes the responsibility of stewarding the single, largest investment into feminist foreign aid in history – yes, from the Canadian government. This investment reflects deeply-held Canadian values.
It is important to us to challenge the current move away from “wokeness” as though it’s a weak policy posture that won’t serve our objectives of peace, democracy and economic stability. Whatever words you choose to discard – “woke,” “DEI,” “feminist,” take your pick – it’s the substance of policy that matters.
This photo is from our launch in 2019. Today, we can share the impact of this investment and diversification strategies that work in a changing geopolitical landscape. Read more here equalityfund.ca/latest/blog-news
The Equality Fund is powered by people who believe in people. Get to know us through our joy (we love our dogs and gardens!).
In this moment, the state of the world demands our unwavering dedication as we collaborate with partners around the world. To power up, we remember that our work is driven by hope, opportunity and persistence. If you work with us, we are grateful for you!
To read more about our impact since launch, read our full report, All Systems Go: How the Equality Fund is delivering at Year 5. Link in bio
Do you know how our model works?
💡 In our new Year 5 Report, we share that we have moved $100 million to 1,800 organizations in 100 countries.
We are proud of the impact we’ve had since our launch in 2019. And we’re grateful to work alongside unwavering partners in policy, philanthropy, activism and crisis response, all around the world.
Read our full report and join us as we look ahead to what we can achieve together in the next five years. Link in bio.
How do playfulness and imagination drive the heavy lifting of what we do?
CEO Jess Tomlin joins host @kristinemichie of the Playfull Podcast to discuss our approach to fueling people-powered movements.
With the state of our world, Equality Fund was built for this moment. We recognize that imagination is key to innovation.
Listen to this conversation on how and why we influence investment capital dollars to drive social change. Follow on your favourite podcast app.
impactfullinc.com/playfull-podcast/jess-tomlin
