A Thousand Small Threads

A single thread on its own doesn’t look like much. But when many are woven together, crossing again and again, a picture emerges.

That’s how I think about the work of the Equality Fund – a grassroots activist here, a policy advocate there, a donor in the middle – each one, a separate thread, coming together to form something bigger than the sum of its parts.

The Equality Fund is a Canadian charity that supports people-powered movements across the Global South, with a focus on gender equality. In the past six years alone, we’ve granted $125 million to more than 1,800 organizations in over 100 countries. Our partner organizations have won quotas that increase the representation of women in government. They’ve increased access to lifesaving sexual and reproductive healthcare. They’ve defended Indigenous land rights, opened shelters for LGBTQI+ youth, provided legal counsel to migrant workers, and delivered direct services in conflict zones.

None of that happens without all the threads running underneath, often unseen.

How one donor changed the course of our work

Fifty years ago, we were a small but dedicated group of Canadian feminists sitting around a kitchen table, demanding that gender equality sit at the centre of international development. This shared passion is how the MATCH International Women’s Fund was born; we were grassroots in nature fueled by big dreams.

In 2010, government funding cuts nearly closed our doors. We didn’t have money to keep working, and no clear way to find more.

Then an envelope arrived.

Inside was a bequest from a donor’s estate. He had never been wealthy or given a significant amount during his lifetime. But he nevertheless included a gift in his Will. And this unexpected cheque, donated at the request of his late wife, was enough to keep the lights on for a little longer.

What happened next transformed the organization.

When the Government of Canada committed to a feminist foreign aid policy, we won a bid to create a sustainable funding model for gender equality projects. It was the single largest government investment in gender equality anywhere in the world – $300 million.

In 2019, we officially became the Equality Fund and brought our new funding model to life. By combining different forms of capital – gender-lens investing, government and foundation partnerships, and individual philanthropy – we can advance gender equality through our investment strategy and make sure there is a steady source of funding for our partner organizations on the ground. 

That donor, and the gift he left, bought us the time we needed to reinvent ourselves. His gift helped us move beyond short-term, reactive funding and pioneer a new model designed to support lasting change.

A pivotal moment, not the whole story.

Government partners, institutional funders, individual donors…they’re all different threads. Each one doing something the others can’t to advance the gender equality.

For example, government partners can provide significant funding but their contributions take a long time to secure, are often laden with restrictions, and subject to political shifts. Investment returns also take time to build and are subject to market fluctuations.

Donations are the most nimble, most responsive source of funding there is. They can move immediately and provide long-term stability. That matters when you’re tackling deeply entrenched inequalities that take time to change.

There’s also the trust factor. When everyday people believe in something enough to donate, governments take notice. Our biggest government investment only came after decades of donors proving this work matters to them.

So when people ask “does my donation really make a difference?” I remind them that their gift isn’t just money. It’s stability, and freedom, and proof that unlocks everything else.

Threads That Bind

Which brings me back to the people who tied those first threads.

These were everyday people who ran grassroots fundraisers, wrote letters, and believed in an approach to international development that was ahead of their time. The knew that real change requires sustained support, even when progress isn’t linear and the work feels hard. They even left space in their Will to make their support continues long after their gone.

I didn’t get to meet these people. But I do get to be part of the picture they started, and add my own threads to it. So does every other donor, advocate, and partner.

At the centre of that picture are the Equality Fund grant recipients. The partner organizations actively working towards a future where girls never have to fight for the rights their grandmothers already won, where communities have the resources to hold their ground on human rights in the face of well-funded opponents. Let’s pave the way for them to keep doing it.