Intersectional Feminism
The work of the Trag Foundation is rooted in intersectional feminism, which confronts oppressive social norms and power dynamics.
Equal Access to Opportunities
It advocates for a fairer society where every individual has access to opportunities, regardless of gender, origin, physical ability, skin colour, nationality, or religion.
Long-Term Social Transformation
We believe that supporting women’s organizations and promoting feminism contribute to the long-term transformation of society towards greater inclusivity, justice, and equality.
The aim is to provide long-term, flexible funding that covers operational costs, is adaptable, and lasts for multiple years. This enables organizations to focus their efforts on implementing programs in line with their strategic goals. Additionally, the focus is on building the long-term capacities of organizations through multi-year grants for aspects that many donors are reluctant to finance: capacity building, leadership development, networking, accessibility costs, employee care, and more.
The focus is on ensuring that grant allocation processes are clear, simple, and accessible to everyone. The capacities of partner organizations are respected — from those with the smallest capacities to those with the largest. The goal is to make the grant application process straightforward, understandable, and concrete. Reporting requirements for grant recipients are based on a learning-centred approach, seeking only the most essential information about impact while avoiding complicated evaluations.
Participatory decision-making processes ensure that community representatives have a voice. This process enables the collective selection of support priorities that matter most to the community. The exchange of opinions and experiences is invaluable and lies at the heart of every decision made, as the foundation’s support must reflect the community’s real needs. The goal is to transfer power to those most affected by grant allocation decisions.
It is ensured that the measurement and evaluation required from grant recipients serve their needs and provide a learning experience for everyone involved. Organizations are supported in measuring their impact in ways that truly make sense for them, with the results being used to mobilize further financial and volunteer support. Trag adapts, improves, and strives to learn from every process.
Rather than competing with other donors, Trag seeks ways to work together toward shared goals. Partnerships among grant recipients are encouraged, and cross-border organizations and movements are promoted to tackle challenges or seize opportunities collectively.
Working to change the world can be exhausting, and people often experience burnout. In this sense, support is provided to service providers and activists to prioritize their well-being, health, safety, and resilience. Lessons are drawn from their experiences, they are closely followed, and the relationship with the foundation is adapted to meet their needs. Their stories are heard and shared, always with respect for their privacy.
Support for Women’s Organizations
This is a key component of Trag Foundation’s values. From the very beginning, support has been provided to women’s organizations through various programs, with a strong emphasis on ensuring equal representation of women’s issues. Since 2015, through the support program, Trag Foundation has focused more intensively on strengthening women’s organizations and informal groups at the regional level.
Increasing Impact of Women’s Organizations
This support enables women’s organizations to grow, increase their impact, and actively address issues such as gender equality, prevention of and support in cases of violence against women, building the women’s movement, and other topics essential for social change.
