More Power to Disability Justice Activists and Organisations.
Disability justice activists and organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) are leading real and lasting change while facing discrimination and exclusion.
These OPD leaders are skilled and passionate about creating positive change. They understand the priorities of their members, and they have the right to speak for themselves.
Yet they hardly receive or control any funding at all: Grants for disabled people constitute just 3% of all human rights funding, even though disabled people make up 16% of the world’s population.
Read Scader Louis’ recent piece in Alliance Magazine to find out more:
Even that tiny amount is mostly spent and controlled by others. Recent research published by the Global Action on Disability (GLAD) network states that “the quality of funding is as important as its quantity”. When a trickle of funding does reach disabled activists and their organisations, they are often told how to spend it by funders and intermediaries. The funding is usually short-term and inflexible and cannot be used to focus on the priorities of disabled activists themselves, including movement building.
Funders often assume disabled activists and their organisations cannot manage financial resources properly. Complex requirements for accessing funds exclude grassroots groups and favour larger intermediaries that may ‘consult’ disabled people while keeping control of the money and the power to make decisions.
There’s a need to prioritise and be intentional about funding for OPDs in general and considering reasonable accommodation too.
Dr Sarah Mwikali, Co-founder Gifted Community Centre, Kenya
More and better funding for disability justice means transferring real power and resources to activists and organisations who know best what needs to be done and who can do it well. One approach is participatory grant-making, where disabled activists themselves choose who should get funding.
Alan Herbert from Black Albinism explains more in this short video:
What do we mean by Fairer Funding?
Organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) and disability justice activists need more and better funding. With the recent announcement of the cuts to aid in the UK and around the world, now is the time to transform funding systems to give more power and control to disability justice activists and organisations who know best what needs to be done.
We want to see:
- Increased financial support for OPDs and activists to work towards disability justice in a time of cuts and put local needs and experiences at the heart of their work.
- Flexible, long-term funding for at least three years so that OPDs and activists can set their own priorities, and sustain and adapt their work in changing contexts, including those affected by the challenges of climate breakdown, conflict, and political instability.
- Learning from successful initiatives and the funders and grantees involved, including participatory funding models that increase the role and control of OPDs and activists in decisions about who gets funded and how.
- More accessible funding opportunities that involve simpler processes, are available in multiple languages, and have deadlines that allow time for sharing through offline networks.
- Better tracking to know how much funding is allocated to OPDs and activists and to ensure it reaches them and supports their work.
No more delays. Act now to support disability justice worldwide.
get involved
Hear from OPDs
Catch up on our recent webinar to hear from OPD leaders about the issues and solutions.
Write to your MP
Write to your MP about cuts to aid spending and how this relates to Fairer Funding.
Gorret’s Story
Hear from Gorret, and OPD leader, on how unfair funding systems have affected her work.
What would fairer funding mean for organisations of persons with disabilities?
In this video, Scader Louis, co-founder of the Spinal Injuries Association of Malawi, talks to Alan Herbert, director of Black Albinism Kenya, about the challenges of accessing funding, unequal partnerships, and what a fairer funding system would mean for organisations of persons with disabilities.
You can view the full Fairer Funding video series on YouTube.
Get in Touch.
The Fairer Funding community is working with OPD leaders and activists, donors, funders and INGOs to find a way to make this happen and create a fairer funding system that supports disability justice.
Please get involved and join us in making this vision a reality.
Contact Vanessa on vanessa.herringshaw@add.org.uk to find out more.