Mama Cash

Mama Cash is a Netherlands-based international women's fund established in 1983 by five feminists: Marjan Sax, Dorelies Kraakman, Patti Slegers, Tania Leon and Lida van den Broek. It was created around the premise that people directly affected by inequality are best placed to define and pursue structural change in their own communities. Rather than concentrating resources only in large, established institutions, Mama Cash developed a grantmaking model focused on small, autonomous and often underfunded women's rights groups. The organization’s early work addressed bodily autonomy and the ability of women and marginalized groups to control decisions affecting their bodies and lives. Its support included initiatives connected with sexuality rights, access to safe abortion and sex workers’ rights. One cited early recipient was Esto no tiene nombre, a magazine and organizing platform created by Latina lesbians, which helped provide visibility and space for discussion around a group that was underrepresented in mainstream feminist and lesbian media. Mama Cash’s approach was partly enabled by initial capital supplied by founder Marjan Sax. Sax lent $1.25 million to the organization for an initial ten-year period, later extending the arrangement by five years. Her view that inherited wealth should be put to work for social change also led to the creation of De Erfdochters, or Women With Inherited Wealth, a group intended to encourage other financially privileged women to direct resources toward activism. Over time, Mama Cash developed a broader international role in feminist philanthropy. Its programmatic framework has been described through the themes Body, Money and Voice: bodily safety and autonomy; fairer and more equitable economic systems; and women’s participation in decision-making. A related focus is support for women's funds and the wider global network of feminist funders. In 2000, Mama Cash became one of nine founding members of the International Network of Women's Funds. By 2013, the organization reported supporting 118 organizations working on women's, girls' and trans rights, with grants totaling €4.3 million that year. The figure illustrates its transition from a small-grants initiative into an international fund supporting a diverse field of rights organizations, while retaining an emphasis on grassroots groups and movements. Mama Cash remains associated with feminist grantmaking, movement strengthening and funding for organizations whose work is frequently overlooked by mainstream philanthropy.

Mama Cash was founded in the Netherlands in 1983 by five feminists: Marjan Sax, Dorelies Kraakman, Patti Slegers, Tania Leon and Lida van den Broek. The founders wanted to create a funding source that connected money with feminist ideals and allowed women’s rights activists to build power on their own terms. Their model responded to a gap in conventional philanthropy: many grassroots initiatives needed relatively small grants, often below $10,000, while larger grantmaking institutions were not structured to process such awards or to provide appropriate support to small, autonomous organizations. Marjan Sax supplied the organization’s initial capital by lending it $1.25 million for ten years. The loan was later extended for an additional five years. Sax had inherited wealth and was initially uneasy about it, but came to regard the money as a resource that could help finance activism. Her example influenced other wealthy women and contributed to the formation of De Erfdochters, translated as Women With Inherited Wealth, which encouraged women with inherited assets to support social and political change. In its early years, Mama Cash concentrated on initiatives related to women’s control over their bodies and lives. Its grants supported work involving sexuality rights, safe abortion and sex workers’ rights. The organization also funded projects that created platforms for marginalized voices. An example cited in accounts of its history is Esto no tiene nombre, a magazine organized and edited by Latina lesbians, which served as a space for discussion and visibility for Latina lesbian communities. The founding philosophy remained central as Mama Cash expanded. Its work came to be organized around Body, Money and Voice: bodily safety and autonomy; economic systems that are more equitable and just; and women’s participation in decision-making. The organization also supported women's funds, linking its grantmaking to the development of a broader international infrastructure for feminist philanthropy. In 2000, Mama Cash became one of the nine founding members of the International Network of Women's Funds. The fund’s later role combined direct support for rights organizations with wider movement-building. It continued to emphasize groups that might be overlooked by mainstream funders because they were small, locally rooted or politically marginalized. By 2013, Mama Cash reported supporting 118 organizations working on women's, girls' and trans rights and providing €4.3 million in funding. That year also marked its thirtieth anniversary. In an interview connected with the anniversary, Executive Director Nicky McIntyre characterized the cumulative effect of women's rights movements as extending across public attitudes, law, governance, the private sector and civil society. Mama Cash’s historical identity is therefore that of a feminist funder whose principal contribution is not a consumer product, but the redistribution of philanthropic resources to autonomous movements seeking structural change.

• 2013

  Thirtieth anniversary and expanded grantmaking

  [1]Mama Cashen.wikipedia.org

  In its thirtieth year, Mama Cash is reported to have supported 118 women's, girls' and trans rights organizations with €4.3 million in funding.

• 2000

  Mama Cash helps establish the International Network of Women's Funds

  [1]Mama Cashen.wikipedia.org

  Mama Cash becomes one of the nine founding members of the International Network of Women's Funds.

• 1983

  Mama Cash is founded in the Netherlands

  [1]Mama Cashen.wikipedia.org

  Five feminists—Marjan Sax, Dorelies Kraakman, Patti Slegers, Tania Leon and Lida van den Broek—establish Mama Cash as an international women's fund.

• 1983

  Initial capital is provided by Marjan Sax

  [1]Mama Cashen.wikipedia.org

  Marjan Sax lends $1.25 million to Mama Cash for an initial ten-year period, later extended by five years, giving the new fund substantial early capital.

A feminist, movement-centered international fund that directs philanthropic resources toward autonomous grassroots organizations, particularly groups working on women's, girls' and trans rights.

• Grantmaking · 1983

  Grassroots feminist grants

  Mama Cash’s core offering is philanthropic funding for small, autonomous and often under-resourced organizations working for women's, girls' and trans rights. The fund’s model emphasizes the knowledge of activists in their own contexts and is designed to reach groups that may not fit the requirements or grant sizes of larger institutions.

• Rights and bodily autonomy

  Body

  Body is one of Mama Cash’s thematic areas and covers safety, bodily autonomy and the right to make decisions about one’s own body. Historically, related support has included work on sexuality rights, safe abortion and sex workers’ rights, as well as initiatives seeking greater visibility and agency for marginalized communities.

• Economic justice

  Money

  Money addresses the relationship between resources and power, with an emphasis on fairer and more equitable economic systems. Within Mama Cash’s broader approach, this theme reflects the goal of moving philanthropic and other resources toward movements that challenge economic inequality and support the financial autonomy of rights organizations.

• Political participation

  Voice

  Voice focuses on women’s participation in decision-making and on strengthening the ability of rights movements to shape public debate, institutions and governance. It forms part of Mama Cash’s thematic framework alongside Body and Money.

• Feminist funding networks · 2000

  Women's Funds

  Women's Funds is a further area of work associated with Mama Cash’s international role. It supports the wider ecosystem of funds and funders that resource feminist movements, helping connect direct grantmaking with the development of durable philanthropic infrastructure.

• 2000

  Join the founding network of women's fundsStrategy

  Background

  Mama Cash’s direct grantmaking was increasingly connected to the need for a broader international system dedicated to funding feminist movements.

  Action taken

  The organization became one of nine founding members of the International Network of Women's Funds.

  Aftermath

  The step reinforced Mama Cash’s role not only as a grantmaker, but also as a participant in the global infrastructure of women's funds.

  Source

• 1983

  Adopt a small-grants, grassroots funding modelStrategy

  Background

  The founders observed that many women's rights initiatives needed modest grants and that large grantmaking organizations were often not equipped to fund or support small autonomous groups.

  Action taken

  Mama Cash was established to provide relatively small, flexible support to grassroots organizations, initially concentrating on bodily autonomy, sexuality rights, safe abortion and sex workers' rights.

  Aftermath

  This movement-centered approach remained a defining feature as Mama Cash expanded into international feminist philanthropy.

  Source

1. 1Mama Cashen.wikipedia.org