We’re excited to announce the selected projects for the 2025 Membership Support Regranting Scheme! These inspiring initiatives, led by our member organisations across Europe, are driving forward feminist change, strengthening local advocacy, and building solidarity within our movement. From grassroots mobilisation to policy impact, these projects embody the vision and values of the European Women’s Lobby. Find more information about the call for participants here.
Priority 1: Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG)
Name and country of the third party funded: Women’s Network of Croatia
Title of the project: A Call to Action: Addressing Cyber Violence Against Women Through Legislation and Awareness
Maximum grant amount awarded: 13,000€
Duration: 6 months
Target groups: Representatives of state institutions – Croatian Parliament (MPs from different parties, Committee for Gender Equality), Government, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ombudswoman for Gender Equality, women’s organisations (members of the Women’s Network of Croatia), lawyers, activists, victims of violence, general public.
Summary: The overall goal of the project is to stimulate implementation of the relevant international legislation on violence against women at the national level, in particular the Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence and the Istanbul Convention in regards to cyber violence against women and girls. This project result in creating advocacy tools and training for women’s organizations on cyber violence against women and girls and joint implementation of a national campaign. The project activities include: 1) creating a legal analysis of the compliance of Croatian legislation with the EU Directive, identifying legal gaps and creating concrete proposals of legal solutions regarding cyber violence against women and presenting them to state institutions and public through round table discussion; 2) training for women’s organizations, members of the Women’s Network of Croatia on cyber violence against women and girls and 3) an awareness raising campaign on cyber violence against women and girls – online campaign on cyber violence and public action in 10 Croatian cities on the National Day Against Violence Against Women.
Name and country of the third party funded: Network of East-West Women, Poland
Title of the project: AGORA: Ally, Grow, Organize, Rise, Achieve!
Maximum grant amount awarded: 10,000€
Duration: 6 months
Target groups: between 25-30 young feminists from different organizations and/or young women activists in the field of women’s rights between 18 and 30 years
Summary: The project will consist of two national training workshops for young feminists between 18-30 years of age. Each workshop will last two days. The first one will be organized in the beginning of September in Katowice (big industrial town), and it will take place just before the National Congress of Women in the same location as the Congress so the participants of the workshop after it is concluded will stay at the Congress and participate in the event. They will have their own stand in the Congress venue actively promoting the next meeting of AGORA (in Krakow in the beginning of October), networking with Congress participants and discussing the issues of relevance to women’s equality and empowerment. The 3 months of the project before the first meeting will be used by project organizers to recruit participants for the workshop and prepare the programme, training materials (a handbook on empowerment and a guide with basic notions and information on the issue of Violence Against Women and Girls – the handbooks will be published on-line on the website of NEWW and printouts will be provided to the participants before the meetings) and logistics of the meeting. The meetings of the organizers will take place at least 3 times on-line during the project duration. Two meetings before the Katowice workshop and one before Krakow workshop. Both trainings will be prepared and run by 3 experienced trainers on empowerment issues and VAW and will encompass concepts and ideas leading to mobilization of young women to claim their rights to equality and to undermine the impact of patriarchal system. The results of the workshops will constitute the basis for the involvement of young women in the feminist activities of NEWW, EWL and other feminist groups and will be carefully examined to further NEWW activities in developing future AGORA meetings nationally and in cooperation with other EWL coordinations.
Name and country of the third party funded: Women’s NGOs Cooperation Network of Latvia
Title of the project: Drop of Sun, Breath of Wind and a Little Bit of Love: crying out to end violence against women and girls!
Maximum grant amount awarded: 13,000€
Duration: 6 months
Target groups: EU MEPs working on gender equality policies within EU and external policies – members of FEMM, LIBE, DEVE committees, EU human rights institutions, NGOs and other stakeholders to end violence against women. National decision makers in France and Latvia, human rights institutions, NGOs and other stakeholders to end violence against women. Members of French and Latvian national coordinations, EWL members. Society at large – Facebook and Instagram users.
Summary: Project addresses the issue of sex-based violence before girl child is even born – highlighting problem of selective abortions. Through testimonies of women and engagement of women’s organisations policy proposal for EU and member states’ internal and external actions will be elaborated to prevent gender-based violence. A theatre play will be translated in three languages and performed by women led productions in Paris, Riga and Brussels followed by policy debate at EU Parliament. Social media campaigns will be run in France, Latvia and across the EU reaching out EWL large membership and society at large. Experiences and outcomes will be shared in international webinar.
Priority 2: Equal representation of women in decision-making and post-EU elections activities
Name and country of the third party funded: Bulgarian Platform EWL
Title of the project: Leadership Campaign
Maximum grant amount awarded: 4,000€
Duration: 6 months
Target groups: Bulgarian President, Council of Ministers members, Political parties leaders, members of political parties, Bulgarian regional governors, mayors and members of municipal councils.
Summary: The initiative is a step toward fostering equality and inclusiveness in political representation. Greater balance in political representation is essential to democracy. By targeting influential figures and leveraging both social and traditional media, the project has the potential to create a meaningful change and raise awareness among the broader public. We will out our focus on parity in decision-making process as a part of democratic values and the vision of a balanced society. Our message will be focused on good governance and women’s leadership.
Name and country of the third party funded: Czech Women’s Lobby
Title of the project: ELECT – Empowering Leadership & Equality for Change in Politics
Maximum grant amount awarded: 13,000€
Duration: 6 months
Target groups: Women between the ages of 20 – 60, general public (Activity 1 and 2); NGOs and CSOs (Activity 3); Stakeholders, UN state representatives (Activity 4); Media outlets (Activity 1 and 2)
Summary: The Empowering Leadership & Equality for Change in Politics project aims to advance gender equality in politics and enhance the representation of women by strengthening their position in public life. Despite progress, gender inequality continues to pose significant barriers to political participation, decision-making, and public discourse. This project addresses these challenges through research, advocacy, and strategic collaborations. A central component of the project is research based on pre-election surveys analyzing candidates’ stances on gender equality and women’s rights. This will be complemented by case studies investigating the origins of online violence and mechanisms of silencing women politicians on social media. These findings will provide crucial insights into political attitudes and commitments regarding gender issues. Additionally, we will collaborate with creators and activists who provide voter advice applications (e.g., election calculators) to integrate gender equality questions into their tools, enabling voters to assess candidates based on their stance on gender issues. To ensure inclusivity, we will engage vulnerable communities, particularly through the Czech Roma organization Ara Art. Their perspective will be integrated into the research, ensuring that intersectional gender issues, including those affecting marginalized women, are adequately represented. An online campaign will promote the research results, presenting politicians’ approaches to human rights and gender equality in an accessible manner. This initiative will foster public debate, which has been largely absent in past elections. Additionally, the project will host an event aimed at strengthening cooperation among diverse NGOs and individuals committed to promoting gender equality. Given the rise of misogyny and extremism, this event will focus on fostering collaboration and addressing issues of privilege to build a stronger feminist movement. By integrating research, digital engagement, and collaboration with political stakeholders, this project seeks to empower women, inform voters, and promote policies that advance gender equality in politics.
Name and country of the third party funded: Ženski lobi Slovenije (ŽLS) /Women’s Lobby Slovenia
Title of the project: European Care Strategy: What does it mean for women in Slovenia?
Maximum grant amount awarded: 10,750€
Duration: 6 months
Target groups: Women’s and women’s rights organizations, MPs, young feminist activists, Union of social institutions and local homes for the elderly
Summary: Slovenia is becoming the fastest aging society in the EU. Women carry the main burden of the long-term care not only in Slovenia, but also throughout the EU. In 2022, the EU adopted the European Care Strategy – the first EU Strategy on the topic of care that aims to strengthen the resilience of European care systems and improve the conditions of caregivers and care receivers. Key areas of action include working conditions and work-life balance, quality and accessible services, upskilling and reskilling, and gender equality. As such this Strategy offers a chance to finally value and support women’s essential contribution to society as well as to address the gender pay, pension, and, subsequently, poverty gaps and gender stereotypes. The proposed 6 months project aims to raise awareness of this EU Strategy in relation to the difficulties with the implementation of Slovenia’s first Law on Long-term Care (i.e., prevention of keeping long-term care in the family on women’s shoulders by reintroducing traditional gender roles, commodification of long-term care on the detriment of the quality of life of those who need it, strengthening of accessible professional care services system at the local level and advocacy for the changes needed to improve this Law where necessary). These goals will be reached by joint activities of the women’s organization and other stakeholders through research, drafting of amendments and advocacy activities with various stakeholders including public professional caregivers and MPs.
Name and country of the third party funded: National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI)
Title of the project: When Women Lead: Evidence from Ireland on Gender-Responsive Policy Outcomes
Maximum grant amount awarded: 12,950€
Duration: 5 months
Target groups: National Media; Political Parties; Irish Government; General public (potential voters); Civil Society Organisations; Women’s groups
Summary: This project aims to generate concrete, localized evidence on how increased representation of women in decision-making roles correlates with the adoption of more progressive and inclusive public policies in Ireland. Focusing on women politicians in the Irish Parliament (Dáil Éireann) and within Parliamentary Committees since the introduction of gender quotas in 2011, the research will identify cases where a stronger female presence in leadership has directly contributed to significant legal and policy advancements. Key policy areas include childcare, environmental protection, women’s health – reproductive rights – flexible work arrangements -maternity leave, carers’ allowances – and measures addressing gender-based violence. The research will also explore this dynamic at the local level. By examining 2 urban local authorities in Ireland, where more balanced local chambers exist, we aim to build evidence that councils with 40–50% female representation deliver better policy outcomes. However, it is important to highlight that Ireland has one of the weakest local government systems in Europe, and is among the most centralized, according to a 2023 report by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. Therefore, we seek to build evidence at the local level that can illustrate differences between councils with higher gender balance, but the scope might be limited due to the current system of distribution of power between central and local government. The report will also support recommendations for reforming local government in Ireland to grant greater autonomy, bringing it in line with other European countries. Concrete examples of the benefits of increased female political participation in national politics will empower our organisation to push for the introduction of legislative gender quotas at the local level, which serves as the pipeline to national office. This research will also reinforce our public narrative that voting for women, and for candidates with progressive values, leads to tangible, positive societal outcomes (especially at the national level), and that local government reform is both necessary and urgent.
Name and country of the third party funded: Asociația Romanian Women’s Lobby
Title of the project: GenderLens Monitor – A Feminist Accountability Toolkit for Romania
Maximum grant amount awarded: 8,900€
Duration: 6 months
Target groups: The primary target group includes the 24 member organizations of the Romanian Women’s Lobby (ROWL), all actively engaged in promoting women’s rights at local, regional, and national levels. The project also targets their members, volunteers, and affiliated informal feminist groups, who often lack accessible tools to systematically monitor political action on gender equality. By equipping them with a simple monitoring instrument, the project strengthens their collective capacity for advocacy and accountability. Secondary target groups include Romanian MEPs, national parliamentarians, and EU-level stakeholders engaged in gender equality policymaking, who will be addressed through visibility and engagement actions.
Summary: Romanian Women’s Lobby proposes the development of GenderLens Monitor, a user-friendly monitoring toolkit designed to support small CSOs in tracking the gender equality-related activities of national and EU parliamentarians. The toolkit will focus on six domains aligned with the EWL Strategic Framework: violence against women, recognition and redistribution of care, women, peace and security, women in decision-making, women in the workplace, and girls in STEM. Using accessible formats such as Google Forms, the project strengthens grassroots advocacy capacity and promotes collaboration through shared feminist indicators. Key activities include participation in two EU-level events for advocacy and peer learning, involving engagements with Romanian MEPs, the Romanian EU Commissioner, EU institutional representatives, and feminist CSOs. These encounters aim to reinforce post-election accountability and feminist presence in EU decision-making spaces. A regional training workshop and a national visibility campaign will support uptake and replication of the tool, which is designed for adaptation in other EU countries. Expected results include increased capacity of women’s organizations to track and influence political commitments, stronger engagement with EU-level stakeholders, and enhanced collaboration among CSOs. A short English-language presentation of the tool will support replication and visibility at European level. The project contributes directly to EWL’s strategic objectives and to fostering a more connected, informed, and empowered feminist movement.
Priority 3: Peer learning and exchange between European Union members on different subjects aligned with the EWL 2025 Work Programme
Name and country of the third party funded: Romanian Women’s Lobby; Bulgarian Platform of the EWL; Network of East-West Women NEWW-Polska
Title of the project: Building hope during critical times for women’s rights
Maximum grant amount awarded: 14,400€
Duration: 6 months
Target groups: At least 3 x 10 Women NGOs members in 3 National Coordination of EWL from Romania, Poland and Bulgaria; 90-120 Women and girls from the 3 countries developing capacities enabling them to better understand, document, and develop collaborative and solidarity measures targeting backlash and threats.
Summary: The project aims to strengthen feminist democratic and engagement response to the backlash/sexism by equipping women’s organisations in Romania, Poland and Bulgaria with good practices and models from other countries in line with EWL’s strategic objectives. Specific objectives: 1.To build the advocacy capacity of ROWL’s Romania, NEWW Poland and Bulgarian Platform of EWL member organisations and their networks through peer learning and participation in three regional training workshops, enabling them to better understand, document, and develop collaborative and solidarity measures targeting backlash and threats. / 2.To facilitate engagement between feminist civil society from three countries by bringing together Observatory experts on VAWG of EWL from Romania, Poland and Bulgaria – engaging audiences and building awareness on the new Directive on VAW of EU and Istanbul Convention, and also other experts coordinating workshops on feminist solidarity, building trust among communities (module 1) and introducing the Power of Hope (module 2) to women leaders from CSOs. / 3.To promote collaboration and visibility among women’s organisations from 3 countries by encouraging shared feminist good practices and with a view to future replication in other EU contexts.
