Published : 29 Sep 2026, 12:44 AM
Updated : 29 Sep 2026, 12:44 AM
The four-year Feminist Opportunities Now (FON) project has concluded in Bangladesh with a call for continued flexible, trust-based funding for grassroots feminist organisations.
The FON Bangladesh Capitalization Dissemination Meeting was held in Dhaka on Saturday, bringing together project leads, civil society representatives and international stakeholders, CREA said in a statement.
The event featured a panel discussion titled “What Does Feminist Funding Make Possible, and What Comes After?”, moderated by Sayed Md Saikh Imtiaz, professor at the Department of Women and Gender Studies at the University of Dhaka.
Tamanna Binte Rahman, project manager and gender focal at the AFD Dhaka Office, said AFD had chosen a flexible, trust-based funding model for FON instead of conventional output-driven grants.
Priya Das, director of programmes and innovation at CREA, stressed that feminist funding also requires capacity building, mentorship and long-term organisational support.
Nishath Sultana, director of influencing, campaign and communications at Plan International Bangladesh, highlighted the need for intermediary organisations to work alongside grassroots groups as equal partners.
Syeda Samara Mortada, partnership and coordination analyst at UN Women Bangladesh, called for long-term support and greater collaboration among feminist organisations as individual project cycles end.
Funded by the Agence Française de Développement and implemented by a global consortium led regionally in South Asia by CREA, the project has supported more than 20 partner civil society organisations in Bangladesh and 23 in Sri Lanka.
Five participating organisations also presented their work across areas including technology-facilitated gender-based violence, access to justice, community-based prevention, advocacy and intersectionality.
CREA said the project had helped grassroots organisations strengthen their capacities, become more organised and develop pathways to sustain their work beyond the project period.
