Shifting donor priorities and shrinking budgets have led many international donors in Kosovo to either close their grant programs or significantly reduce funding for non-governmental organizations. While some donors continue to offer support, their complex application procedures and focus on large-scale grants often exclude smaller organizations. Women-led groups, especially those with limited staff capacity and English language skills, face significant barriers in accessing funding for their vital work promoting gender equality and women’s rights.
In response to these challenges, the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN), in close consultation with its members and with support from the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation, established the Kosovo Women’s Fund (KWF) in 2012. The Fund provides small, flexible grants to women’s organizations in Kosovo and the surrounding region, with a particular focus on supporting initiatives that advance the rights of rural and marginalized women and girls.
Shifting donor priorities and shrinking budgets have led many international donors in Kosovo to either close their grant programs or significantly reduce funding for non-governmental organizations. While some donors continue to offer support, their complex application procedures and focus on large-scale grants often exclude smaller organizations. Women-led groups, especially those with limited staff capacity and English language skills, face significant barriers in accessing funding for their vital work promoting gender equality and women’s rights.
In response to these challenges, the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN), in close consultation with its members and with support from the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation, established the Kosovo Women’s Fund (KWF) in 2012. The Fund provides small, flexible grants to women’s organizations in Kosovo and the surrounding region, with a particular focus on supporting initiatives that advance the rights of rural and marginalized women and girls. Donjeta Berisha, who worked for the Fund for over a decade, emphasizes how its grassroots approach enables grant recipients to reach women who often do not have access to support otherwise.
What makes the Kosovo Women’s Fund unique is not only its accessibility, but also the tailored, ongoing capacity development it offers to grant recipients and applicants. These include training in grant-writing, project cycle management, financial management, and advocacy, enhancing their ability to secure future funding and influence policy change.
Since its establishment in December 2012, KWN has administered 296 grants through the Kosovo Women’s Fund, totaling €1,531,561.05. These grants have benefited 37,762 individuals, including 29,505 women and 7,782 men, across diverse communities:
- 22,269 Albanians
- 1,859 Serbs
- 1,121 Roma
- 828 Ashkali
- 268 Egyptians
- 351 Gorani
- 331 Bosniaks
- 166 Turks
- 342 persons from other communities
- 603 persons with disabilities (PwD)
From advocacy and policy reform to healthcare, skills development, and benefits for children, the Fund has transformed lives and communities. Examples of its achievements include:
Advancing Advocacy and Policy: The Fund has supported 432 advocacy initiatives, including efforts that led to 30 documented policy changes and several municipalities adopting gender-responsive budgeting practices. Advocacy by grant recipients has contributed to increased public funding for women at both municipal and national levels. Recipients have drafted or contributed to drafting municipal action plans for gender equality, which were subsequently adopted, and the Fund has ensured that women from ethnic minorities, women with disabilities, and survivors of violence could participate meaningfully in local decision-making processes.
Empowering and Raising Awareness: The Fund has empowered 10,204 women to become more aware of their inheritance and property rights, and helped 335 women, including six survivors of violence, claim their rights. Additionally, 3,095 women and girls have been inspired to advocate for their right to healthcare, equipping them with the knowledge and confidence to engage with their communities.
Developing Skills and Economic Opportunities: The Fund has supported young women in developing digital and entrepreneurial skills, creating new income opportunities in marketing, freelancing, and entrepreneurship. It also waived taxes for women in Gjakova, which led five women to immediately start their own businesses.
Expanding Healthcare and Community Support: Grants have enabled initiatives expanding healthcare access, particularly for rural and marginalized women: healthcare workers in Gjakova have been trained to use trauma-sensitive approaches with survivors of sexual and domestic violence; several rural municipalities (Brestovc, Zoqisht, and Denjë/Rahovec) have opened Family Medicine Clinics; and a health hotline has been launched in Drenas, in cooperation with the Patients’ Council. The Fund also has helped document and report health rights violations, holding institutions accountable. Moreover, grants have delivered benefits to children, including free transportation for those living more than five kilometers from school in Vushtrri.
Over the years, the Kosovo Women’s Fund has received generous support from various partners, including the European Union, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), UN Women, and the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation.