Colmena Fund

Name

Colmena Fund

Legal name

Colmena Fund

Website

https://colmena.fund

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Grantmaking — Women's Political Leadership

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

akta.pro primary industry

Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Women political leadership
• Global south funding
• Feminist grant programs
• Women-led nonprofits

Headquarters

HQ city

Not specified

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Colmena Fund mobilizes and distributes funding from private and public donors to support women political leaders and their partner organizations across the Global South. As a dedicated fund, it operates as a pass-through entity for philanthropy focused on feminist and democratic political leadership.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Colmena Fund is a dedicated, non-partisan philanthropic fund that mobilizes capital from private and public donors and distributes multi-year grants and expertise to women-led organizations and women political leaders across the Global South. It supports partners through Global Thematic Cohorts and Regional Cohorts, supplemented by convenings, a Learning Community, and the "Resist, Persist and Reimagine" podcast. Grantees are nominated by Colmena Fund partners; the fund does not accept unsolicited proposals.

Product overview

Colmena Fund is a non-partisan grantmaking organization dedicated to accelerating women's political leadership in the Global South. The organization provides holistic support through its core grantmaking program, which distributes multi-year grants and expertise via Global Thematic Cohorts and Regional Cohorts. Key program components include Initial Convenings and Learning Communities that bring together grantee partners. Additionally, the organization operates the Resist, Persist and Reimagine podcast as an outreach and storytelling platform. The fund focuses on supporting women from marginalized backgrounds including racialized women, Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, and queer and gender nonbinary individuals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Resist, Persist and Reimagine (Podcast): Colmena Fund's podcast amplifying voices of women across the Global South who are transforming politics.

Products and services

• Grantmaking Program Multi-year grants and expertise provided to organizations led by women, particularly those from marginalized communities, who champion democracy, equality, women's political leadership, and peace. Grants are distributed through cohorts organized either thematically or regionally.
• Global Thematic Cohorts Grant cohorts focused on pressing cross-regional issues including violence against women in politics (including tech-enabled violence), women's political leadership in contexts of conflict and transition, and women's political leadership and climate justice.
• Regional Cohorts Grant cohorts supporting organizations primarily active in specific regions or countries, including Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East and North Africa.
• Resist, Persist and Reimagine Podcast

Quantifiable outcome

• 1400+ women stepped into leadership pathways through the work of partners; 100+ women declared intention to run for office; 7 new political support networks emerged; 17 partners reached 33 countries

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• VoteLGBTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrazilian organization reimagining democracy through queer political leadership. With Colmena Fund support, VoteLGBT is developing an AI tool to identify and track online phobic violence against LGBTQ+ political candidates. VoteLGBT achieved transformation from virtually no LGBTQ+ representation to over 3,000 out candidates.
• PollicycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUganda-based civic tech organization and Colmena Fund partner researching technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) against women in public life. Pollicy conducts research across multiple African countries and implements programs on digital literacy, online safety, and political mentorship.
• KaramacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional movement based in Egypt active across 13 countries from Libya to Yemen, working to end violence against women in all forms and build alternatives through political, economic, and social transformation. Founded and led by Hibaaq Osman.
• Progressive Movement Foundation (Thailand)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey Colmena Fund partner operating the Women's Empowerment and Political Leadership Academy, a three-year program helping 150 women and LGBTQ+ leaders build political skills, knowledge, and emotional preparedness. Kunthida Rungruengkiat serves as Director.
• Siasa PlacecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth-led civic tech organization in Kenya working to ensure young people, especially women from sidelined communities, participate in decision-making. Led the 'Siasa ID' campaign across 17 counties to remove barriers to political participation.
• MutawinatcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSudanese NGO co-founded in 1990 advocating for rights of women and children. Now based in Egypt, provides lifeline for refugees and internally displaced persons, working to address gender-based violence and implement laws criminalizing FGM.
• Badili AfricacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKenyan organization founded by Bina Maseno building infrastructure for next generation of African women political leaders. Uses innovative approaches like 'Glam Sessions' for civic education and 'transformative gossip' in informal spaces like salons and Chamas.
• Syrian Women's Political MovementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMovement ensuring women and those traditionally pushed to margins have a seat in Syria's political future. Co-founded by Mariam Jalabi, who serves as an activist and revolutionary championing inclusive democracy.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Direct peers

• Global Fund for Women: Long-standing feminist foundation making grants to women-led organizations globally. Direct peer: both function as grantmaking intermediaries channeling philanthropic dollars to women's rights and leadership organizations across multiple regions.
• Mama Cash: International feminist grantmaker funding women, girls, and trans people's rights globally. Direct peer: comparable model of pooled philanthropy distributed via cohorts to grassroots women's rights organizations, including politically-focused ones.
• Equality Now: International human rights organization working to end legal inequality and violence against women and girls globally. Direct peer: shares Colmena's focus on legal, political and structural barriers facing women in the Global South.
• Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights: Rapid-response grantmaker supporting women human rights defenders and political leaders facing immediate threats. Direct peer: shares Colmena's intersectional focus on marginalized women and protection/security accompaniment.
• MADRE: International women's human rights organization partnering with community-based groups in conflict-affected Global South contexts. Direct peer: comparable intersectional, women-led, politically-engaged grantmaking and accompaniment model.

Broad incumbents

• Ford Foundation: Major global foundation with substantial gender and women's leadership programming across the Global South. Broad incumbent: comparable mission on women's political participation but operates at vastly greater scale and across many other issue areas.
• Open Society Foundations: Large global foundation and Colmena's anchor funder. Broad incumbent: OSF's Women and Girls portfolio overlaps directly with Colmena's mission at a much larger scale and across a broader thematic remit.
• NoVo Foundation: Private foundation focused on advancing gender equity and Indigenous communities worldwide. Broad incumbent: comparable grantmaking scale and thematic overlap on gender justice, but with broader portfolios.

Emerging players

• WomenLift Health: Global initiative advancing women in health leadership. Emerging player: comparable model of cohort-based leadership accompaniment for women, though focused specifically on the health sector rather than political leadership.
• International IDEA: Intergovernmental organization supporting democratic processes globally, including women's political participation programs. Emerging player: comparable focus on strengthening women's political leadership in transitional and Global South contexts, though operating as an IGO rather than a private fund.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xbsky.app/profile/colmenafund.bsky.social
• Facebookfacebook.com/fund.colmena
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/colmenafund
• Instagraminstagram.com/colmenafund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Colmena Fund