Conseil International des Femmes International Council of Women (ICW-CIF)

What Conseil International des Femmes International Council of Women (ICW-CIF) does

The International Council of Women - Conseil International des Femmes (ICW-CIF) is a non-governmental advocacy organization founded in 1888 in Washington D.C. by figures including Susan B. Anthony, May Wright Sewall, and Frances Willard. It is the first and oldest global women's NGO, predating the United Nations, and operates as a federated membership organization headquartered at 13 rue Caumartin, 75009 Paris, France. The organization unites approximately 1,250 National Councils of Women and affiliated organizations across more than 60 countries, claiming a collective reach of 6.25 million women. Only one National Council per country is admitted, creating an exclusive federation structure spanning Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Americas.

ICW-CIF's core programs consist of two grant vehicles and three governance/advocacy events. The Small Development Fund provides seed grants of up to €4,500 to grassroots women-led initiatives; the Lydie Rossini Fund supports larger development projects for women and girls globally. Governance operates through triennial General Assemblies, mid-term Executive Committee Meetings, and annual participation in the UN Commission on the Status of Women. The organization also publishes newsletters, resolutions, and triennial action plans. There is no proprietary technology product or platform; the underlying 'technology' is institutional, consisting of 25 Standing Committees covering women's rights, sustainable development, health, education, communication, and social issues, plus permanent accredited representation at UN New York, Geneva, and Vienna, and at agencies including UNESCO, UNICEF, FAO, ESCAP, UNIDO, UN-Habitat, and UNECE.

Revenue derives from membership dues paid by National Councils, individual member contributions (Life Members and Triennial Members), Patron Members, and institutional support from the LELAF Foundation. Membership pricing is not publicly disclosed. The organization is supported by a very lean staff of approximately 5 employees and a much larger network of elected officers, Standing Committee Coordinators and Advisors, and UN Permanent Representatives. Operating geographies span roughly 45+ countries across four regions, with the current triennial cycle (2025-2028) themed 'Women's Empowerment and Leadership: A Quantum Leap for Peace, Progress and Equality' under President Martine Marandel.

Name

Conseil International des Femmes International Council of Women (ICW-CIF)

Legal name

International Council of Women - Conseil International des Femmes

Website

https://icw-cif.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1888

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ICW-CIF is the first global women's NGO, founded in 1888, federating approximately 1,250 National Councils of Women across 60+ countries. Headquartered in Paris, it funds grassroots projects, advocates at UN agencies, and convenes triennial General Assemblies to advance women's rights and gender equality.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International NGO / Women's Rights Advocacy

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGABAF

Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/International Development & Poverty Alleviation

Keywords

• Women's rights advocacy
• International NGO federation
• Gender equality policy
• Women's empowerment programs
• UN consultative status

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: National Councils of Women pay membership dues to ICW-CIF. Individual members (Life Members and Triennal Members) also contribute financially. Patron Members provide financial or material support to sustain ICW-CIF programs. The Small Development Fund is sustained by the solidarity of National Councils and Life members.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ICW-CIF is a federated international non-governmental organization that unites National Councils of Women from more than 60 countries to advance women's rights and gender equality globally. It delivers its mission through two grant programs (the Small Development Fund offering seed grants up to €4,500 and the Lydie Rossini Fund supporting larger development projects), triennial General Assemblies and mid-term Executive Committee Meetings for governance, annual participation in the UN Commission on the Status of Women, and permanent accredited representation at multiple UN agencies. As the first and oldest global women's NGO, founded in 1888, ICW-CIF operates a bottom-up model that channels resources and international advocacy platforms to women-led grassroots initiatives worldwide.

Product overview

ICW-CIF operates as a federated membership organization, not a unified software product. Its offerings consist of: (1) Two grant programs — the Small Development Fund (up to €4,500 seed grants for women-led grassroots initiatives) and the Lydie Rossini Fund (larger development projects for women and girls globally); (2) Three event programs — the triennial General Assembly (governance and elections), the mid-triennium Executive Committee Meeting, and annual Commission on the Status of Women participation; (3) Publications and resources including newsletters, brochures, and books; and (4) UN advocacy representation through accredited representatives at multiple UN bodies. These programs work together to advance the organization's mission of women's empowerment and gender equality through 1,250 national member organizations across approximately 60 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Small Development Fund Grassroots funding instrument providing seed grants of up to €4,500 to women-led initiatives, enabling women to identify needs, design solutions, and lead change within their own communities. Sustained by the solidarity of National Councils and Life Members.
• Lydie Rossini Fund Development fund created by Madame Lydie Rossini van Hissenhoven that supports larger development projects advancing women's rights, dignity, equality, education, economic empowerment, and peace for women and girls globally.
• General Assembly (GA) Triennial governance meeting of ICW-CIF held either in-person or online, with members electing new leadership, reviewing work, adopting action plans, and voting on resolutions submitted by National Councils and Standing Committees.
• Executive Committee Meeting (ECM) Mid-triennium gathering that brings together leaders of National Councils and Standing Committees to reflect on progress, assess work, adjust strategic direction, and engage in dialogue and shared learning.
• Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) Participation Annual participation in the UN's principal global intergovernmental body dedicated to gender equality, including hosting parallel events and contributing to advocacy efforts at UN headquarters in New York.
• ICW-CIF Publications Educational materials including brochures, newsletters (ICW-CIF Newsletter series from 2005-2022), and books documenting the organization's history, mission, resolutions, and advocacy positions for members and stakeholders.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1250 organizations united in one global movement
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Regional Council of the Americas (RCA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1987The RCA was founded in 1987 in Bogota, Colombia, as a regional body of ICW-CIF covering the Americas. In its article 2, the RCA commits to promote the same objectives as the ICW-CIF Constitution, including the emancipation of women and gender equality in the continent.
• European Center for the International Council of Women (ECICW-CECIF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1961ECICW was founded in 1961 in Axenstein, Switzerland, and granted participative status with the Council of Europe. As a regional body of ICW-CIF, ECICW empowers women and promotes their participation in decision-making at national and European levels, supports human rights, and encourages sustainable development and peace. ICW-CIF Treasurer Ludovina Moreira also represents ECICW within the Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe.
• United Nations (UN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1945ICW-CIF became one of the first NGOs to attain general consultative status with the UN following the organization's founding in 1945. ICW played a decisive role in the UN's creation and championed the establishment of the Commission on the Status of Women. ICW-CIF maintains permanent accredited representation at UN Headquarters New York, UN Geneva, UN Vienna, and several UN agencies.
• UNESCOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICW-CIF partners with UNESCO as part of its formal engagement with UN agencies. The organization maintains permanent representation at UNESCO, contributing to global policy discussions on education, science, culture, and communication as they relate to women's empowerment and gender equality.
• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICW-CIF maintains permanent representation at UNICEF, advocating for children's rights and the intersection of women's rights and child welfare. This partnership enables ICW-CIF to contribute to global frameworks on child protection and family welfare.
• UN ESCAPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICW-CIF maintains permanent representation at the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). This enables the organization to influence regional policy in the Asia-Pacific region, where it has a significant National Council presence.
• FAOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICW-CIF maintains permanent representation at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), engaging in advocacy around rural women, food security, sustainable agriculture, and women's economic empowerment in agriculture.
• UNIDOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICW-CIF partners with the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), engaging in advocacy around women's economic empowerment, entrepreneurship, and industrial development as they relate to women's economic independence.
• UN-HabitatcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICW-CIF maintains permanent representation at UN-Habitat, advocating for women's participation in urban planning, housing, and sustainable city development, with a focus on habitat and living conditions for women and families.
• UNECEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICW-CIF maintains permanent representation at the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), engaging in regional policy advocacy within the European and wider Eurasian region on issues affecting women.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• UN Women: The UN's dedicated entity for gender equality, occupying the same policy-advocacy space but with vastly larger resources and a governmental mandate. ICW-CIF engages with UN Women as a civil-society counterpart and co-participant in CSW processes.

Emerging players

• Women Deliver: Global advocacy organization focused on gender equality and the health and rights of girls and women. Comparable in advocacy targeting and convening power at UN forums, though more focused on a narrower thematic remit and operating with a younger, more digital-first brand.

Direct peers

• Soroptimist International: Global volunteer service organization for women with national federations and UN representation. Shares ICW-CIF's federated membership structure, policy advocacy focus, and century-old institutional heritage (VP Mazal Renford is a Soroptimist member).
• International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF): Federation of national member associations delivering women's rights programming globally with UN consultative status. Most directly comparable as a long-standing international women's NGO built on a national-association federation model.
• Global Fund for Women: International grantmaking foundation funding women's rights organizations globally. Comparable in its grant-program model (analogous to ICW-CIF's Small Development Fund and Lydie Rossini Fund) and its women-led grassroots focus.
• Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID): International feminist membership organization supporting gender-just development. Comparable as a global membership body convening women's rights organizations for advocacy, capacity-building, and resource mobilization.
• International Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPW International): Federation of national BPW associations advancing women's professional and economic empowerment. Directly comparable as a federated international women's organization with UN consultative status and a similar century-old heritage.
• YWCA (World YWCA): Global federation of national YWCAs working on women's empowerment, leadership, and rights. Shares ICW-CIF's federated national-association model, century-old heritage, and UN consultative status (Linda Liu sits on the National YWCA of Taiwan board).
• European Women's Lobby: Largest umbrella network of women's organizations in Europe, coordinating advocacy across the EU. Directly comparable as a federated women's-rights advocacy body operating across multiple European NCWs and engaging with regional intergovernmental institutions.

Regional players

• National Council for Women Societies (NCWS) Nigeria: Largest Nigerian umbrella body for women's organizations, presided over by Gloria Laraba Shoda (also an ICW-CIF board member). Comparable as a national-level women's federation that both consumes ICW-CIF grants and feeds into ICW-CIF's advocacy stack.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/conseil-international-des-femmes-international-council-of-women-icw-cif

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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