Women's Peace & Humanitarian Fund (WPHF)

What Women's Peace & Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) does

Women's Peace & Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) is a United Nations Multi-Partner Trust Fund established in 2016 under the Global Acceleration Instrument (GAI) on Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action, operating as a UN and Civil Society Partnership headquartered in New York. The fund's sole function is the rapid mobilization and channeling of donor contributions from governments, individuals, and private sector actors to local women-led civil society organizations (CSOs) in conflict and crisis-affected countries. Its portfolio of grant-making products includes the Regular Funding Cycle (programmatic grants of USD 30,000–USD 200,000 and institutional grants of USD 2,500–USD 30,000), the Rapid Response Window (RRW) for women's participation in peace processes, the Window for Women Human Rights Defenders providing Safety Net grants up to USD 10,000 and Advocacy Support, and emergency Funding Appeals activated for acute crises (Haiti, DRC, Syria-Türkiye, Sudan, Libya, Palestine, and a first-ever global food security appeal targeting up to USD 55 million across 15 countries).

WPHF does not develop or sell proprietary technology products. Its core operating platform consists of a website-based open application portal for the Regular Funding Cycle, rolling encrypted application forms for WHRDs, the Global Learning Hub digital community for CSO capacity building, and an annual Global CSO Survey used for strategic advocacy. Governance is provided by a Global Steering Committee combining UN agencies, government donors, and CSO representatives (including Kvinna till Kvinna); the WPHF Secretariat is hosted at UN Women and led by Ghita El Khyari. Celebrity endorsements include Global Advocate Kristen Bell (since 2018) and Global Patron Whoopi Goldberg.

The business model is a pass-through grant-making mechanism: WPHF collects pooled contributions from governments (notably Germany's Federal Foreign Office) and other donors, deducts a small administrative overhead, and disburses the balance to eligible CSO grantees and individual WHRDs across 31+ active countries in Africa, Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Reach and scale indicators include 224 civil society partners surveyed across 31 countries in 2024, 13 projects implemented by 25 women-led CSOs in Sudan, and emergency appeals ranging from USD 3.5M (Libya) to USD 55M (global food security). The operating model is fundamentally distribution-led, with no pricing model applicable to end beneficiaries — grants are provided at no cost to grantees.

Name

Women's Peace & Humanitarian Fund (WPHF)

Legal name

Global Acceleration Instrument (GAI) on Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action (trading as Women's Peace & Humanitarian Fund)

Website

https://wphfund.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Women's Peace & Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) is a UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund established in 2016 that channels donor funding from governments and private actors to local women-led civil society organizations and women human rights defenders in conflict and crisis-affected countries across 31+ nations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian and Peacebuilding Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

Keywords

• Humanitarian grantmaking
• Women peacebuilding funding
• Civil society grants
• UN trust fund
• Women rights defenders

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Operations, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic/Grant Funding: WPHF mobilizes funding from governments, individuals, and private sector actors globally. The fund receives contributions from donor governments and other entities, which are then disbursed as grants to eligible civil society organizations through multiple funding windows including Regular Funding Cycle, Rapid Response Window, Window for WHRDs, and emergency funding appeals. There is no revenue from product/service sales; WPHF operates exclusively as a pass-through financing mechanism.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WPHF is a United Nations and Civil Society Partnership that mobilizes funding from governments, individuals, and private sector actors to channel rapid, flexible grants directly to local women-led civil society organizations and women human rights defenders working on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and Humanitarian Action in conflict- and crisis-affected countries. It disburses grants through multiple funding windows including the Regular Funding Cycle, Rapid Response Window, Window for Women Human Rights Defenders, and emergency Funding Appeals.

Product overview

Women's Peace & Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) is a United Nations and Civil Society Partnership that operates as a funding mobilization mechanism rather than a traditional technology product. The organization offers multiple funding windows including the Regular Funding Cycle for civil society organizations, the Rapid Response Window for emergency situations, and a specialized Window for Women Human Rights Defenders providing Safety Net grants and Advocacy Support. Additional offerings include emergency Funding Appeals for specific crises, a Global Learning Hub for capacity building, and an annual Global CSO Survey for strategic advocacy. WPHF connects women peacebuilders, humanitarians, and human rights defenders with funding from governments, individuals, and private sector actors worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WPHF Window for Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs): A funding window providing rapid, flexible funding and direct logistical support to women human rights defenders from or working in conflict and crisis-affected countries.
• Regular Funding Cycle
• Rapid Response Window (RRW)
• Global Learning Hub

Products and services

• Regular Funding Cycle Core funding mechanism providing programmatic funding (USD 30,000–200,000) and institutional funding (USD 2,500–30,000) to civil society organizations working on Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action issues.
• Rapid Response Window (RRW) Fast-track emergency funding mechanism for rapid deployment to support women's civil society organizations responding to acute crises and emerging conflicts and to facilitate women's access to peace processes.
• Window for Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs) Funding window providing rapid flexible funding and direct logistical support to women human rights defenders from or working in conflict- and crisis-affected countries. Includes Safety Net grants (up to USD 10,000, average USD 3,000–5,000) for urgent protection needs and Advocacy Support for participation in international forums. Demand-driven with rolling applications.
• Funding Appeals Emergency funding appeals activated at national, regional, and global levels in response to rapidly evolving crises and conflicts. Appeals have been launched for Palestine, Libya, Sudan, Syria-Türkiye, DRC, Haiti, Afghanistan, and global food security, mobilizing between USD 3.5 million and USD 55 million per appeal.
• WPHF Global Learning Hub Digital community platform providing civil society organization leaders with capacity-building resources, peer learning, and innovation support for Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action programming.
• WPHF Global CSO Survey Annual strategic advocacy survey that takes stock of challenges, funding risks, operational contexts, and quality of support for local organizations working on Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action issues, used as an advocacy and evidence tool.

Quantifiable outcome

• 224 civil society partners from 31 countries reached through annual survey and programming (2024)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 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 and minor.

• Kristen Bell (Global Advocate)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2018Actress and activist Kristen Bell has served as WPHF’s Global Advocate since 2018, advocating on behalf of women civil society leaders working on the front lines of conflict and crises to create a more peaceful and gender-equal world.
• United Nations Women (UN Women)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016UN Women serves as the lead UN agency partner and host of the WPHF Secretariat. WPHF operates as a UN & Civil Society Partnership, with UN Women providing institutional support, coordination, and administrative hosting for the fund.
• INGO Partners for Window for WHRDs (Frontline Defenders, Protection International, and others)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThe Window for WHRDs is implemented in partnership with international NGO partners who manage the Safety Net grant review process and provide direct logistical support for WHRD advocacy participation. Partner logos are displayed on the WPHF WHRD application pages.
• Freedom HouseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFreedom House compiled background research and expertise for WPHF’s list of additional funding mechanisms and resources for women human rights defenders, including mental health, physical/digital security, and collective protection resources.
• Yara CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYara Centre is referenced by WPHF as a referral resource for mental health and wellbeing support for WHRDs from MENA and Asia regions, providing psycho-social support, self-care, and holistic security training.
• Open BriefingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOpen Briefing provides wellbeing support to WHRDs from Latin America, including remote counseling in Spanish, wellbeing action plans, and peer support referrals.
• Kvinna till KvinnacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKvinna till Kvinna is a CSO member of the WPHF Funding Board, contributing to governance and strategic direction. Petra Tötterman Andorff, Secretary General of Kvinna till Kvinna, represents the CSO Funding Board and advocates for local ownership and power shifts to diverse women.
• Whoopi Goldberg (Global Patron)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerWhoopi Goldberg serves as WPHF’s Global Patron, lending her celebrity platform to raise awareness and support for women peacebuilders, humanitarians, and human rights defenders.
• Medical Services Pacific (MSP)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMSP is a Fiji-based organization supported by WPHF that operates One-Stop-Shop clinics providing free clinical services, counselling, legal support, and emergency shelter to women survivors of violence, including in rural and remote areas.
• Global Steering Committee (GSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Global Steering Committee governs WPHF, comprising representatives from UN agencies, government donors, and civil society organizations. It provides strategic oversight and direction for the fund’s operations and priorities.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• UN Women: UN entity hosting the WPHF Secretariat and co-leading the Global Steering Committee. Broad incumbent — a much larger UN entity that delivers programs, advocacy, and normative work beyond grantmaking and which WPHF operates under administratively.
• Ford Foundation: Large US-based private foundation with significant programming on gender, peace, and social justice, including grants to women's rights and peacebuilding organizations globally. Broad incumbent offering overlapping thematic grantmaking but as part of a much larger portfolio.
• Open Society Foundations: Major international foundation funding women's rights, human rights, and governance work globally. Broad incumbent with overlapping WPS and human rights defender portfolios but as part of a wide thematic spread rather than a dedicated WPS vehicle.

Direct peers

• Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights: Provides rapid-response grants to women human rights defenders and women's rights organizations facing urgent security or opportunity needs. Direct peer because WPHF's Window for WHRDs (Safety Net grants) competes for the same donor pool and serves an overlapping WHRD constituency with a similar rapid-deployment model.
• Global Fund for Women: Long-standing international foundation making grants to women's rights organizations worldwide, including those working on peace and security. Direct peer as a pooled women's-rights grantmaker with overlapping CSO partners and similar demand-driven application model.
• UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women: UN-managed multi-partner trust fund administered by UN Women that channels grant funding to civil society organizations addressing violence against women. Most structurally comparable peer — same UN hosting model, similar pooled-donor grantmaking approach, and overlapping CSO partner base.
• Kvinna till Kvinna: Swedish foundation funding women's rights organizations in conflict-affected regions and a WPHF Funding Board member. Direct peer as a thematic grantmaker focused on the same Women, Peace and Security agenda, with overlapping partner organizations.
• Mama Cash: Amsterdam-based international women's fund that regrants to feminist and women-led organizations globally, including in conflict-affected settings. Direct peer as a comparable pooled fund channeling resources to local women's rights organizations with a similar thematic focus on women's movements.
• FRIDA – The Young Feminist Fund: Youth-led fund resourcing young feminist organizations globally, including in conflict-affected regions. Direct peer to WPHF's youth/peacebuilder segments and its Rapid Response Window for young women peacebuilders.

Regional players

• International Women's Development Agency (IWDA): Australian-based organization mobilizing funding for women's rights movements in the Asia-Pacific and globally, including in conflict-affected contexts. Regional-adjacent peer with similar pooled-funding approaches for women-led CSOs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/women-s-peace-humanitarian-fund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Women's Peace & Humanitarian Fund (WPHF)