In the tradition of sharing knowledge from generation to generation, our latest report, ‘Rumah Kita: The Story of Our Becoming,’ tells the story of the creation of Urgent Action Fund Asia & Pacific (UAF A&P). The youngest of the four Urgent Action Sister Funds, UAF A&P is emblematic of the ways that each Sister Fund builds upon a shared foundation and benefits from the wisdom of its predecessors, while elaborating its own distinctive offerings and ways of working. 

From the founding of the first Urgent Action Fund in 1997 by a group of women activists, there was always the intention to decentralize the work to promote deeper analysis and greater responsiveness to feminist movements and rights defenders grounded in regional specificities and knowledge, and to shift decision-making power over the use of philanthropic resources. This approach to decolonizing philanthropy is embodied in the equitable partnerships of the Sisterhood.

‘Rumah Kita: The Story of Our Becoming’ seeks to document ‘what happened’ and honor the work that went into establishing this new fund, through both the accomplishments and challenges. It looks primarily at the period from 2014 — when the board of Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism (then known as Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights or UAF-WHR) decided to explore possibilities for a ‘presence’ in Asia — to the launch of UAF A&P in 2017. 

The hope is that this story helps preserve the history of creating a fund and support political and practical reflection for anyone looking to create a mechanism that brings resources closer to the movements they work in solidarity with. The goal is not to provide an exact blueprint or sequence of steps, but to support joyful, creative, and collective iteration.

Read the report