We Are Purposeful

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: £8,410,000 (charitable activities expenditure 2024)
• Total Income: £12,065,000 (year ending August 2024)
• Grant Range: Up to $5,000 (£3,900) per grant
• Decision Process: Participatory (Global Girl Advisory Panel)
• Geographic Focus: Global, Africa-rooted
• Application Type: Rolling - always-open database

Contact Details

Website: www.purposefulproductions.org / wearepurposeful.org

Email: sian@wearepurposeful.org

Phone: 07960163943

Overview

We Are Purposeful (registered charity 1169844) was established as an Africa-rooted global hub for girls' activism, funding and resourcing young feminists to transform the world with and for girls. Operating from Sierra Leone and London, UK, the organization manages the world's first Africa-rooted global fund for girls' organising and activism. Founded by Rosa Bransky and Chernor Bah, Purposeful has grown significantly with total income of £12.1 million for the year ending August 2024. The organization employs 32 staff and operates through three strategic pillars: insights and influencing; convening and micro-grants; and media and communications. Purposeful has distributed funding to over 252 groups in more than 100 countries through innovative participatory grantmaking models.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

With and For Girls Fund: Up to $5,000 (£3,900) per grant

• The world's first Africa-rooted global fund for girls' organising and activism
• Always-open database allows applications on applicant's own terms and timeframes
• Organizations invited to apply for funding throughout the year after submitting initial profile
• Offers predominantly core and flexible support

Global Resilience Fund (GRF): Up to $5,000 (£3,900) per grant

• Participatory rapid-response funding mechanism launched in May 2020
• Provides flexible resources to young feminists responding to crises
• Supports work in Afghanistan, Myanmar, and crisis situations globally
• Distributed funding to 252+ groups in 100+ countries
• All administrative costs covered by Purposeful, meaning 100% of funds go directly to recipients

Priority Areas

• Girls under 19 running formal or informal initiatives
• Girls' collectives and young women's groups (under 30)
• Girl-led activism and organizing
• Crisis response and humanitarian work led by young feminists
• Groups working in partnership with girls to shift power
• Supports cis girls, trans girls, intersex and non-binary youth, gender non-conforming youth, gender queer youth, and any girl-identified youth

What They Fund

• Core and flexible support
• Thematic or geographic-specific initiatives
• Girl Human Rights Defender Awards
• Learning and capacity-building funds
• Disaster and relief grants
• Emergency and crisis situation support
• Radio and media production (e.g., Karo Kura Konection radio show)
• Mentorship programs (Purposeful Mentors' Academy with 50+ young women in Sierra Leone)

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible groups include:

• Girls under 19 running formal or informal initiatives (including unregistered groups and groups without bank accounts)
• Collectives led by girls and those in partnership with young women under 30
• Girl allies' organisations led by intergenerational groups of women with track records of working with girls in ways that shift power
• Organizations demonstrating active participatory leadership models that include girls and young women in decision-making
• Nearly half of all applications received are from unregistered groups

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Governance and Leadership

Co-founders: Rosa Bransky and Chernor Bah (reflecting on 4 years of co-leadership and a decade of comradeship)

Governance Structure:

• 7 trustees
• 32 employees
• Global Girl Advisory Panel made up of girl activists from across the world who make decisions about grant allocations and guide strategic direction

Leadership Approach:

According to the co-founders, Purposeful employs a “powerful feminist leadership practice” that centers “the voices and leadership of adolescent girls.” The organization practices what they describe as “love, liberation and leadership” in their co-leadership model.

Strategic Partnerships:

Collaboration with over 20 funders including Channel Foundation, Sigrid Rausing Trust, Irish Government, and Seattle International Foundation. Partnership with Plan International on experimental funding initiatives.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

1. Submit a Profile: Complete an always-open database profile in your own words, on your own terms and timeframes
2. Profile Page: Visit wearepurposeful.org/submit-a-profile/ to begin
3. Invitation to Apply: After profile submission, organizations are invited to apply for funding throughout the year
4. Rolling Basis: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis

Decision Timeline

Decision-Making Process: Participatory approach using Global Girl Advisory Panel composed of girl activists who evaluate applications and make grant allocation decisions

Timeline: Specific decision timelines not publicly disclosed, but the organization emphasizes rapid-response capability, particularly through the Global Resilience Fund which moved grants to 252 groups within a few short months of launching

Success Factors

• Participatory Approach: 19 groups received funding through a three-month participatory process where panelists identified priorities, designed grant criteria, co-created calls for applications, evaluated applications, and allocated resources
• Ecosystem Approach: GRF works with donor partners and activist advisors to identify and move resources to those best positioned to resource girl and young feminist-led work in any given context
• Flexibility: The fund specifically welcomes unregistered groups and those without bank accounts (nearly half of applicants)

Application Success Factors

Key Approach: Purposeful uses a "meeting girls where they're at" philosophy, recognizing that traditional funding mechanisms often exclude the most marginalized groups.

What Makes Applications Successful:

• Demonstrates girl-led or participatory leadership with girls and young women actively involved in decision-making
• Shows commitment to shifting power to girls and young feminists
• Addresses crisis response or builds girls' organizing capacity
• Works in ways that amplify girls' voices and vision for freedom
• Informal or unregistered status is not a barrier - nearly half of recipients are unregistered groups

Strategic Philosophy (from Medium publications):

• “Real commitment to girls means putting our money where our mouths are”
• Focus on "building girls' power“ and addressing how ”girls are separated from resources and shut out from decision-making spaces"
• Emphasis on “radically (re)imagining how we support our sisters”
• Commitment to participatory grantmaking where girls make decisions about resources

Recent Funded Examples:

• Community-based organizations responding to COVID-19 pandemic
• Young feminist groups in Afghanistan and Myanmar responding to crises
• Groups working on reproductive rights and sexual health services
• Radio and media projects engaging girls
• Feminist mentorship and capacity-building initiatives

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Informal groups welcome: Nearly half of funded groups are unregistered - don't let lack of formal structure deter you
• Girl-led is essential: Demonstrate that girls and young women are genuinely in decision-making roles, not just beneficiaries
• Submit a profile first: Use the always-open database to get on their radar before formal funding opportunities
• Embrace participatory approaches: Show how your work shifts power to girls, not just serves them
• Crisis response valued: Both rapid-response and longer-term crisis work are prioritized
• Flexibility is key: Emphasize how funding will support girls' own visions and goals, not predetermined outcomes
• All funds go to recipients: Administrative costs are covered separately, meaning 100% of grant funding reaches organizations

References

• UK Charity Commission Register: We Are Purposeful (Charity Number 1169844). https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/5089351
• We Are Purposeful official website: https://wearepurposeful.org/
• With and For Girls Fund page: https://wearepurposeful.org/projects/with-and-for-girls-fund/
• Global Resilience Fund website: https://www.theglobalresiliencefund.org
• Sigrid Rausing Trust grantee profile: “Global Resilience Fund” https://www.sigrid-rausing-trust.org/grantee/global-resilience-fund/
• Channel Foundation grants page: “Purposeful” https://www.channelfoundation.org/grants/purposeful/
• Purposeful Medium blog: https://we-are-purposeful.medium.com/
• Medium article: “Love, Liberation and Leadership” by Rosa Bransky and Chernor Bah
• Alliance Magazine: “The Feminist Humanitarian Response: a new approach to dismantle the humanitarian-industrial complex”
• Proximate Press: “The Timely Mandate of the Global Resilience Fund”