Mama Cash

By Heidi DeRoo

Graduate Student, Grand Valley State University

Definition

Mama Cash is the first, independent funding organization in the world to prioritize and promote causes that benefit women (Mama Cash) (11).  The organization finances women’s self-driven projects in the Netherlands, Europe, the Global South (Asia and the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean) and the former Soviet Union.  Mama Cash aims for a just and nonviolent world where women have the freedom to make their own choices and to develop their talents.  The organization’s mission is to support the innovative initiatives of women who work towards increasing the respect, rights and positions of women across the globe (Mama Cash) (6). 

Mama Cash is different than many grant-making organizations because the organization’s focus is to support smaller and new women’s groups.  Mama Cash decides which women’s groups to support by considering which ones focus on the following:  physical integrity, art, culture and media, economic justice, peace and security, and empowerment and participation.  Mama Cash strives to make a lasting impact in the world by helping women to experience empowerment and authority in their environments and in their personal lives (Mama Cash) (11).     

Historic Roots 

Mama Cash was founded in 1983 by five women who established it as the first international independent women’s funding organization in the world.  These five women were Marjan Sax, Dorelies Kraakman, Tania Leon, Patti Slegers and Lida van den Broek.  They were all active in the women’s movement and passionate about the independence of women.  Since its origin, Mama Cash’s leaders envisioned it to be a radical funding organization.  Therefore, Mama Cash provided leadership to progressive activities and supported their ultramodern projects (Mama Cash) (8).  

Mama Cash financed small-scale projects initiated by women in the Netherlands.  Some of these innovative projects were the creation of a shop that sold cosmetics for black women and the formation and preservation of the Lesbian Archive in Leeuwarden, Utrecht, Nijmegen and Amsterdam (ibid.).   

Today, Mama Cash has grown considerably, granting 11 million Euros to help more than 4,500 groups in the world.  Mama Cash has grown significantly into a stable, professional organization with international prominence.  The foundation also has an international network of advisors (ibid.).  

Importance 

The Mama Cash Foundation is significant because it is one of the few international women’s rights funds networking globally with a particular emphasis on radical and controversial issues.  Mama Cash supported women in 68 countries through 400 women’s groups in 2002.  Mama Cash invests in the future of women across the globe by providing a means for underprivileged and oppressed women to come together with one voice to seek empowerment and control over their own lives and environments.  Often finances are a barrier to women’s groups striving to end injustice and promote peace.  Mama Cash’s financial support stimulates courage and unity among a women’s group to further its cause, and in doing so, encourages women to foster each other’s creativity and leadership (Mama Cash) (1).   

Mama Cash has been an inspiration to women from various backgrounds.  The foundation believes that women know how to prioritize their problems and have the best ideas to resolve them.  The organization has been a unique grant-making organization by its motivation to proactively seek out courageous women to lead progressive projects in their countries.  Mama Cash has taken an active lead in supporting women who go about resolving women’s issues in unconventional ways.  Mama Cash supports the goals of these visionary, women leaders and partner with them to meet their goals (ibid.).  

Mama Cash believes that funding small-scale initiatives naturally leads to the attainment of big goals.  This belief has motivated the organization to provide a specialized niche in seed and development funding.  The foundation has a particular interest in helping newly established small groups that often struggle to find funding because of the innovative and controversial nature of the topics they are addressing (ibid.).  Mama Cash often gives small grants (average of $2,000-$10,000); a service the foundation believes is too often overlooked by other foundations because of their limited resources, time or knowledge (Mama Cash) (7).  

Furthermore, in 1998, Mama Cash was awarded the Logo Central Bureau of Fundraising Hallmark, which is displayed on its homepage.  The Central Bureau of Fundraising (CBF) gave this Seal of Approval, acting as a quality guarantee.  The seal provides some assurance that donors can trust the organization (Mama Cash) (5).

Ties to the Philanthropic Sector 

Since 1998, Mama Cash has been developing independent women’s funds in the Global South, Central and Eastern Europe, and the former Soviet Union.  Worldwide there are about 15 independent women’s funds.  In the last four years, the Global Fund for Women in the United States has partnered with Mama Cash in the expansion of these independent women’s funds in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Central and Eastern Europe (Mama Cash) (1).  In addition, in 1996, Mama Cash contributed to philanthropy by funding the formation of Tewa, a women’s fund located in Nepal that focuses on empowering women and creating sustainable development (Catmando) (2). 

The organization provides institutional support (technical and/or financial assistance) and networking to women’s funds in the Global South (Asia and the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean) in hopes to promote philanthropy and decision-making about grant-making in this area of the world (Mama Cash) (1).  As a result, Mama Cash reports that more and more expertise is being organized to mobilize local money for women’s causes.  Therefore, women in the South are decreasing their dependence on financial resources from the North.  Moreover, women are increasingly in the position to make independent decisions concerning financial resources in their own countries (Mama Cash) (11).

Mama Cash has a Guarantee Fund that gives loan guarantees to female entrepreneurs to launch or enlarge their businesses throughout the world.  Most recently, Mama Cash has helped 140 women-owned businesses with this fund (Planet Finance).
 
Mama Cash focuses its funding towards women’s groups that helps girls, migrant and refugee women, indigenous women, lesbians, women with a disability, women of color, HIV/AIDS infected women, and sex workers.  Mama Cash will continue to seek women’s groups to fund that are especially controversial and progressive in purpose.  In addition, the groups to be funded must be led by and work with women, have difficulty getting funding from other sources, and be in existence for less than five years.  Furthermore, it is very important for the women’s group seeking funding to be focused on either the promotion of physical integrity, economic justice, cultural expression, peace and security, or empowerment and participation (Youth Forum). 

The organization gives the option to individuals, companies and organizations to donate to a cause or project that conforms to Mama Cash’s mission.  With donor advised funds, donors are able to utilize the foundation’s professional knowledge (network of advisors) and infrastructure (money transfers, administration), while having the liberty to be able to support issues of their own choice (Mama Cash) (1).     

Key Related Ideas
 
Mama Cash supports the prevalence of art, culture and media within women’s groups.  The foundation views the use of art, culture and the media as creative vehicles to promote social change in the face of traditional beliefs, since they often stir society’s emotions to become aware of women’s rights.  Mama Cash also advocates for unknown and new artists to express their perspectives (Mama Cash) (1).  

Economic justice is defined as women fighting against and finding solutions for economic poverty and exploitation.  Mama Cash takes the stance that free trade and privatization in the world economy has decreased the quality and quantity of social structures.  The organization believes transnational corporations have taken over the influence national governments have, and that working conditions are on the decline.  Women have become increasingly victimized within the existing economic structures, resulting in a lack of recognition by society for their economic input.  Mama Cash supports groups that desire to challenge the structural inequality that perpetuates workplace gender inequality and sexual harassment (Mama Cash) (4).   

Empowerment and participation involves women making their voices heard, seeking influence and control.  Mama Cash recognizes that women are striving for innovative ways to express their opinions, mobilize resources, and have more authority over their own environment.  The organization advocates for self-initiated projects by women whose desire is to strengthen women’s independence, roles, and the women’s movement.  Some areas of focus are to increase women’s participation in politics—women’s rights, elections, and leadership training (Mama Cash) (10). 
    
Mama Cash supports women’s groups that work towards peace and security.  Mama Cash reports that women and children are most affected by civil war and other sorts of conflict.  Women and children are by far the most mistreated groups when there is chaos (more than 130 of the 180 countries in the world are in war or conflict).  Consequently, most refugees are women and children.  Mama Cash funds projects started by women who are desperate to find a sense of control after the traumas they faced during war.  The hope is to improve the roles which women have both during and after conflicts.  Mama Cash recognizes that women do voice their perspectives (though often without recognition) and often act as key agents for the difficult redevelopment of many countries after a war (Mama Cash) (9).

The organization supports women’s groups that promote physical integrity.  Mama Cash views physical integrity as women insisting control over their bodies, and this power is gone when women suffer any form of violence and discrimination.  Women worldwide experience rape, exploitation, mutilation, abduction, mental and physical abuse, and forced prostitution (Mama Cash) (3).  Mama Cash’s support of opening abortion clinics to prevent further harm to women who practice unsafe abortions, to women’s projects that strive to end homophobia, and its support of services to women experiencing domestic violence are just some ways Mama Cash fights for the physical integrity of women (Comminit) (1).  

Important People Related to the Topic

• Lida van den Broek (1949- ):  Van den Broek is an organizational anthropologist by profession. She was a member of the advisory council, first to the Culture Fund then to the International Fund, and council member from the beginning of Mama Cash.  She managed the staff’s portfolios on the Council.  She was the Managing Director of the ‘Ombudsvrouw’ in Amsterdam and was co-organizer of the first women’s festivals.  She left Mama Cash in February 2003 (Mama Cash) (8).
  
  
• Dorelies Kraakman (1946-2002):  Kraakman was a lawyer by profession, but was also intimately involved in the daily functioning of Mama Cash from its conception.  She served as the Board member of the Mama Cash Culture Fund and co-authored the policy and criteria of the grants in the Netherlands.  In 1998, she resigned as part of the council, but still participated with Mama Cash. On September 24, 2002, she passed away from a chronic illness (ibid.). 
  
  
• Marjan Sax (1947- ):  Sax is a political scientist by profession.  She provided the interest-free loan of 2.5 million guilders, which marked the beginning of Mama Cash in 1983.  Marjan was the Managing Director, fundraiser, advisory council member, council member, Chairwoman to the Mama Cash Council.  She was also greatly involved with Women with Inherited Wealth, a group of female inheritors.  She left Mama Cash in February 2003 (ibid.).  

Related Nonprofit Organizations

• African Women’s Development Fund was established in Ghana in June 2000 as the first African-wide fundraising and grant-making fund.  The African Women’s Development Fund aims to empower African women to live in a better world full of integrity and peace.  The organization works to organize material, financial and human resources to fund local, national and international projects (http://www.awdf.org).
  
  
• Global Fund for Women is an international grant-making foundation in the United States that works to alleviate societal injustices affecting women and promote women’s human rights.  The organization aims to foster women’s economic independence, end violence towards women, and promote education for women.  This foundation is an international network of women and men that provide grants to organizations that are just beginning, or have been in existence, but need strengthening.  The Global Fund for Women recognizes that women’s issues vary depending on communities, religion, culture and traditions.  Therefore, their grants are respectful and flexible to meet the needs of their various constituents (http://www.globalfundforwomen.org).
  
  
• Tewa, located in Nepal, consists of 21 women members, a giving circle (a group of donors) of both men and women, and volunteers and allies that work towards creating
  an equitable and just world.  Tewa was formed in response to the significant time of social transition due to modernization in Nepal.  This social transition is resulting in the unwinding of natural support systems, and the disappearance of altruism and philanthropy.  The organization aims to empower women and create sustainable development by reducing dependency on foreign donors (http://www.catmando.com/tewa/TEWA1.htm#IntroducingTewa).
  
  
• Women’s Funding Network is an international partnership of women, foundations, and donors that desire social justice and work towards strengthening funds.  Women’s Funding Network originated in the United States and strives to improve the position of women locally, nationally and internationally.  The foundation works for society to view women’s funds as the “investment of choice” (http://www.wfnet.org).

Related Websites

The Center for Women’s Global Leadership Web site, at http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu, provides free publications for download that focus on women’s rights around the world.  These resources can be found within the Global Center Publications and Additional Women’s Human Rights Resources sections.

The Women and Philanthropy Website, at http://www.womenphil.org, offers research, news and resources relating to women’s issues being addressed by the philanthropic community.

The United Nation’s Statistics Division Web site, at http://unstats.un.org/unsd/default.htm, provides statistics on women around the world including population, reproduction, women and men in families, health, education and communication, work, and human rights and political decision-making.

Bibliography and Internet Sources

Comminit.  (1).  Awards.  Accessed 28 September 2004.
 http://www.comminit.com/awards2004/scholarships
2004/awards-511.html.

Catmando. (2).  Tewa.  Accessed 3 October 2004.
http://www.catmando.com/tewa/TEWA1.htm#
IntroducingTewa.

Mama Cash.  (1).  2002 Annual Report.  Accessed 28 September 2004.
 http://www.mamacash.nl/english/images/
general/annual_report2002.pdf.

Mama Cash.  (2).  Art.  Accessed 28 September 2004.
 http://www.mamacash.nl/english/themes/art.html.

Mama Cash.  (3).  Body.  Accessed 28 September 2004.
 http://www.mamacash.nl/english/themes/body.html.

Mama Cash.  (4).  Economy.  Accessed 28 September 2004.
 http://www.mamcash.nl/english/themes/economy.html.

Mama Cash.  (5).  English.  Accessed 3 October 2004.              
http://www.mamacash.nl/english/.

Mama Cash.  (6).  Facts.  Accessed 28 September 2004.
 http://www.mamacash.nl/english/who/facts.html.

Mama Cash.  (7).  Grants.  Accessed 28 September 2004.
 http://www.mamacash.nl/english/grants/grants.html.

Mama Cash.  (8).  History.  Accessed 28 September 2004.
 http://www.mamacash.nl/english/who/history.html.

Mama Cash.  (9).  Peace.  Accessed 28 September 2004.
 http://www.mamacash.nl/english/themes/peace.html.

Mama Cash.  (10).  Voice.  Accessed 28 September 2004.
 http://www.mamacash.nl/english/themes/voice.html.

Mama Cash.  (11).  Who.  Accessed 28 September 2004.
 http://www.mamacash.nl/english/who/who.html.

Planet Finance.  Hollande.  Accessed 3 October 2004.
http://www.planetfinance.org/PlaNetFinance/EN+Language
/Technologies/PlaNet+Ring/Europe/Hollande/.

Youth Forum.  Foundation.  Accessed 2 October 2004.
www.youthforum.org/en/ our_work/balkan/FundingDbase/Mama%20Cash%20Foundation.pdf our_work/balkan/FundingDbase/Mama%20Cash%20Foundation.pdf