Organizational Resilience: How the UN Trust Fund Contributes to the Resilience of Civil Society Organizations Working to End Violence Against Women

This paper, which draws on the experiences of 179 grantee organizations in 68 countries, examines how the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UN Trust Fund) contributes to the resilience of civil society organizations (CSOs) and women’s rights organizations (WROs). Its primary audience includes the UN Trust Fund, other donors, policymakers and movement-builders. It is the second publication of a practice-based knowledge study commissioned by the UN Trust Fund, and builds on an initial paper that introduced an emerging conceptual framework for organizational resilience and offered recommendations for donors, policymakers, grant makers and decision makers.  

The study finds that organizational resilience is essential for CSOs and WROs operating in complex, hostile environments where state support for ending violence against women and girls (EVAW/G) is weak, backlash against women’s rights persists, or funding is limited. The analysis highlights that financial support and resources are critical to organizational resilience, helping CSOs avoid closure and maintain effective operations. Investing in resilience is closely linked to stronger EVAW/G outcomes and the long-term sustainability of feminist and women’s movements. 

The study identifies six key and two cross-cutting areas where the UN Trust Fund has strengthened the organizational resilience of CSOs and WROs: 

1. long-term and flexible funding 
2. support for sustainability and continuity 
3. capacity development, accompaniment and operational support
4. specialized and tailored support
5. support for staff self-care 
6. advocacy, communications and visibility 
7. empowering grant-making practices, including mutual enablement (cross-cutting)
8. holistic, wraparound services (cross-cutting).