Global Context
Despite making up nearly half the world’s population, women continue to face widespread inequality. They earn less than men, hold fewer leadership positions, and one in three women experiences gender-based violence.
Progress is threatened by the rise of the anti-gender movement, pushing traditional roles and reinforcing inequalities. UN Women estimates that over 342 million women and girls will still be in extreme poverty, and 110 million girls may remain out of school by 2030. Gender-based inequalities persist worldwide, and Türkiye is no exception.
Challenges in Türkiye
Türkiye has made progress towards gender equality, with a strong women’s movement advocating for equal rights. However, significant gaps remain:
- Lack of Political Representation: Women hold only 17% of parliamentary seats.
- Workplace Inequality: Women's labour force participation rate is just 36%, compared to 71% for men. The gender pay gap is substantial, with over 30% of employed women working in unregistered jobs. Nearly 10 million women are outside the workforce due to caregiving responsibilities, a burden not shared by men.
- Gender-Based Violence: A critical issue, with estimates suggesting one in three women experiences physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. In 2023, at least 333 women were murdered by men, with most perpetrators being their partners.
- Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET): 32% of young women are NEET, compared to 16% of young men.
- Low Access to Education: While access to education has improved, a slight gender gap persists. Female illiteracy above age 25 remains at 5.7%, compared to 0.9% for males.
- Limiting Social Norms: Traditional gender roles limit women's and girls’ opportunities and aspirations in education, employment, and leadership.
Türkiye ranked 129th out of 146 in the 2023 Global Gender Gap Index. The February 6, 2023 earthquakes worsened conditions for women, girls, and LGBTI+s, increasing violence due to service disruptions and unsafe shelters. Poverty and education loss risk rising child, early, and forced marriages, while many women in agriculture have lost their livelihoods.

Building Solidarity Against Violence
Yüksekova Women’s Association (YUKADER), founded in Hakkari, Türkiye’s southernmost province, used our grant support to establish an emergency hotline and provide free legal and psychological counselling support to women experiencing violence. They reached over 1,000 women with informative materials, raising awareness and becoming a key organisation in the fight against gender-based violence.
Overcoming Challenges
Women and LGBTI+s in Türkiye work through solidarity networks to overcome these issues. The women’s movement in Türkiye has made historic gains with an ecosystem composed of grassroots organisations, established institutions, and informal groups and activists. They are independent and autonomous, responding to crises, delivering necessary services, and advocating for change.
Since 1998, women’s organisations have met annually in the Women’s Shelters and Counselling Centres Assembly to share experiences in combating violence against women, define common strategies, and establish a permanent communication network. Since 2003, on March 8th, women and LGBTI+s have mobilised in the Feminist Night March to “take back the night” and protest against violence and oppression. The Women’s Coalition has been fighting for women’s equal participation in society since 2002. With a network of over a hundred grassroots groups and civil society organisations (CSOs) of various capacities, they work in the capillaries of society.
According to a recent study on the relationship between donors and grantees, only one in five women’s organisations in Türkiye has an annual budget of more than £100,000 and no paid staff. Most are funded by private foundations, which creates uncertainty for the sustainability of their work. Human resources has been the most difficult cost to fund over the past two years. 45% of organisations feel that international grants do not prioritise local CSOs and 65% feel that there are not enough calls for proposals for gender equality work.
Our Approach
We address these challenges by supporting organisations in Türkiye through three key mechanisms:
- Supporting Gender Equality Fund: As the primary funder of the Gender Equality Fund of Support Foundation for Civil Society (Sivil Toplum icin Destek Vakfı – STDV), our partner in Türkiye. This specific grant programme funds CSOs in need of core and/or project funding.
- Mainstreaming Gender Equality into our work: We support gender equality by integrating a gender equality perspective into other grant programs targeting children’s rights, culture & arts, environment, and emergencies.
- Building Stronger CSOs: We co-supported the organisational growth of 10 CSOs, equipping them with the tools they need to be more effective, through the organisational development support scheme run by STDV.
Through these methods, between 2018 and 2024, we invested over £1,2 million through 57 grants to support gender equality in Türkiye.

Empowering Women in Crisis
Foundation for Women’s Solidarity (Kadın Dayanışma Vakfı) expanded its capacity by hiring a social worker and a finance officer and provided free social, psychological, and legal support to over 400 women facing gender-based violence. They contacted public institutions in 44 cities, including earthquake-affected regions, to assess support mechanisms and shelters, creating a report on women’s post-earthquake conditions. They also organised a campaign to deliver care packages with essential items such as water, clothing, and hygiene products to women in Hatay.
Who Do We Support
CSOs in Financial Need
- Half of our grantee partners have one or fewer staff and 25% have no staff.
- The average number of volunteers per organisation is 40, and half of the selected grantee partners have 22 or fewer volunteers.
- Our grants consist of 45% project and 55% core funding, as there is critical need for human resources, rent, and related costs.
- On an index of 1-5 (5 being the most needed), applicants want to develop their financial sustainability (4.14) and organisational management skills (4.17) the most.
High Demand for Grants
Only 8.5% of applications receive grants, but 65% of women’s organisations feel that there are not enough calls for proposals for gender equality work. However, 74% of the organisations did not apply to another donor organisation to meet their grant needs, as the Gender Equality Fund is the only local fund addressing the issue directly.
Urban-Centred Organisations
We support organisations tackling multi-layered, complex and evolving urban issues related to advancing gender equality. 73% of our grantees were founded in urban centres with populations over 1 million. This parallels the reality in Türkiye, where the 23 cities with more than 1 million inhabitants account for 66% of the population.
Making a Difference
In 2019, we launched our Gender Equality Fund to support projects, campaigns, advocacy initiatives, and the growth of CSOs that promote gender equality and women’s rights. The fund has provided 15 grants totalling £64,029. Our grants have:
- Offered legal and psychosocial counselling to women, girls, and LGBTI+s facing violence.
- Raised awareness of gender equality, violence, and sexual and reproductive health.
- Supported women’s economic, social, and cultural empowerment.
- Fostered partnerships to ensure equal access to fundamental rights and opportunities.
Explore the full list of grants we’ve provided, supporting impactful projects across various areas of work since our inception.
Grants in Action

Women of Ravanda Association (Ravandalı Kadınlar Derneği) empowered rural women in Kilis to gain economic independence by revamping their e-shop by employing marketing and social media specialists and establishing collaborations to sell handmade products.

We Need to Talk Association (Konuşmamız Gerek Derneği) tackled period poverty and menstrual stigma by raising awareness, improving their fundraising strategy, and creating a diverse funding pool to promote menstrual product accessibility.

Families and Friends of LGBTI+s Association (LGBTI+ Aileleri ve Yakınları Derneği – LISTAG) used a core fund to support families with LGBTI+ children through webinars, gender-based awareness workshops, and a summer camp.
We believe in the power of civil society to build inclusive societies and a more just future for all. The fight for equality continues.
Donate today and stand with us.
More of Mozaik in Action

Children’s Rights
Learn about how we empower civil society organisations promoting children’s rights.
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Core Funding
Discover how we support the organisational development of civil society in Türkiye.
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Emergencies
Explore how we support the people and regions affected by natural disasters and humanitarian crises.
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