Empowering Philanthropy
Asia Gender Network's Trailblazing Principles for Gender Equality
One of the AGN’s key goals is to drive new and incremental capital towards programs which enable gender equality. In recognition of this, the AGN embarked upon defining a set of standardised principles and guidance for philanthropic givers to incorporate gender equality into their activities.
The principles developed are meant to serve as a guiding structure, helping philanthropic givers make gradual but intentional progress towards giving
with a gender lens, regardless of their starting points.
Despite its criticality, gender equity is severely underfunded in Asia
Women and girls in Asia experience development challenges more acutely
Gender equality and women’s leadership are critical to development progress in Asia
Yet, the focus on gender in financing for development is highly inadequate
44%
USD 4.5 trillion
~55%
of OECD Official Development Assistance commitments in 2018-2019 did not account for gender
Up to 55%
>35%
44%
Embedding a gender lens in philanthropy can exist along four dimensions
Does your organisation have good gender practices?
What is the funding for?
Who do you fund?
How do you fund?
Across these dimensions, we are defining a set of principles that could guide philanthropic giving in Asia
- At least 30% of organisational leadership and board members are women.
- At least 30% of the organisation's supply chain, such as contractors and suppliers, are women-led or owned businesses.
- All staff are provided at least one annual training on the importance of gender equality to the organisation and its activities.
- Internal policies promote gender equality, such as parental leave, child care, and internal anti-harassment committees that are meeting or exceeding the national requirements.
- At least 30% of the portfolio funds programmes reaching women and girls through direct programmes or indirectly through employment generation, policy research, and knowledge creation.
- At least 50% of the portfolio funds organisations with >30% or more women in leadership.
- Gender-specific analyses and risk mitigation plans are developed and evaluated for all portfolio programmes.
- Gender-disaggregated reach and outcome data is tracked for all portfolio programmes.
VALUE PROPOSITION
How do you benefit from becoming a signatory of the Principles?
Guidance Rooted in Asian Insights
AVPN’s tailored principles, shaped by our members for our region’s distinct challenges and opportunities.
Building a Philanthropic Foundation: Your Guide
We guide your gender-lens journey at every step, from start to advanced.
Streamlined Philanthropic
Complementing tools by adding a gender lens to philanthropy, addressing the gender gap.
Unlocking Gender Data: Tackling Market Challenges
Committed to transparency, we’ll provide current data on our progress and reveal market gender gaps.
Customised Signatory Experiences: Embracing Diversity
Valuing each signatory, we’ll tailor the Principles to fit your organisation’s context.
Dynamic Collaborative Principles
As a collaborative hub, AVPN ensures signatories can regularly give feedback to refine our principles.
GET INVOLVED
Sign up to the Principles for Giving with a Gender Lens
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the AVPN Principles for Giving with a Gender Lens?
Launched by the Asia Gender Network (AGN) at the B20 2022, the Principles are a set of guidelines designed to guide gender intentionality within philanthropic giving. For detailed information on the Asia Gender Network, refer here.
Is my organisation eligible to sign up?
Yes, any organisation that provides philanthropic capital is eligible to sign up. This includes:
- Foundations and Trusts: Organisations that provide philanthropic capital through endowments or trust-based giving.
- Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Funding: Companies that allocate CSR funds for gender-equality initiatives.
- Grant-making Organisations: Entities that provide grants to nonprofits or social enterprises through various mechanisms.
Organisations are not required to meet all dimensions but must adhere to at least one Principle.
Why should my organisation sign up?
Signatories will be showcased on the AGN website and be part of a network of like-minded philanthropists that can collectively learn and share best practices on advancing gender equality through their giving (regardless of geographic or sector focus). Signatories will have access to periodic webinars and learning resources to inform and strengthen the impact of their activities on gender equality.
Does my organisation need to adhere to all the Principles?
Adherence to any one of the Principles’ dimensions should be demonstrated for eligibility as a signatory. For Principle 1 specifically, organisations ideally would need to comply with at least 3 sub-dimensions. However, as the Principles are intended to guide philanthropic givers at various stages of their gender journeys, we welcome organisations currently not meeting any criteria but keen on making gradual and intentional progress towards incorporating gender intentionality within their activities.
How can my organisation sign up?
To become a signatory to the Principles, each organisation needs to fill out this brief form annually and share information on the following: organisational gender practices, funding going towards initiatives supporting women and girls, funding going to women-led organisations, and gendered considerations as part of the funding or programme delivery process.
What information do we ask for?
We request the following information from signatories:
- Your organisation’s latest annual report: This is mandatory and must be provided for the most recent financial year.
- Contact details of one personnel: The designated person who will oversee the liaison for the Principles.
- Publicly available information: Any additional publicly available data on your organisation’s activities.
- Self-reported progress: Organisations may submit information on the progress made toward each Principle as a way to track growth in applying a gender lens.
As the form captures where organisations currently stand in incorporating gender considerations across their giving, there is no expectation for all fields to be completed. Data will be requested annually for benchmarking and analysis purposes.
All data is collected through a reliable Google Form. Access to the responses will be limited to the team responsible for processing signatories, under the Gender Equality Platform team.
Why are we collecting this information?
The purpose of data collection is to track the progress of signatories in applying a gender lens to their giving. AVPN will aggregate and analyze the data, sharing insights at the regional and sector levels. Individual data will not be published or shared at any point, and no organisation will be specifically mentioned in any public materials. The data is intended to provide an overview of collective progress without identifying specific signatories.
What is our verification process?
AVPN reviews self-reported data based on annual reports and may request follow-ups for clarification. The process operates on trust, and there is no formal auditing process. Aggregate data will be shared publicly, while individual data will remain confidential.
What information will we share in the public domain?
The Principles are envisioned as a tool to encourage gender intentionality within philanthropic giving and operate on a trust basis with data being self-reported by signatories rather than having an official audit process. The submitted data will be reviewed by the AVPN team who might be in touch if any follow-ups or clarifications are required. Data will be analysed and reported in aggregate and individual members’ data will not be shared publicly. Self-reported qualitative learnings and case studies will be published on an annual basis with consent sought from the relevant organisation before publication. The following aggregate data will be available annually from signatories providing philanthropic and other types of grant capital in Asia.
- Recognize you as a signatory
- Aggregate data
- Aggregate data by country
- Aggregate data by region
- Aggregate data by sector (where feasible)
- Aggregate data (%) on principles adopted
- Aggregate data (%) on principles adopted (by sector, country, and region as feasible)
How will we comply with your information disclosure needs?
Organisations will sign a consent form allowing AVPN to share aggregate data without identifying specific signatories.
How can my organisation get involved without signing up?
Organisations looking to support gender equality and deepen gender intentionality can participate in webinars and events, share their experiences of embarking on their own gender lens journey, as well as tap on research and insights generated by AVPN and the AGN.
Where can I find further information?
For any other questions on the Principles, please reach out to the AVPN Gender team
