The Indigenous Women's Fund - AYNI, is the economic and philanthropic arm of the International Indigenous Women's Forum - FIMI and acts as a facilitating channel to accompany indigenous women's movements and their interaction with broader movements, building leadership and strengthening their organizational processes through the provision of grants for the implementation of projects in different thematic areas.

The Indigenous Women's Fund AYNI was formally established in 2008 and made its first call for proposals in 2009.

The name "AYNI" was selected through a public contest. AYNI is a Quechua/Kichua word, whose meaning synthesizes reciprocity, solidarity and equitable and fair joint work among human beings as well as with other beings of the cosmos (animals, plants, stars, etc.)

Thematic Areas

he AYNI Fund works on the basis of the priorities identified by Indigenous Women in the processes facilitated by FIMI, and are grouped into the following thematic areas:

• Institutional strengthening to improve communication, resource management, planning and accountability capacities, among others, of the indigenous women's organizations or groups. 
• Land, territory, resources and climate change includes actions that facilitate access of Indigenous Women to the use and management of their resources, their territories and promote the care of mother earth. 
• Food sovereignty based on cultural identity includes all initiatives to contribute to the use of the people's knowledge to ensure food security for families and communities. 
• Resilient Indigenous Women for a life free from violence includes those proposals aimed at achieving full recognition of individual and collective human rights, participation in decision making, strengthening of their leadership and their organizations.
• Education and capacity building includes the processes that promote in Indigenous Women the improvement of their education and training standards both in their own knowledge and in intercultural knowledge, participating in exchanges and strengthening their knowledge. 
• Use of and access to information and communication technologies (ICTs), acquisition of equipment, access to the internet and learning how to use them.
• Economic autonomy of Indigenous Women, support to those processes that improve the welfare and economic conditions of Indigenous Women, their families and their communities based on their own collective and cultural administration. Such as production, commercialization and/or exchange of agricultural and handicraft products of women and their productive organizations; technical assistance for micro-enterprises and productive projects of Indigenous Women. For the first time the AYNI Fund will support proposals focused on:
• Sports for Empowerment, learning and promotion of traditional village sports and western sports as a means to empower indigenous women of all ages.

The AYNI Fund has three grant strategies:

• Seed Projects / Scaling Up
• The Indigenous Peoples Assistance Facility - IPAF
• Leading from the South

Funding Information

• The budget submitted should not amount to more than US$10,000 (US dollars) and should take realistic consideration of local costs.
• A monthly schedule of activities should be included indicating how the project will be implemented within a maximum of 10 months from the date the grant is awarded.

Eligibility Criteria

Please note that to apply the community or organization must meet all the following criteria: 

• It is a community of indigenous or tribal peoples, or an organization/association/group of Indigenous Women. In the case of a mixed indigenous or tribal peoples' organization, the proposal must be submitted by a section, secretariat or group of Indigenous Women of that community. 
• It is registered in accordance with the traditional rules of their people and/or the current legislation of their country and holds a bank account in their name. If there is no legal registration or account of its own, the indigenous peoples' community or organization may ask a non-profit organization or a legally registered local institution to act as fiscal sponsor and receive the grant on its behalf. In such cases, this must be expressly stated on the application form and a letter must be attached explaining the relationship between the two entities, stating the responsibilities and duties of each party.
• Submit only one project per applicant.

For more information, visit FIMI.