How to Build a Global, Grassroots Movement
The nonprofit Mama Cash, started around a kitchen table 40 years ago, is now supporting feminist activists around the globe.
September 12, 2025 | Read Time: 1 minute
What happens when $2.83 billion disappears from women’s rights funding globally?
Conversely, what is possible when donors break out of traditional silos to work collaboratively with the goal of abundance and liberation for all?
Phil Buchanan and Grace Nicolette talk with Happy Mwende Kinyili, co-executive director of global feminist fund Mama Cash to explore this unprecedented crisis — and discover surprising reasons for hope.
Happy shares powerful stories from Kenya to Argentina, explaining how participatory grant making creates lasting change and why “the people who’ve gotten us into this mess aren’t going to get us out of it.”
For donors feeling overwhelmed by massive global needs or the frustrating retrenchments of recent years, Happy offers her own mother’s wisdom: “Don’t try to do everything, do something.”
Learn how small actions can have huge impact, why trust-based philanthropy works, and how co-leadership models are reshaping organizations.
We appreciate the opportunity to share this podcast and want to note that the interview was conducted by Buchanan and Nicolette with no involvement from the Chronicle’s newsroom.
