Rosa the first fund in the UK devoted to investing solely in women’s causes and charitable initiatives across the country was launched last week.

Set up by former WOMANKIND Worldwide executive director Maggie Baxter, Rosa will focus on four key issues - safety, economic justice, health and well being, and equal representation - by giving small grants to enable positive change at the grassroots and strategic level and tackle women’s inequality at its source.

According to statistics researched by Rosa, 45% of all women in the UK experience domestic violence, stalking or sexual harassment at some point in their lives. However, since 1984 nearly half of all rape crisis centres have closed due to lack of funding.

Barbara Follett MP, Deputy Minister for Women and Equality, whose department hosted the launch, said of Rosa: “Supporting and empowering women are very important to me; indeed and that is why I am so pleased to be hosting the launch of Rosa.”

Rosa has been launched after 10 years of research and consultation with eminent women’s organisations, government, the corporate sector, the media and trusts and foundations, which identified the need for more funding for women’s organisations and a strong champion for women.
 
“Despite there being dozens of funds exclusively devoted to women’s issues in the USA, the UK does not have even one similar funding body that champions and supports just women’s causes throughout whole country,” said Maggie Baxter, who has been Rosa’s development director and is now one of its three trustees. She also guest edited Philanthropy UK’s Women & Philanthropy report.

“We have established this trailblazing new fund to raise these concerns and try to address these issues by being the only exclusive advocate and funder of organisations working with women and girls throughout the UK.”

Rosa launches with £750,000 funding already secured and a further £750,000 in the pipeline. It will begin making grants of between £5,000 and £20,000 in 2009 and will be developing its funding criteria and grant application procedure over the next few months.

An online fundraising campaign asks donors to make a gift to the new organisation in the name of an inspirational woman in their lives. To make a donation and dedicate it to an inspirational woman visit Rosa’s website.