Gender Grants support artists and creatives who use the arts and culture to address the challenges faced by women, gender minorities, and other marginalised communities. The grants enable impactful creative work that raises awareness, amplifies underrepresented voices, and strengthens the agency of those at the margins of the gender movement in Nepal.  

In 2023, we awarded 14 Gender Grants to individuals and organisations across Nepal for projects taking place in 29 different locations. The projects explored various art forms—visual arts, music, film, theatre, and dance drama—and creative approaches, including media-based storytelling, participatory workshops, and research.  

In March 2024, we organised Equal Together: Creative Gender Actions, a one-day event that brought together Gender Grant recipients, gender advocates, artists, creatives, and supporters of the broader WOW—Women of the World Festival in Kathmandu. The event served as a platform to strengthen collective learning, celebrate creative approaches to gender justice, and deepen connections across Nepal’s growing community of changemakers.    

Healing the Mother’s Heart  

About the Project

Healing the Mother’s Heart explores the often overlooked emotional aspects of post-pregnancy in today’s nuclear family-centric Nepali society. Through creative mediums like illustrations and zines, this initiative sheds light on mothers’ mental and emotional challenges post-pregnancy, raising awareness and providing information for women and their families to promote their mental well-being.  
  
About the Grantee

Healing the Mothers’ Heart is a collaborative initiative of three women, Alina Chhantel, Richene Singh and Srija Shrestha, researchers and visual storytellers.  More about Healing the Mother's Heart »  

Demjang

About the Project:  
Heyshe Dolma Sherpa’s Demjang documents the unique Sherpa marriage system, where women’s influence shapes marital practices. The initiative celebrates a matrifocal culture that offers women’s autonomy in marital decisions and enriches our understanding of traditional gender roles.  
 
About the Grantee:   
Heyshe Dolma Sherpa is a singer, songwriter, and poet from Kathmandu whose creativity explores the timelessness of the shared human experience.  More about Demjang »

Banki Sapana (Remaining Dreams)

Karnali Arts Centre (KAC) brings real-life narratives to the stage with "Banki Sapana" (Remaining Dreams), a play portraying the struggles of Dalit women involved in inter-caste relationships. The play, performed in forum-theatre style, raises awareness about entrenched caste hierarchies and empowers marginalised voices in rural Nepal.  

About the Grantee:  

KAC is a holistic arts and community-based not-for-profit organisation in Mugu. KAC envisions becoming a cultural hub for aspiring artists and activists to generate an inter-generational dialogue on the tangible and intangible heritages and knowledge systems of Karnali.  More about Banki Sapana »

Sadak Satta ra Siddanta

This initiative retells Nepal’s nation-building history by highlighting the pivotal roles women have played in political movements, especially in Madhesh. Through digital campaigns and a short documentary, it foregrounds the contributions of women as both leaders and participants.  

About the Grantee:  

Sadak, Satta ra Siddanta is led by Urbashi Ghimire, a law advocate dedicated to reimagining Nepal’s political narrative with a gender-inclusive perspective.  More about Sadak Satta ra Siddanta »  

Hear me Sing: Women in Nepali Music  

Hear Me Sing   brings diverse voices of Nepali women in music to the foreground. Inspired by Melbadevi Gurung, Nepal’s pioneering female singer,  Smarika Phuyal journeyed across Nepal, documenting regional singing traditions and unearthing stories of women whose voices have long been overshadowed.  

About the Grantee:  

Smarika Phuyal is an ethnomusicologist, musician, and composer. More about Hear me Sing: Women in Nepali Music » 

Shringaar Stories

Shringaar Stories, a podcast series by Duluwa Talks, attempts to archive intangible cultural heritages of Nepal’s diverse ethnic communities through the stories of indigenous women, told by the women themselves. It documents how women's aesthetic symbols signify a deeper mother-daughter bond from the womb to the afterlife in three indigenous Nepali communities.   

About the Grantee:  

Duluwa Talks is dedicated to empowering women through travel and cultural exploration.  More about Shringaar Stories »  

Healthy Relationships

Healthy Relationships sparks conversations among young students, helping them learn how to interact with the people they love with respect and understanding, through zine-making workshops.  

About the Grantee:  

Hami DajuVai is a youth-led feminist organisation that engages men and boys in building a gender-just society through media, advocacy, capacity building, campaigns, and community mobilisation.  More about Healthy Relationships »

Empowering Voices: An Inclusive Music Video Project for Gender Equality and Disability Awareness 

Empowering Voices is an inclusive storytelling digital content project that explored and produced an accessible music video spotlighting artists and creatives with disabilities and diverse gender identities. The music video titled ‘Sikka’ was created in collaboration with artists with disabilities at every stage — from songwriting to direction. This project highlights their talent and champions inclusion and representation in the arts.  

About the Grantee:   

Blind Rocks! is a non-profit organisation of dedicated individuals working to transform the lives of blind people and other persons with disabilities in Nepal and beyond. Their mission involves breaking boundaries and enabling individuals with disabilities to recognise and achieve their full potential, leading dignified lives.  More about Empowering Voices »

Breaking Boundaries through Dance

Breaking Boundaries through Dance, a Sudur Paschim Samaj (SPS) project, champions the rights of sexual and gender minorities in Kailali District through dance and drama.  As part of the project, SPS organised public performances on the streets and in colleges, creating engaging platforms for conversations on LGBTIQA+ rights and social inclusion.  

 About the Grantee:  

Sudur Paschim Samaj (SPS) is a grassroots movement committed to empowering sexual and gender minorities in Kailali District. More about Breaking Boundaries through Dance »

Empowering Newly Married Girls

Empowering Newly Married Girls from Marginalised Communities is an arts and cultural powered initiative by Fatima Foundation Nepal (FFN) that employs theatre, dance, and music to challenge traditional gender norms and empower women to lead change.  

About the Grantee:  

Fatima Foundation Nepal (FFN) is a non-profit organisation that works to empower women and girls from marginalised communities in Nepalgunj. More about Empowering Newly Married Girls »  

God is a Woman  

God is a Woman is Nepal’s first all-female hip-hop platform by Skathi Entertainment. The grant supported a concert showcasing a powerhouses of Nepali talent from Nepal and abroad, and a music workshop designed to equip aspiring female artists with the skills to navigate the music industry confidently.  

About the Grantee:  

Skathi Entertainment is an independent music label based in Kathmandu, Nepal.  Find more about God is a Woman »

Women in Media and Films 

International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT) Nepal supports and amplifies women’s voices in media through film festivals, training, and advocacy. As part of their efforts, they hosted a panel discussion during the 3rd IAWRT Nepal Film Festival, creating a platform for dialogue on gender and media representation.   

About the Grantee:  

 International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT) Nepal has been nurtured a vibrant community of women in media since 2006.  Find more about Women in Media and Films »  

Shree Tara at Bhoomi Folk Festival 

Shree Tara, an all-female folk ensemble based in Kathmandu, travelled to Janakpurdham in November 2023 to perform at the inaugural Bhoomi Folk Festival.  

About the Grantee:  

Bhoomi Folk Festival is an annual festival of music and art forms from Madhesh and beyond. It is a celebration of culture, art, music, artists, youth, and friendship. The first edition of the Festival was organised in November 2023 in Janakpurdham.  Find more about Shree Tara »

Gender Grants Documentation  

Filmmakers Sabrina Dangol and Neesha Khaling Rai documented 10 gender grant projects across Nepal. They led photography and video storytelling workshops, empowering grantees to share the impact of their work more effectively.  

About the Grantees:  

Sabrina Dangol and Neesha Khaling Rai are visual storytellers. Sabrina, a documentary photographer and filmmaker, focuses on stories that explore gender, culture, and tradition, while Neesha explores themes of ancestry, connection, and remembrance through film and photography.   Find more about the gender grants documentation »