Increasing Impact by bridging the Gap between Gender and Finance through Translation- Innovations from Canadian Practitioners

WUSC, in partnership with Criterion Institute, is pleased to release a new resource: Translating between Gender and Finance for Increased Impact: Best Practices of Canadian Practitioners. This resource is the outcome of close to a decade of collaborative efforts, building upon earlier work exploring the potential of international and local volunteers to play a translation role between gender and finance. In this new engagement, the focus has shifted towards institutionalizing expertise within the organization. This change prompts important questions about how we can build our expertise and our networks, how we can develop processes and workflows that support translation, and how we can develop a financial model that can support this function over time. 

This release comes at a timely moment as Gender lens investing (GLI)- which integrates gender factors alongside financial analysis to support stronger financial, social and environmental outcomes- is continuing to evolve and gain momentum. With approximately USD 20 billion under management, there is an increasing recognition that we must ensure that investments are designed and managed in a way that considers gender and power imbalances. A key barrier persists in the lack of comprehensive gender analyses in the investment process. This is primarily due to the significant gap between gender expertise and financial acumen. Finance experts often lack the expertise to conduct robust gender analyses that go beyond simple metrics. In some cases, they might undervalue existing insights from women’s rights organizations (WROs). On the other hand, gender experts are often unfamiliar with financial systems and frequently dismiss their role in driving meaningful social change. This results in an “analysis gap” and leads to investment deals that lack a strong gender analysis and thus do not fully contribute to transformative advancements in gender equality.

In response to these challenges, WUSC has convened a wide range of Canadian and international stakeholders over the past year to reflect on building translation functions within Canadian INGOs. In the context of the Advancing Research and Investment (ARISE) project, funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and implemented by the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE),  we convened a series of discussions in 2023 with Civil Society Organization (CSO) leaders and practitioners, investors, donors and other peer organizations alongside the Criterion Institute.  These discussions sought to explore and reflect on the translation function within INGOs. 

Drawing on these discussions, this resource highlights some of the opportunities available for INGOs to incorporate this translation process into their work. Furthermore, it provides some initial insights and steps that WUSC and its peers can undertake to continue playing a pivotal role in bridging the gap between finance and gender experts. In addition to a general overview of the translation role, the resource showcases emerging translation practices from three Canadian CSOs: Plan International, MEDA, and the Equality Fund. 

Learn about all of this and more here.WUSC looks forward to continuing to share experiences and learn with and from partners as we work together to influence systems of finance to promote gender equality.