Following the announcement of the 2020-21 recipients of the Tampon Tax fund, we are pleased to see a marked improvement in the number of grants made to women’s health and support charities.

After campaigning tirelessly, with support from across our sector and beyond, for the Tampon Tax to be allocated to “women’s health and support charities”, as promised by George Osborne in 2015, it is welcomed that more women’s organisations than in previous years have been awarded grants.

For example, Women in Prison, Rape Crisis Scotland and Rosa Fund for Women & Girls. 

With the pandemic disproportionately affecting women, this funding will help to sustain some through what is a deeply challenging time.

However, with 5 out of 12 grants being made made to generic organisations who are not dedicated women’s health and support charities, we see this as a missed opportunity to address the historical and chronic underfunding of the life-saving work of women’s health and support charities.

Decades of evidence repeatedly demonstrate that the needs of women and girls, and the upholding of our human rights, are only met properly by our specialist sector.

In the case of Comic Relief receiving one of these grants, it is reassuring to see that they will be making onward grants to frontline, specialist Black and minoritized women’s organisations in England addressing violence against women and girls and urge our members to apply to this when applications open.

To the specialist women’s organisations who are left feeling ignored and undervalued, we see you and we hear you. We are here to help however we can and we continue to stand with you and up for you in all the work that we do.