Framework for financing the prevention of gender-based violence

Published

March 23, 2026

Efforts to reduce gender‑based violence are often constrained by the systems that shape how resources flow, how decisions are made, and what kinds of futures are seen as possible.

This framework for financing the prevention of gender-based violence offers a shared way of understanding how financial systems themselves shape the conditions in which gender‑based violence persists. It translates established GBV prevention logic into a form that is legible and usable by financial decision‑makers, while remaining grounded in the realities of GBV work.

The framework starts from a simple premise: finance is not neutral. The structures, incentives, and norms embedded in financial systems play a powerful role in reinforcing or challenging the social and economic drivers of violence. Addressing gender‑based violence at scale therefore requires going beyond seeing finance purely as a source of funding, and engaging it intentionally as a system of power.

The framework reframes prevention through three interconnected dimensions (broad, deep, and resourced) to help actors see where and how finance can meaningfully contribute to reducing violence. It is aligned with the All In approach to ending gender‑based violence, and can be used alongside it. At the same time, it is not dependent on All In for its relevance or application. It is intended to be taken up, adapted, and tested in different contexts.

Importantly, this is a shared framework for action. While Criterion Institute facilitated its development, the framework is offered as a common reference point that others can use, critique, and build on, supporting coordination across sectors without requiring alignment to a single institution or agenda.

Download the framework to explore how financing the reduction of gender‑based violence can become a practical, collective, and system‑level effort.

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