Women’s leadership and participation is critical for democracy. Women make up over half of the population, and the inclusion of women in all aspects of public life is key for democratic societies to thrive. Women’s civic engagement is also often a powerful force to promote human rights, transparency, and strong democratic institutions and values.

In the past year, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) approved $76 million in grants for 316 partner projects in 78 countries. These projects supported women’s right, empowering women leaders, advancing gender equality, and increasing women’s political participation, even in the most challenging environments.

“Supporting women’s leadership is critical to all of us at NED, both in our grantmaking and internally within our organization,” said Ally Martin-Earisman, assistant program officer for monitoring, evaluation and learning and co-chair of NED’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee. “When women have the chance to fully and openly participate in decision-making and make change, democracy is strong.”

Watch “Women in Action” with Civil Society Leaders from Nigeria, Uganda, and Niger: