Call to express interest as organisation to host the WIDE+ European Feminist Forum in 2027
WIDE+ is seeking an association that is interested in hosting our European Feminist Forum, a transnational and inclusive gathering of feminist activists, organisations and movements from across Europe and beyond.
The Forum will take place towards or in the second half of 2027 in an EU member state, bringing together at least 250 participants over around 2.5 days. It will be interactive, creative and grounded in feminist activism, combining plenary sessions, workshops, and open spaces for exchange and movement building.
We expect to attract at least between 50 and 100 international participants, and a significant number of participants from the host country. The language of the event will be English and we want to try to host it in the language of the host country as well; though we cannot yet confirm this option, as this depends on the final costs.
This call is for associations that are or have collaborated with WIDE+ or a WIDE+ member, including associations that are part of national networks that are a member of WIDE+. WIDE+ has secured a budget that will enable reimbursement of costs, including staffing costs for hosting.
We are seeking through this call a statement of interest, not a confirmation of hosting. We invite associations to provide a further explanation on their practical vision for the event, motivation to host, and experience. With preselected applicants we will have a meeting to further reflect on each other’s expectations, in order to come to a suitable match.
How to apply for the call
If your organisation is interested in hosting the European Feminist Forum 2027, please submit your application through our online form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeLBzWcjhDblZw6SztvSFaD0DXm8GTe87BAdvTi-hmdLinr5A/viewform?usp=publish-editor
Application deadline: The call for applications will close on 10 August 2026. Any questions about the call and preparation of the forum can be posed to femmove@wideplus.org with attention Gioia Buonsanti.
Why a Feminist Forum?
Across Europe, feminist movements are fighting back — against attacks on women’s and LGBTQI+ rights, rising nationalism and authoritarianism, shrinking space for civil society, economic inequality, and the climate crisis. These attacks don’t come from nowhere. They are the consequence of inequalities of wealth, power, and income that have reached levels never seen before. Capitalism has always been unfair and exploitative, built on extracting labour, care, and resources for the profit of a few. But since the 1980s, neoliberal policies have made things worse — cutting public services, weakening workers’ rights, and handing more power to corporations.
The Forum intends to contribute to feminist movement building through strengthening alliances, developing joint strategies, and imagining feminist futures for Europe. It is rooted in WIDE+’s work at the intersection of feminist economics, gender justice, anti-racist, decolonial perspectives and collective action for social, environmental and economic transformation in Europe and beyond.
A more detailed concept note will be available in the autumn of this year and the host will be invited to join the programmatic development of the Forum as well.
Benefits to expect as host
Taking on the role as host offers an exciting opportunity to enhance the alliancebuilding and visibility around your association and your work. It can lead to new partnerships and opportunities. WIDE+ has secured a multi-annual grant through the EU framework partnership of CERV. And we are keen to further develop avenues for co-funding.
Expected budget: We aim to allocate close to 150.000 Euros to hold the forum, which includes around 60.000 Euros for supporting the participation of 60 international participants and a similar amount of 60.000 for hosting costs (staffing costs and local costs). However these budget estimates are not confirmed.
What we aim to ensure is that there are no costs involved for the host, including no additional staffing costs. That is why we applied for a subcontracting arrangement through our grant.
What we are looking for in a Host
The European Feminist Forum is a collaborative effort that will be organised through different thematic working groups with a group of members coordinating the programme. As programmatic lead, WIDE+ will be responsible for overall strategy and project timeline management, while the host organization serves as the anchor on the ground. Both will also engage in external communication, inviting activists and relevant stakeholders to come.
We are looking for an organisation in an EU member state that can offer the following:
- Logistics coordination: On-the-ground support, including managing local registration arrangements for participants and other localised tasks. Part of the coordination is:
- Experience in hosting/organising larger meetings, especially for 100 people or more.
- Accessibility options: Accessible facilities and support in identifying affordable accommodation and a venue for participants, ideally also in other forms such as simultaneous translation. Part of the accessibility criteria are:
- Access to a suitable Venue: A conference space for at least 250 people in plenary, with multiple rooms for parallel sessions (that can be covered by the budget, but not every town has such facilities);
- Reasonable distance from airport and frequency of flights as well as price of venue and flights from different parts of Europe to the host city.
- Local and/or national outreach: a significant portion of the participants will come from the host country. That is why it is relevant to know if there is interest for such a forum in and around the place it will be held.
- Affinity with WIDE+’s feminist vision and mission and some alignment with the strategic focus (see: https://wideplus.org/about/objectives/).
- Current or previous collaboration with WIDE+ or a WIDE+ member association, individual or network (which can be collaboration with an association of a member organisation).