Redistributing care, empowering cities: explore our latest funding opportunity
The International Fund for Metropolises: Local Care Systems has officially launched its second edition, this year prioritizing innovative approaches that promote the redistribution of care work through social transformation and men’s active participation.
This International Fund seeks to address time poverty faced by women caregivers and the uneven distribution of care work by recognizing, reducing, and redistributing care tasks, while also rewarding and ensuring the representation of caregivers.
In this second edition, the fund emphasizes “Redistributing care work: Social transformation and men's active participation,” directly supporting cities in developing or implementing programs that address gender inequalities in care responsibilities and promote a more equitable distribution of care work between women and men.
The first edition of the International Fund for Metropolises, launched in 2024, was led by Metropolis, in collaboration with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and Open Society Foundations, and awarded the cities of Freetown (Sierra Leone) and Nairobi (Kenya).
They received 100,000€ for their programs to support care and caregivers: Freetown's project focuses on establishing a Care Block in the Susan's Bay community, while Nairobi's project strategically builds the capacity of government officials in departments relevant to the care economy through targeted training. In addition to funding, these cities will receive valuable technical support to help them launch and carry out their one-year projects.
Through this international funding opportunity, Metropolis provides technical and financial resources to city, metropolitan and provincial governments to address gender inequalities in care responsibilities and redistribute care work more equitably. Grants of up to USD 100,000 will support selected projects from two cities in Latin America over a 12-month period starting October 2025. Eligible cities are encouraged to submit their most innovative and transformative ideas before Wednesday, 13 August 2025.
Interested in learning more about the International Fund for Metropolises or ready to submit your initiative? Visit metropoliscare.org/international-fund
