Accelerating Women’s
Political Leadership
When diverse, marginalized women lead, societies thrive. They are crucial for driving transformational change in formal politics; promoting inclusive policies, advancing economic empowerment, fostering environmental sustainability, and securing lasting peace and stability.
When diverse women lead, societies thrive
The Representation Gap
Despite their proven effectiveness, women remain
underrepresented in politics—especially
those from marginalized backgrounds.
As of 2025:
27%
of parliamentary seats worldwide are held
by women.
22.9%
of ministers
are women.
11.9%
with women Heads
of State (18/151).
8.3%
countries with women
Heads of Government
(16/193).
will take 130 years to reach gender equality
in the highest positions of power.
Systemic Barriers
Women are singled out and persecuted for their participation in and promoting politics. These challenges disproportionally affect racialized women, people with disabilities, indigenous,
queer, and gender nonbinary people:
These barriers hinder women and diverse identities from entering politics and limit their ability to sustain power and drive meaningful change. Despite the adversity, they continue to defy the status quo, playing a vital role in dismantling long-standing systems of oppression
Limited access to funding and resources.
High levels of violence and harassment, online and offline.
Exclusion from influential networks and decision-making spaces.
Lack of specialized training and protection mechanisms.
Accelerating Women’s
Political Leadership
A Hive for Political
Transformation
Colmena means “hive” in Spanish, a symbol of community, connection, and collective strength. The Colmena Fund celebrates the power of its network of diverse women political leaders.
It is a non-partisan fund dedicated to bring critical resources and infrastructure to advance feminist and democratic women’s leadership in formal political spaces across the Global South.
Mission
We focus on leaders marginalized by oppressive systems including racialized women, Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, queer and gender-nonbinary people.
Vision
We envision a world where diverse women political leaders are the norm —building societies that are democratic and equitable.
Our leadership
Suyen Barahona
Executive Director.
Suyen Barahona
Executive Director.
Suyen Barahona
Executive Director.
Steering Committee
Suyen Barahona
Executive Director.
Suyen Barahona
Executive Director.
Suyen Barahona
Executive Director.
Suyen Barahona
Executive Director.
Suyen Barahona
Executive Director.
Suyen Barahona
Executive Director.
Our hive’s impact in numbers
Colmena Fund’s inaugural cohort of grantees focused on sustaining hard-won gains and strengthening the feminist political ecosystem.
Their achievements show meaningful progress in building leadership pipelines, expanding mental health and safety infrastructures, advancing legal protections, and deepening the support networks essential for women’s leadership to truly endure and grow.
During 2025
100+ women declared their intention
to run for office after engaging with
our partners.
7 new political support networks emerged.
1,400+ women stepped into leadership pathways through the work of our partners.
17 partners reached 33 countries.
Of the 1,400+
people engaged:
407 were LGBTQIA+ leaders.
263 were youth leaders.
202 were political actors.
5 have a disability.
Key strategies:
Capacity-building: Courses, workshops, training sessions, programmes, and mentorships.
Raising awareness: Manuals and books.
Strengthening networks: Forums, webinars, summits, convenings, and dialogues.