Section 8 - Budgeting and other resources
Our toolkit navigator includes the following guiding symbols to guide audiences in prioritizing resources
ToolKit Navigator
⧫ Beginner: Entry-level tools and step-by-step guides for investors and financial institutions to get started on their gender mainstreaming journeys.
⧫⧫ Intermediate: Intermediate-level tools, strategies, guidelines, and manuals for investors and financial institutions already working with impact-investing frameworks and with a solid understanding of the concepts of gender, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
⧫⧫⧫ Advanced: Advanced-level intersectional frameworks and analytical gender lenses for investors and financial institutions with established GDE&I practices and a strong conceptual understanding of applying a gender lens across institutional activities.
☆Must read
*** Key resource for diversifying the gender perspective
Does the institution use gender and other diversity metrics when developing budgets and when deciding where to allocate funds?
Choose your answer
No institution is free from gender biases and many times institutional budgets have the ability to create strong organizational and social impacts. Budgeting can drive both economic growth and productivity but also ensure that essential services are available to all people. Considering gender in capital allocation is not something that can only be done in terms of external investments but analyzing budgets internally to see how funds affect projects, programs and services is a valuable practice within gender mainstreaming. Poorly planned and delivered investments can have harmful effects on societies and at work.
Want to get a quick overview on what gender budgeting requires? Read the short Fit for Gender mainstreaming guide and see if this is something your institution could do.
Not ready to think through your institutional budget with a gender perspective yet? Section 6 will allow you to dive into the world of Gender Lens Investing to see how your capital can create a social impact elsewhere.
This Section 8 will allow you to build your knowledge on what budgeting with a gender lens can do for your business and why it is important to consider gender and other diversities when planning for a fiscal year of new products, projects, programs and services.
Select the challenges you identify with and explore the resources
Challenge:
Addressing possible differences in roles, contributions and needs of diverse women and men and non-binary populations through the allocation of adequate resources to the relevant project activities is key to any gender budgeting process. It is never too late to learn about the impact incorporating a gender perspective into capital allocation can have within your institution.
Interested in a quick overview of gender budgeting? Start by reading what planning with a gender perspective requires by visiting the European Institute for Gender Equality here.
⧫⧫ Intermediate, English
Want to dive deeper? Check out Chapter 4 of the OECD Gender and Capital Budgeting to not only think through cost-benefit analysis that takes into account gender considerations to accompany capital budget proposals but to tie your investment decisions with gender impact assessments.
⧫⧫ Intermediate, English
If you are interested in learning more about the importance of allocating your organization's funds to promote diversity and inclusion, particularly with regard to LGBT populations, check out the LGBT Best Practice Guide for Employers.
⧫ Beginner, English
If you don't know why or how to invest with LGBT lenses, we recommend you explore this article from Forbes, where you can find a brief introductory guide; or the "Application" and "Investment Thesis" section of this article from the Social Investment Group.
⧫ Beginner, English
For more technical and precise information check Chapters 3 and 4 of the Criterion Institute Investing with an LGBTQI lens or this report, to learn more on how to design an LGBTQI-Inclusive investment strategy.
⧫⧫ Intermediate, English
Section 1 in this toolkit has great resources on how to formalize internal policies in gender equality to get you started.
Are you interested in business, investment, technology and private sector development? The United Nations Industrial Development Organization has an excellent guide on how to mainstream gender in the private sector here. Check out Chapter 3 Step 5: Gender-responsive budgeting and the gender marker to learn more!
⧫⧫ Intermediate, English
Are you designing specific programs or implementing/delivering social, healthcare or environmental services to diverse populations?
This is an excellent resource from the IAPB for Gender-responsive budgeting (GRB).
⧫ Beginner, English
Conducting a gender audit can help your institution to understand where it currently is in terms of gender equality. Check out the guiding questions at the end of the Gender Audit page to get started.
⧫ Beginner, English
Want to dive deeper? The International Labor Organization’s Manual for gender audit facilitators is one of the most comprehensive resources in the market.
⧫⧫ Intermediate, English
Challenge:
Recognizing the existing gaps in training and having the right tools to manage the organization's budget in a way that contemplates DEI perspectives is a great starting point!
Most gender or diversity-related initiatives within institutions require funds, time or other resources to become consistent and systematic efforts to build organizational culture. One idea is to start a committee who will lead these efforts! Follow this step-by-step guide on starting a Gender Committee that can lead the conversation so that gender diversity becomes part of your institution’s key priorities.
⧫ Beginner, English
Want to read a case study on how Banco Inter did this in Brazil? Check out here how the entire bank was trained in gender, diversity, equity and inclusion and how leadership buy-in can make a difference.
Interested in receiving gender budgeting training? Explore the following International Labor Organization’s course on Gender responsive budgeting within organizations: A hands-on training course to cost gender equality, diversity and inclusion, that will take place between November and December 2022!
⧫ Beginner, English
To increase gender responsive participation in the budget process, institutions need to undertake steps to involve diverse women and other minority populations in the design of the budget.
That is why gender budgeting must be understood as a way of increasing the diverse population´s participation in budget processes. Learn more about participatory methodologies in gender budgeting from this brief article from the European Institute for Gender Equality.
⧫ Beginner, English
Interested in making institutional processes more transparent and non-hierarchical? Check out Section 9 in this toolkit.
We recommend reading through Diversio's article, where you will find very useful information related to DEI budgeting and how to apply it correctly in your institution.
⧫ Beginner, English
Don’t have enough knowledge on the different barriers diverse populations face in your institution?
You can start by exploring the SDC Toolkit Sheet 9a where you will find an overview on what organizational changes need implementing. reference questions that complement the above tools. In addition, Section 5 in this toolkit will help you to understand how gender, race, sexuality, disability and other identity markers affect not only people’s individual experiences but contribute to the larger systemic issues in our societies and help you get started on why measuring is key to all DE&I initiatives.
⧫⧫⧫ Advanced, English
Want to know how the University of Michigan did it? Read through this Case Study for clear and practical ways on how to incorporate DE&I considerations in your budgeting and across operations.
⧫⧫ Intermediate, English
Challenge:
If you are looking for tools to improve your impact measurement in the institution's capital allocation or investments with a GDE&I lens, we recommend you review the Impact Assessment section of the CDC Gender Toolkit, or the Guide to Gender Impact Assessment, from the European Institute for Gender Equality.
⧫ Beginner, English
For LGBTQI lens investment or capital allocation impact measurement, learn how these investments in your portfolio can create impact by checking p. 17 and/or the Data and Metrics To Support and LGBTQI Lens section of the Investing with an LGBTQI Lens, from The Criterion Institute.
⧫⧫ Intermediate, English
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