The APEC Women and the Economy Sub-Fund, managed by the Policy Partnership on Women and the Economy (PPWE), provides ongoing financial support to initiatives that advance women’s economic participation across APEC member economies. Established in 2017, the Sub-Fund was developed to institutionalise gender inclusion across APEC’s work — from trade and innovation to leadership and entrepreneurship.
Backed by voluntary contributions from economies including Australia (US $1.3 million), Chinese Taipei (US $1.7 million), the United States (US $1.1 million), Canada (US $547,667) and New Zealand (US $66,524), the Sub-Fund supports projects that deliver capacity-building activities, enhance policy environments, and remove barriers to women’s full economic participation.
Eligible Concept Notes (CNs) must:
- Be co-endorsed by the PPWE and at least one other APEC forum, encouraging cross-sector collaboration.
- Deliver measurable outcomes benefiting developing APEC economies.
Align with at least one of PPWE’s five key pillars:
- Access to capital
- Access to markets
- Skills, capacity-building, and health
- Leadership, voice, and agency
- Innovation and technology
Proposals must also include women’s perspectives in design and evaluation, demonstrate evidence-based planning (using APEC’s Women and the Economy Dashboard), and take a multi-stakeholder approach engaging governments, civil society, and business.
Applications follow a two-stage process: Concept Note endorsement by PPWE, followed by full Project Proposal submission to the APEC Secretariat for review and approval by the Budget Management Committee (BMC).
The Sub-Fund plays a critical role in embedding gender equality into APEC’s broader economic and development agenda — ensuring women are empowered as leaders, innovators, and active contributors to inclusive growth across the region.
