A crowdfunder campaign set up to remember Sarah Everard has raised more than £530,000 for women’s charitable causes.
The Reclaim These Streets group has set up the JustGiving online crowdfunding campaign in remembrance of Everard, whose body was found last week after she disappeared in London.
The campaign has been set up after the group was forced to cancel its gathering on Clapham Common in her memory.
It’s aim is to raise £320,000 for women’s charities, representing the risk of a £10,000 fine for each of the women organising the planned vigil.
As of this morning the total stood at £530,346, following donations from more than 22,000 supporters.
Reclaim These Streets says that it has launched the campaign to give itself the ability to split the funds raised “between various causes so that a diverse range of charities could benefit”.
It adds: “We will be putting in place transparent and rigorous governance arrangements for the funds raised, including diverse, representative women from around the country, to identify and work with charities so that your donations are as impactful as they possibly can be.
“We are conscious that our own experiences of misogyny and sexism are not universal and want to make sure this fund is inclusive, intersectional, and representative.”
Good causes likely to benefit from the funding including charities tackling women’s safety issues and supporting women impacted by sexual and domestic violence.
Although the group’s event for Everard was cancelled, vigils still took place UK wide, including at Clapham Common. At the event a number of fines were issued and concerns were raised at the treatment by police officers of women attending.
The group stresses that money raised through its crowdfunder will “be going to charity and not fines”. It says there are separate funds for paying fines of those attended “and we would encourage you to make your donation there”.
Reclaim the Streets has pledged to be “fully transparent” about how the money will be spent and has deployed Rosa, the charitable fund for women and girls, to distribute the funding.
📣 We are excited to announce that @RosaForWomen, the only UK charitable funder dedicated to supporting women’s and girls’ organisations, will be taking forward the management and distribution of our crowdfunder, which currently stands at over £525,000! pic.twitter.com/lUNUxsKALn
— Reclaim These Streets (@ReclaimTS) March 19, 2021
“Rosa is the only UK charitable funder dedicated to supporting women’s and girls’ organisations in the UK, including those addressing the causes and consequences of male violence and access to justice,” said a statement from Reclaim These Streets.
“These organisations are at the heart of everything Rosa does. It involves them in all aspects of its work to ensure resources reaches where it’s most needed and can make the biggest difference for women and girls,” the statement added.
Recent Stories