More than nine in 10 women and girls’ charities experienced a rise in demand for their services over the past year, a report has found.

A survey of more than 200 women and girls’ charities and organisations – carried out by the think tank Pro Bono Economics and commissioned by Rosa, the UK fund for women and girls – found that 91 per cent of respondents reported an increased demand for their services over the past year.

This was compared with just 65 per cent of the social sector overall, according to PBE’s analysis the VCSE Sector Barometer Survey 2024, which is carried out by the Nottingham Trent University. 

PBE and Rosa’s report on the women and girls social sector finds that although 93 per cent of respondents expected to see further demand for their services over the coming year,  just half said they had the capacity to meet this need.

It found that 44 per cent predicted that they might not be able to meet future demand, with cost and demand pressures having already forced more than a quarter of respondents to reduce their services.

Nearly 60 per cent of all respondents said they did not have sufficient staff to meet their organisation’s objectives.

The report also found that 45 per cent of respondents would expand their influencing and advocacy work if they had more resources or funding. This priority came second only to a desire to support more women and girls by expanding their service delivery, which 67 per cent said they would do if they had more resources.

More than half of all respondents identified funding sources as their top concern.

The report says a funding environment that “fosters competition over collaboration has further exacerbated these challenges”, with 43 per cent of respondents saying that competition for funding was a major issue for their organisation.

Many respondents expressed frustration with the availability and allocation of local and central government funding, the report says, adding that these were “frequently perceived as favouring larger, generalist organisations, often at the expense of smaller, specialist providers”.

The report says: “The complexities of the commissioning process have created a challenging operating environment for many smaller organisations for women and girls. 

“In some cases, smaller organisations may be subcontracted under larger generalist organisations, which may obscure their contributions to service delivery.”

Respondents also highlighted the recourse-intensive nature of grant applications as a challenge, which they added can be exacerbated by the short-term nature of most grants.

Black and/or minoritised women and girls’ organisations were hit the hardest by demand and funding challenges, the report finds.

These organisations were significantly more likely to have experienced an increase in demand for their services – at 97 per cent compared with 88 per cent of non-black and/or minoritised groups.

Every black and/or minoritised women and girls’ organisation consulted said they expected demand to increase, compared with 90 per cent of other organisations.

These organisations were also more likely to be concerned about rising costs, with 26 per cent of black and/or minoritised organisations listing this as a top concern, compared with just 10 per cent of other organisations.

Beth Kitson, research and policy analyst at PBE and author of the report, said: “The government’s priority to halve violence against women and girls within a decade relies on women and girls’ charities. Right now, these often small but vital organisations are underfunded, under-recognised and are at considerable risk. 

“Black and minoritised women’s organisations face disproportionate challenges, struggling with both rising costs and increased demand for their services.”

Rebecca Gill, executive director at Rosa, said: “Every single change that has benefitted women over the last 200 years has been pioneered by women and girls organising and mobilising. Yet the organisations we run and rely on remain chronically underfunded.

“Now, more than ever, the women and girls’ sector needs investment to ensure its sustainability and impact for the future.”