The International Network for the Reduction of Abortion Discrimination and Stigma (inroads)

Mission:

The International Network for the Reduction of Abortion Discrimination and Stigma (inroads) is a global network of advocates, scholars, health providers, and donors with the shared goal of shifting the conversation on abortion and creating a world free of abortion stigma.

Channel Grants:

2021-24: Channel made a three year general operating support grant to inroads for the continued implementation of their mission to shift the conversation on abortion and create a world free of abortion stigma. The grant is intended to strengthen inroads network members’ capacity and also build tools and an evidence base that supports stigma reduction more widely.

2020: Channel made a general operating support grant to support inroads’ work coordinating a global network of community-based groups working to end abortion stigma and discrimination.

2017-2019: Channel made several annual grants to support inroads (when they were a project of Ipas) to support community-based groups worldwide as they work to end abortion stigma via the inroads Seed Grants Program.  Inroads seed grants offered financial and technical support to strengthen long-term organizational experience, capacity, and advocacy impact. Ultimately, the seed grants helped promote change in both the local communities that grantees serve and, through rapid diffusion and adaptation, in the global inroads community of practice.

Seed grants are meant to support inroads members who are piloting innovative strategies to understand and address stigma as they “conduct short-term interventions, pursue arts-based strategies, or translate existing tools and resources to understand or reduce stigma.”

For example, inroads seed grants have supported projects such as the following:

• Love Matters (India): Use of virtual reality technology to address abortion stigma.
• The Maria Fund (Mexico): Development of a strategic communications toolkit for human rights, social justice and reproductive rights organizations to talk about abortion proudly and without stigma.
• The School of Social Work at the University at Buffalo(USA) infographic, “Lead the Way to Destigmatizing Abortion in Social Work,” about abortion stigma in social work. In partnership with the National Network of Abortion Funds, they will develop a trauma-informed framework for addressing abortion stigma in practice settings.