Renewing e-MFP’s Gender Lens Investing Action Group: Building a Shared Resource for the Sector

Author: Sam Mendelson, e-MFP GLI Action Group Lead.

Over the past decade, gender lens investing (GLI) has become a widely embraced concept across the development finance ecosystem. It has become embedded in global frameworks, supported by donor initiatives, and advanced through important coalitions and standards - from the 2X Criteria and Equilo’s diagnostics tools to the Women’s Empowerment Principles, Pro Mujer’s Gender Knowledge Lab, and the Cerise+SPTF SPI5 Full framework. Yet for many of the financial service providers (FSPs), investors, and technical assistance organisations operating in inclusive finance (particularly at the field level) GLI remains a conceptually resonant but practically elusive goal: what is it for, how is it achieved, and what is there to help explain it?

In early 2025, after extensive consultations with members of the e-MFP GLI Action Group (GLI AG), the e-MFP Secretariat made the decision to amend the AG’s structure and plans. Under this new phase, e-MFP is leading a two-year, tightly scoped plan of activities (2025–2026) aimed at filling two of the most pressing and actionable gaps in GLI practice: 1. The absence of a curated, user-friendly, filterable resource portal tailored to different stakeholder groups; and 2. The lack of visibility and peer sharing around how GLI is actually being implemented in practice.

To develop the resource portal, which we have heard from members and stakeholders would be so valuable, we’re also thrilled to welcome the consultants who will be leading the first part of this work: Katie Tavenner and Carlos Quiros of QLands, who will be supported during the mapping and engagement phase by Jenny Morgan, an extremely experienced gender finance consultant and facilitator (and former co-lead of FinEquity). The consultants, and Fernando Naranjo and I from e-MFP, are grateful to be supported by a fantastic seven-person Advisory Committee of Action Group  members.

Why a Reboot — and Why Now?

Members told us they didn’t want another generic library of tools. They wanted something smart and annotated with clear value-add: a portal that’s filterable by stakeholder type (whether you’re an FSP, an investor, a market builder, or a TA provider); that helps you know which tools to use at what stage; that gives you real-world examples of how others have applied a gender lens - and what it meant in practice. We would like to move from information overload to curated guidance.

A Curated Portal for Practical Application

As I introduced above, the centrepiece of the GLI AG’s 2025 workplan is the GLI Resource Portal - an online, filterable, evolving platform that allows stakeholders across the inclusive finance ecosystem to:

• Identify relevant tools tailored to their role, needs, and level of experience;

• Learn from real-world case studies of how others have applied GLI principles in practice;

• Access curated/annotated guidance materials (not just every tool ever created); and

• Stay informed about upcoming events, webinars, and peer-learning opportunities

The portal will build on and connect to existing platforms or sites - among them 2X, FinEquity’s resource guide, the Pro Mujer Gender Knowledge Lab’s Gender Platform, CERISE+SPTF’s own GLI Working Group  - and many others. We want it to become a trusted one-stop-shop for busy practitioners looking to get oriented, go deeper, or implement something new.

Telling the Story of Practice

The second core activity is a lightweight content stream to showcase what GLI looks like in practice—warts and all. Through short blogs, mini case studies, and occasional webinars, AG members will have the opportunity to share their experiences: how they’ve navigated leadership buy-in, used (or adapted) diagnostics tools, integrated sex-disaggregated data, or designed products with gender in mind.

There is a clear appetite for this kind of content. Members have told us they want to hear from their peers and partners. They want to understand not just why GLI is important, but how it is implemented, measured, refined.  And they want to know what GLI looks like for institutions like theirs - working with limited budgets, diverse client groups, and under real operational constraints.

This content will be published in part here on the e-MFP blog, but we will welcome and solicit case studies, interviews and other content that is core to this AG’s purpose. All contributions will be voluntary, and members can either propose content themselves or respond to direct outreach. 

What Next?

The mapping and resource tagging process has now begun, in advance of a meeting with the Advisory Committee in September to present some initial ideas and gather feedback. There will be a GLI AG session during e-MFP’s annual event in November where it’s anticipated an early mock-up of the Portal will be presented, and the consultants and certain AG members will be available to share progress and answer questions. It’s hoped that the Portal will be read for beta testing in late Q1 2026, and for final completion and launch in Q2. After this, the portal will benefit from regular dedicated maintenance and monitoring to ensure it remains updated and valuable.

How You Can Contribute

If you are a member of e-MFP or involved in GLI work (however advanced or exploratory) we welcome your input. The design and refinement of this Portal will be collaborative, and we hope to benefit from e-MFP’s great network to optimise its value.

To this end:

• Do you have a tool, diagnostic resource, or checklist that your team finds useful? Feel free to share it for potential inclusion in the portal.

• Have you implemented a gender-smart intervention - whether successfully or not? Please consider writing a short blog or case note to help others learn.

• Are you willing to contribute financially to support the portal in 2026?We are open to co-funding opportunities in exchange for branding visibility and thought leadership roles.

You can reach out directly to fnaranjo@e-mfp.eu or smendelson@e-mfp.eu with ideas, questions, or expressions of interest.

Thanks to everyone who has been involved in getting this process to where it is, and please get in touch if you have ideas or questions.

Thank you!

About the Author:

Sam Mendelson is Financial Inclusion Specialist at e-MFP and is the e-MFP lead for the Gender Lens Investing and WASH Action Groups.