Equimundo's 2025 Impact Report

A Simple But Powerful Idea

Equimundo’s work is grounded in a simple but powerful idea: that engaging men and boys as allies is essential to advancing gender equality. Across our global initiatives, spanning over 55 countries, we promote caring forms of masculinity. At a time of increasing pushback against gender equality, we continue to innovate while providing targeted technical assistance to hundreds of partners worldwide, strengthening and scaling evidence-based practices. From influencing policy and strengthening public systems, to partnering with educators, digital platforms, and community organizations, our research and programs demonstrate the ways care-centered approaches can effectively shift the narrative around men and gender equality, improve well-being, and create lasting impact at a global scale.

1. Equimundo Launches New Multi-Country Report Series on the State of Men

In 2025 Equimundo launched the State of the World’s Men series, building on 15 years of learnings from our flagship International Men and Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES). To date the series includes the État des hommes américains 2025 et State of UK Men 2025 reports.  With a potential readership exceeding 1.6 billion people, the reports have shaped public conversation and informed policy discussions in both the United States and the United Kingdom, while generating significant media attention and sparking dialogue with leading Hollywood content creators. In the United States, Equimundo was invited to participate in discussions with Democratic U.S. Senators on strengthening young men’s connection and civic engagement. In the United Kingdom, Equimundo presented findings in Parliament during the launch of the government’s Labour Group for Men and Boys, contributing evidence to support emerging policy approaches.

2. National Scale Up of Fatherhood Programming in Colombia

Colombia has been a global leader in implementing early childhood policies driven by the Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar (ICBF), the government’s national family welfare agency. Working with local partners Fundación Apapacho and CINDE, Equimundo is scaling Programa Apapachar – an evidence-based, gender transformative parenting program that promotes male caregiving and prevents violence against women and children through a hybrid model combining digital and in-person sessions. In 2025, the program reached 1,425 fathers in four cities, and developed plans to expand across 13 of Colombia’s 32 Departments. The ICBF has incorporated the program into its operational guidelines, positioning it for national scale through the country’s child protection system. Through this work, Equimundo demonstrates how research-informed caregiving programs can move from pilot initiatives to large-scale implementation through strong partnerships with governments and local organizations.

3. From Panic to Purpose Online

This approach also extends to media and storytelling. A short film produced by BBC StoryWorks for Equimundo and Beyond Equality explores  the evolving realities of boyhood and masculinity in the UK. Featuring firsthand stories on mental health, belonging, and identity, and presented by the WHO Foundation, the film reaches global audiences and sparks dialogue among media leaders, policymakers, and the public.

Finally, the Young Men and Media Collective– co-convened by Equimundo with Movember – brings together creators, platforms, and researchers across Australia, Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom to reshape how young men are represented in media, fostering collaboration to develop narratives that challenge harmful stereotypes and promote healthier, more inclusive models and narratives of what it means to be a man today.

4. Meeting Boys Where They Have Fun

Equimundo’s impact in digital spaces builds on its longstanding, transformative work creating spaces where men and boys can safely explore, reflect, and connect, while fostering meaningful relationships. In partnership with Canadian non-profit Next Gen Men, Equimundo released Unlock You!, a cooperative game on the Roblox platform designed to help players develop social-emotional skills and expand their understanding of masculinity. Since launching in August 2025, the game has reached more than 55,000 players across 54 countries, with the United States and Mexico as two of the largest audiences. By working directly with game designers and digital platforms, Equimundo is testing how interactive media can encourage empathy, cooperation, and positive relationships among boys online.

Also launched in 2025, the Laboratoire LinkUp experiments with innovative digital ideas that invite young men to find healthy connections. Working with partners Amaze and Futures Without Violence, Equimundo has developed youth-focused videos and educational materials to strengthen media literacy for boys and equip the adults in their lives to open conversations on a broad range of topics from body image, online exposure, video games and emotional regulation, to loneliness, dating in a digital age, and deepfakes. Each educational video includes a resource guide to help adults and young people talk openly about issues such as social pressure, mental health, identity, relationships, and harmful trends.

Simultaneously, in collaboration with key partners such as the Center for Scholars and Storytellers and the Mental Health Storytelling Initiative, Equimundo convened more than 200 leading voices across legacy media, gaming, streaming, and social mediato catalyze new conversations on cross-sector collaboration aimed at shaping more positive narratives for boys and young men. These convenings integrated youth perspectives alongside insights from Equimundo’s research, grounding discussions in both lived experience and evidence. The effort was further strengthened by the engagement of a range of U.S.-based organizations working on narrative change, fostering a shared agenda and laying the groundwork for continued collaboration across the ecosystem.

“Firstly, wanted to thank you and your team again for the Healthy Masculinity event last week. I have been discussing the fascinating takeaways with several partners (both internal and external) and would love to share some of the materials/presentations used during the event.” – Movie Executive who develops fantasy/action content for a major streaming platform.

5. Awarded $12 Million in Funding From the Caring Masculinity Fund

Le Fonds pour la masculinité bienveillante (CMF) supports organizations around the world working to redefine masculinity through care, connection, and equality. Launched in 2024 as part of a global funding initiative by Pivotal Ventures, it has distributed more than $12 million in 2025 to over 70 organizations across 24 countries and territories, supporting work that engages men and boys as allies for gender equality. CMF investments span Equimundo’s three thematic pillars and support a range of initiatives, including community-based programs, digital innovation, research, and movement-building partnerships that advance caregiving and nonviolence. The CMF has already helped catalyze additional investment in the field, leveraging over $15 million in new fundingto strengthen organizations advancing this work worldwide.

The Fund also supported the Le parcours du Changemaker de MenCare, a global initiative addressing some of the biggest problems facing men, boys, and manhood around the world, which began at the Reykjavik Global Forum in November 2025. In partnership with Women of the World – WOW, the journey continues in 2026 with a four-day summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil bringing together 100+ cross-sector leaders, and engaging thousands across the city, to co-create actionable solutions that advance caring manhood, and accelerate gender equality.

6. MenCare Cities Underway

Under the aegis of the Campagne MenCare, Equimundo’s MenCare Cities pilot program is the first ever multi-city partnership using cities as a platform to promote caring manhood. This approach makes care central to urban planning, and embeds gender transformative approaches into public spaces and local services at a city-wide level. Working with partners including the City Hub and Network for Gender Equality (CHANGE) and Metropolis, and supported by the Caring Masculinity Fund, pilot programmes will be implemented in Greater Manchester (UK), Melbourne (Australia), Medellin (Colombia), Montevideo (Uruguay) and Louisville (USA). These pilots will test how local policies, services, and public spaces can embed gender-transformative approaches – recognizing, redistributing, and revaluing the role of care work, while engaging men and fathers as part of the solution. The cities  will  be connected through an international learning platform enabling them to share insights and collectively strengthen advocacy efforts while scaling innovative solutions within their local contexts.

7. Meeting Boys Where They Learn

Meeting boys where they learn – at home, in schools, and in their communities – Equimundo combines research and practical tools to help boys grow healthier and happier, support the adults in their lives, and promote gender equality. In 2025, as part of the Initiative mondiale pour l'enfance, Equimundo and partners produced three boyhood reports in Mexique, Bolivie et Ecuador– led by GENDES and Plan International and supported by Global Affairs Canada – generating new evidence to drive investment in boys’ development and gender equality. Complementing this research, Equimundo developed Spanish-language conversation tools through a human-centered design process with families, equipping parents, educators, and community leaders to engage boys on gender norms. Additional research across Morocco, Jordan, Rwanda, South Africa, and Uganda through the Generation G project expanded this global evidence base.

Equimundo also advanced gender-transformative education in schools. In the United Kingdom, the Au-delà des stéréotypes de genre curriculum, developed with The Children’s Society, trained 255 educators and reached more than 2,500 students across 14 schools. Results show significant gains: educator confidence rose from 18% to 66%, while students demonstrated increased openness to cross-gender interaction and reduced agreement with harmful stereotypes. The program is now scaling to additional schools, with open-source rollout planned for 2026.

In Malawi, Equimundo partnered with UNESCO, the University of East Anglia, and CAWOC to design and deliver the first primary-level curriculum addressing boys’ disengagement in education, training 52 educators and reaching more than 2,200 students across 11 schools. Across Latin America and the Caribbean, this work continues to expand through partnerships with schools in Mexico, Bolivia, and Belize.