The Sovereignty Fund
No saviours. No sacrifice. Just mutually beneficial design.
Real Ones began as a celebration of self-sovereignty:
“Everyone should be able to bet on themselves.”
But ultimately we realised this was more than a tag line.
It had to be the essence of everything we do.
How It Works
We wanted to design a system that enforced reciprocity:
Nothing given or taken without a fair exchange.
This felt like the best way to anchor our values: No saviours. No sacrifice. Just mutually beneficial design.
The Sovereignty Fund is not a collection of donations —
As a customer,you do not pay an additional 25%(all our bags are sold at or below market price).
Real Ones does not lose 25%of profit from this arrangement (in fact we don’t lose any).
Factually speaking, Sovereignty Awards are a surplus of cashresulting from a series of transactions that fairly benefit everyone involved.
The awards are unrestricted because there are no stakeholders.
TL;DR: We all get a bag.
It is the byproduct of all of us choosing ourselves.
When we set out to create A fund for survivors, we had no idea that the fund would fund itself.
Our Partners
Not into bags? Please consider providing direct support to our partner instead. It won’t reach the Sovereignty Fund, but you’ll still be a Real One. 😍
Real Ones is proud to partner with the YWCA of Northeast Indiana in its inaugural season. Our Founder and CEO, Elizabeth Detwiler, who is from Fort Wayne, Indiana, is personally grateful for their vital support to all the Real Ones in her hometown.
Northeast Indiana has served the Fort Wayne region since 1894, working to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote dignity for all. They provide a full continuum of care for survivors of domestic violence — from prevention education to long-term support after crisis — including Bonnie's House, the oldest and largest shelter in Indiana specifically for people experiencing domestic violence, with 66 beds and most nights at capacity.
Their services — including a 24/7 crisis hotline, emergency shelter, one-on-one advocacy, legal navigation, clinical therapy, and housing coordination — are free and confidential to all who need them. They also offer scholarships to female survivors of domestic violence, and employment support programs to help women rebuild financial independence.
Partner With Us
We are inviting all qualified domestic violence agencies across the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia, and the UAE to apply to distribute the Real Ones Sovereignty Award — a $5,000 unrestricted cash grant given directly to survivors, to spend however they choose.
Every partner agency also receives a Partner Stewardship Grant — a separate, unrestricted award that recognizes the professional time, expertise, and care involved in stewarding the fund responsibly. No reporting. No conditions. Just acknowledgment that your work has value.
If this sounds like something your agency believes in, we'd love to connect.
A $5,000 unrestricted cash grant disbursed directly to a survivor selected by your agency. No spending categories. No receipts. No behavioral conditions. Once the funds are disbursed, they belong entirely to her — not to the agency, not to us. To her.
Any verified domestic violence support agency operating in the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia, or the UAE is welcome to apply. If your agency serves survivors and shares our belief in dignity-centered, unrestricted support, we want to hear from you.
Every partner agency receives a separate, unrestricted Partner Stewardship Grant alongside each Sovereignty Award partnership. This is not a reimbursement and it is not tied to survivor outcomes, reporting requirements, or the number of awards administered. It is Real Ones' recognition that the professional time, judgment, care, and institutional expertise your agency brings to this process has real value — and deserves to be acknowledged as such.
Entirely at your agency's discretion. You know your clients. We don't. Real Ones has no role in identifying, evaluating, or approving individual survivors. Your team applies its own existing criteria and professional judgment — and we trust that completely.
No. Real Ones does not contact, communicate with, or collect any information about survivors at any point. We do not access, store, or request any survivor-identifying or personal information. Ever. Your agency is the sole point of contact for the women you serve.
Your agency does — in collaboration with the survivor. Timing is a critical component of safety and impact, and we recognize that the right moment to disburse funds is a professional and situational judgment that only your team can make. Real Ones does not set timelines or disbursement schedules.
Minimal by design. A brief, high-level confirmation of disbursement is welcome but not required. No outcome metrics, financial breakdowns, survivor narratives, or identifying information are ever required. We built the model this way intentionally — your energy belongs with your clients, not with us.
No. Survivors are not required to leave their situation, disclose personal details, or meet any conditions to receive support. They are never asked to participate in reporting, testimonials, publicity, or storytelling of any kind. Their privacy is protected entirely by your agency, using your own protocols.
Through your agency's existing financial, safety, and confidentiality infrastructure — whatever systems and processes you already trust. We adapt to you, not the other way around.
As close to zero as we could make it. We impose no external protocols, no new systems, and no additional reporting layers. Beyond your standard disbursement process and a simple MOU, nothing additional is required.
The MOU outlines the roles, responsibilities, and shared principles of the partnership. It is intentionally straightforward — a reflection of mutual trust and shared values rather than a compliance document. Either party may propose adjustments based on learnings during the pilot, and either party may exit with written notice if circumstances change.
Because she has spent enough time asking permission. A woman leaving or rebuilding after an abusive situation has often spent years having her choices monitored and controlled. The Sovereignty Award is designed to be the opposite of that experience. No categories. No oversight. No strings. She decides — entirely and without condition.
Reach out via our website or directly at ceo@realones.vip. We'll take it from there.