Call for Proposals Now OPEN – Deadline: 27th May, 2025. - The African Women's Development Fund

Our call for proposals is now OPEN!!! We invite women’s rights and feminist organisations, collectives and actors to apply! We are guided by our ten-year strategic framework (2023-2033) which affirms our unwavering commitment to resource and accompany African women’s rights organisations and feminist groups and movements led by women, girls and gender-diverse people in ways that allow them to do transformative work. It also highlights our commitment to being feminist-movement centered, recognising diverse ways in which movements exist and come together as collectives; resourcing those who are historically excluded from funding and other opportunities and those often deemed "too risky" to partner with; and providing increasingly substantial, long-term and flexible funding resources.

We recognise the current context that we are all working in, from the continued attacks on gender justice to the impact of funding cuts from both private philanthropy and government donors. These realities have heightened pressure on resources and increased the demand for funding to sustain gender justice and social transformation. We are impacted by this too, and just like many of you, we are having to do more with less. We remain committed to mobilising as many resources as possible for the important work ahead and will make available to women’s rights organisations and feminist movements the resources entrusted to us. This call for proposals focuses on five types of grants aimed at supporting various movement actors who are often excluded from funding opportunities such as nascent or grassroots organisations and unregistered groups and movements. Find out more about the grants below.

Inua Grants

This grant will support initiatives that strengthen the voice, agency and leadership of women, girls and gender-diverse people to lead actions that contribute to gender justice.

Siza Grants

This crisis response grant provides flexible funding to small grassroots and unregistered groups in building sustainable solutions in crisis and conflict areas. We refer to conflict areas not only as those experiencing civil war but forgotten conflict areas, and areas that aren’t considered as being in conflict but are experienced as such by women, girls and gender-diverse persons there. It will support responses before, during and after crises.

Matla Grants

This grant aims to support delivery of essential services to women, girls and gender diverse persons experiencing violence, backlash and/or discrimination in French speaking Africa.

Economic Justice Grants

This grant will resource organisations to dismantle the barriers to economic justice and equality for African women, girls and gender diverse persons by reimagining economies, and rethinking mechanisations, craft, and intellectual knowledge from micro to macro level.

Zimba Grants

This will support capacity strengthening and movement building in French-speaking Africa only.