The African Women’s Development Fund was established in 2000, as an Africa-wide
philanthropic, grant making initiative to support the realisation and fulfilment of African
women’s rights through funding of autonomous women’s organisations on the continent.
AWDF works towards the creation of healthy, just and inclusive societies framed by
equality, peace and respect for women’s rights. Since its founding, AWDF has awarded
more than US$34 million in grants.
AWDF is one of four Women’s Funds from the Global South managing the Leading from
the South Fund- a funding initiative created to resource women’s rights activism in the
global South over 4 years, initiated by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It supports
activism devised, implemented, and led by women’s rights organisations in the global
South. The LFS fund is being implemented by four women’s funds: Three are Regional
Funds: African Women’s Development Fund (Africa and the Middle East Region),Fondo Mujeres del Sur (Latin America and the Caribbean)and South Asia Women Fund (Asia);and one global fund AYNI – the Indigenous Women’s Fund.
Eligibility Requirements:
AWDF accepts applications from women’s rights organisations registered and working in DAC recipient countries in Africa and the Middle East (see country list in section II).
• AWDF funds women-led, women’s organisations as a priority. Organisations must have:
• a track record of work on women’s rights,
• a woman as organisational director/lead
• a majority (at least 70%) of women staff
• at least 70% women involved in the governing board/body
• a stated commitment to women’s rights/gender equality in the organisational mission/vision/values
• At least 70% of programmatic resources must be dedicated to direct programming on women’s rights;
- the project applied for will be managed by a woman
Eligible activities
Activities to be considered for funding include:
• Campaigns to advance specific women’s rights agendas, law and policy change
• Training to build core advocacy/social change skills
• Media and communications campaigns
• Action-research and knowledge production with an advocacy focus
• Alliance and movement-building
• Strategic litigation
• Engaging the regional/international human rights system and international treaty bodies
• Interventions to change public attitudes on key policy issues
GEOGRAPHICAL COVERAGE & LANGUAGE:
Applications are accepted for women’s groups registered in the following countries in
Africa and the Middle East:
Africa:
Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde,
Central Africa, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo,
Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea,
Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali,
Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao
Tomé and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Swaziland,
Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Middle East:
Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Yemen
Grant Type
To apply, download the relevant forms, guidelines, budget and financial management templates below:
To apply, download the relevant forms, guidelines, budget and financial management templates below:LFS Round 2 Guidelines (English)
LFS 2018 Application Form: Yalla
LFS 2018 Application Form : Ananse
LFS 2018 Application Form: Pamoja
Download Financial Management Questionnaire Here
Visit the African Women’s Development Fund for details and questions
Application Deadline: 5 January 2018.
