About: The AWDF is the first pan-African women’s grant maker, which support local, national and regional women’s organisations working towards the empowerment of women and the improvement of women’s rights. Born in 2001, it has provided more than $17 million worth grants to women organisations through small and large grants.
Themes: Grants are given according to 6 thematic areas: women’s human rights, economic empowerment, governance peace and security, health and reproductive rights, HIV/AIDS, arts culture and sports.
Types of Grants:
- Main Grants: your proposal must be written according to at least 1 of the thematic areas addressed by AWDF. Main grants are given to support and strengthen the capacity of organisations. For instance, main grants could be given for strategic planning, governance systems and fundraising or communication strategies. Grants could also be asked to cover capital costs such as the purchase of computers or printers.
- The size of these grants is between $20,000 and $50,000. Only organisations operating at the regional level could apply for this grant.
- Small Grants are given to organisations based and working in Ghana, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Nigeria. This fund supports small community projects led by women. Projects must address one of the 6 thematic themes set by AWDF. This fund is also made available for emergency situations such as natural disasters or urgent and quick interventions needed because of other contingencies.
- Solidarity Fund supports the mobility of women within and outside Africa to attend relevant conferences, workshops and seminars. The aim of this fund is to improve women’s networking and the exchange of information and experience between women working in organisations dedicated to the advancement of women in African society.
General Requirements: The applying organisation must be women-led. If your organisation is not a women organisation, you should clarify that the proposed projected will be managed by women part of the organisation. Preference is given to organisation with at least 3 years of experience. Applications must clarify how the project will be developed and they also provide a clear methodology for monitoring the project development and evaluating the final outputs. You must also clarify which other fundraising strategies you have adopted to raise additional funding for the proposed project in case you will not be given the full amount requested.
Additional Requirement:
- Local women’s organisations applying for the small grant must provide the names of 2 referees – one of whom must be a member of a women’s organisation that operates nationally.
- Grants are not given to women’s political parties, to convert people to any religion or belief, to women’s organisations not led by women, to governmental institutions, to individuals, or for academic studies.
How to apply: You should send a proposal to the AWDF Secretariat in Accra (Ghana). The proposal could be written in English, French or Portuguese. The Application Form could be asked by contacting AWDF directly via mail or email. Relevant contact information could be found here
Deadlines: AWDF makes grants in 2 cycles each year. Applications can be sent at any time.
