African Women’s Development Fund (Africa and the Middle East Region)

Application Deadline: 3 March 2017

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$30 million in grants.

AWDF is one of four Women’s Funds from the Global South managing Leading from the
South – a funding initiative created to resource women’s rights activism in the global South
over 4 years. The fund was initiated with support from the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign
Affairs as part of their commitment to the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal
5. 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.

AWDF is mandated to fund in all 54 African countries. Under the Leading from the South
initiative AWDF has expanded its grantmaking mandate to include selected countries in the
Middle East.

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.

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 rights organisations as a priority. Organisations
must have:
– a track record of work on women’s rights,
– a woman as organisational director/lead
– a majority 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:
• Advocacy and campaigning- including engaging local, national, regional and international
legal and policy bodies
• Training and leadership development to build core advocacy/social change skills
• Media and communications
• Action-research and knowledge production with an advocacy focus
• Alliance and movement-building
• Service provision with an advocacy component
• Strategic litigation

REVIEW AND DECISION MAKING PROCESS
1. For Yala! and Ananse grants applications must be submitted to AWDF by 13 February
2017. AWDF will acknowledge receipt by email for all applications received.
2. For Pamoja grants applications must be submitted to AWDF by 3 March 2017. AWDF will
acknowledge receipt by email for all applications received.
3. Applications will be reviewed by AWDF’s experienced Programme Officers and managers
and the final decision for the grants made by the AWDF board with contributions from
technical advisors.
4. Short-listing, review and selection process will take approximately 12 weeks from the
submission deadline. Successful applicants will be contacted by 15 May 2017.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the African Women’s Development Fund 2017 Call for Proposals