Co-Impact, a global philanthropic collaborative, has committed to raise and deploy Ksh. 110.5 billion ($1 billion), through its Gender Fund. The Fund will work with various initiatives to advance gender equality and promote women’s leadership across the Global South.
The Gender Fund is now open for applications and will support locally-rooted organizations working to make systems just and inclusive and advance women’s leadership at all levels.
Submission of entries will close on 20th December, 2021.
Grants will be awarded to initiatives that do the following.
1. Focus on systems change with the aim to improve gender-equitable outcomes and women’s leadership in the health, education, and economic opportunity sectors, and or institutional change to advance women’s ability to enter, rise to, and thrive in leadership positions in the academic and professional domains of law and or economics.
2. Are deeply rooted in the Global South. 100% of the grants will go to Global South and locally-rooted organizations in the countries listed below.
- Africa: Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, and South Africa.
- Asia: India, Indonesia, Philippines, and Sri Lanka.
- Latin America: Brazil, Mexico, and Peru.
3. Are led by organizations that bring feminist approaches to the core of their initiatives. At least 75% of the grants will go to women-led organizations.
Through the open call, Co-Impact has invited applications from Global South organizations. These include civil society groups, think-tanks and academic institutions, professional associations and networks, women’s rights groups, and feminist and allied movements, among others.
Three types of grants will be awarded ranging from Ksh. 110.5 million ($1 million) to Ksh. 2.2 billion ($20 million), allocated over a 3 to 6 year period.
Speaking on the Fund, Olivia Leland, Founder and CEO of Co-Impact said, “We are really excited about this open call and recognize the critical role that women’s rights organizations and feminist movements play in advancing gender equality. I believe that together, we can move towards the common goal of making systems just and inclusive for women and girls to rise to and thrive in leadership positions at all levels,”.